Dallas Stars: Looking Ahead At Their February 2019 Schedule
After a restful month of January filled with inconsistent action and plenty of break time, the Dallas Stars are gearing up for a critical February schedule. The month ahead offers a lot of action and plenty of opportunity to shift their playoff standing, for better or worse.
The month of January offered the Dallas Stars an opportunity to sit back and assess things. What did they assess? Well, a little bit of everything. Player production, team chemistry, coaching styles, where the team had been good and bad, potential trade chips and possible acquisitions, and the Western Conference playoff race.
The team was given an extended chance to do all of that throughout the first 31 days of the month. In the month of January, the Stars played a total of 10 games. And while nine of those games occurred in the first 19 days of the month, the second half was much more laidback.
As the Dallas Stars endured a 10-day escape from action that included their CBA break and the 2019 All-Star Break, they had a chance to take it all in. Where was the team doing well? In what areas was the team struggling? How would that affect the 2018-19 season as a whole?
They also used that break time to gear up for the homestretch. As the Stars exited the break, they were 24-21-4 on the year along with 52 points. They sat in a Western Conference wild card spot, had made a handful of trades already in hopes of improving the team, and sat in a modest position.
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Upon exiting the break, the Stars found a way to start things off on a high note by defeating the Buffalo Sabres 1-0. It was a good start to post-break play, but was simply the first step in a challenging slate ahead.
With the win, Dallas improved to 25-21-4 on the year. They finished the month of January with a record of 5-5-0 and 10 of a possible 20 points. While that may scream mediocrity, there’s a case to be made that the Stars are still trending in the right direction. After all, a four-game losing skid where nothing seemed to go right is what really brought them to the 5-5-0 mark. Regardless, there are no excuses.
But the Stars now find themselves with 54 points and sitting in sole control of the first wild card spot as they enter the month of February. That’s a nice and familiar spot for the team at this time in the regular season, but the real challenge is only just beginning.
That’s because the month of February is where everything begins to align around the NHL. Teams start to embrace their identities in a bigger way, the NHL Trade Deadline has teams eager to add help to their lineup, and the playoff race takes prominence.
Only 32 games separate the Dallas Stars from the beginning of the Stanley Cup Playoffs. They sit in a playoff spot at the moment, but that can change in one or two games. The postseason race is as tight as it has ever been in the Western Conference, so there is little room to breathe or slip up.
With a potentially busy trade season ahead and the playoff push taking full priority, it’s up to the Stars to stay focused and take things one game at a time. That all begins tonight with a Central division matchup against the Minnesota Wild. It’s the final game of a six-game homestand for Dallas and will serve as the first leg of a back-to-back that will wrap up tomorrow night in Nashville.
Take a look at the Stars’ February schedule and opponents:
Minnesota Wild (1 game: home), Nashville Predators (3 games: 2 away, 1 home), Arizona Coyotes (2 games: 1 home, 1 away), Florida Panthers (1 game: away), Tampa Bay Lightning (1 game: away), Carolina Hurricanes (2 games: 1 away, 1 home), St. Louis Blues (1 game: home), Chicago Blackhawks (1 game: away), Vegas Golden Knights (1 game: away), Los Angeles Kings (1 game: away)
Let’s break that down for a moment.
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The Dallas Stars have 14 games scheduled during the 28 days of February. That’s a game every other day. It’s the third-most games in any month in their 2018-19 regular season campaign, which is daunting considering there are 2-3 less days in February than in the other months.
They never have more than two consecutive days off in the month ahead. It begins with a quick home-and-away series against the Central division before the Stars return home on Monday for a quick matchup with Arizona. Following that, they will be on the road for a five-game swing that spans across 12 days. They follow that trip up with a three-game homestand and will then begin a four-game road trip to close out the month.
All in all, that’s five home games and nine road games for the team in February.
The month also offers a pretty heavy slate of Western Conference opposition. Of their 14 games, 10 will be played against opponents from the West. Only Florida, Tampa Bay, and Carolina (twice) will challenge Dallas from the East in the month ahead.
And while their Western Conference slate is balanced in terms of divisional breakdown, the Stars’ five games against the Central will offer them a serious challenge. The Stars will face the Predators, who currently sit second in the division standings, three separate times in a span of 17 days. The battle with Minnesota on Friday night could shift the divisional picture in a big way. And finally, Dallas will get a chance to pick up their first win of the season against the Blackhawks as the month comes to a close.
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Every divisional game matters regardless of the competition, so it will be up to the Stars to capitalize on their “four-point games.”
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Of the ten different opponents that the Dallas Stars will square off with in February, only four currently hold a playoff spot. But, that doesn’t mean that the month will be an easy one. Arizona, St. Louis, Carolina, and Florida are all still very much alive in the postseason race. Only Chicago and Los Angeles (who sit 29th and 30th in the NHL standings, respectively) can really be considered far from the picture. But even so, they are both less than ten points from the final wild card spot.
Perhaps the biggest thing to watch for in the Stars’ February slate, though, is their activity at the 2019 NHL Trade Deadline.
The Dallas Stars are a team on the brink of qualifying for a playoff spot. But, even with their current standing, there are still certain holes in their game that could use some patching. Does GM Jim Nill use the deadline to find that patching? He’s already added Andrew Cogliano and Jamie Oleksiak over the past few weeks. Is there more to come? There will be plenty more to talk about as the month progresses.
The long break is over, the Stars are back in action, and it’s time to see how the homestretch plays out. Dallas is in control of their own destiny for the time being. How long will that last? Only time and their play on the ice will tell.
February presents a loaded schedule with plenty of challenges and potential pitfalls. The team has to find ways to perform and win consistently, the coaching staff has to keep the team in a position to succeed, and the front office has to continue assessing the trade market and looking for ways to improve.
It’s a busy time for the Dallas Stars. It could also be a defining month for the team, regardless of which direction they head.
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But it will be up to the Stars to rise to the challenge, look in the mirror, and find their recipe for consistent success. It’s the most important time of the year to do so.