Dallas Stars: Fixing Issues An Important Element In Playoff Race

The playoff push requires a lot from teams stuck in the thick of the race. One of those requirements is fixing the issues that plagued them early in the season. Right now, the Dallas Stars are mending their problems and are piecing together a promising surge as a result.

Nothing is ever guaranteed when it comes to the Dallas Stars. If you haven’t learned that by now, you better learn quick.

In previous seasons as well as currently in the 2018-19 campaign, the Stars have managed to become one of the most unpredictable teams in the NHL.

In 2015-16, Dallas went from missing the playoffs the year prior to winning the Central division and having the best record in the Western Conference going into the playoffs. One year later, they imploded entirely and missed the playoffs by a 15-point margin. Last season, Dallas looked poised to qualify for the postseason in mid-March but pieced together an almost unthinkable 0-6-2 skid in the final weeks of the season to eliminate their chances.

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Whether it’s the team on the ice creating a surprising surge or wallowing in a disappointing skid, or the front office signing some peculiar names in free agency, this Dallas Stars team always keeps its options on the table.

That makes the ride entertaining, but can also cause some hectic frustration to arise.

The 2018-19 season is proving to be no different, either. After riding a rollercoaster of emotion with a new head coach in Jim Montgomery, various injuries to starters, and a battle for consistency through the first 71 games of the season, here the Stars sit. They are 37-29-5 with 79 points on the year and sit in the first wild card spot in the Western Conference.

And even though they dropped a 2-1 game to the Vegas Golden Knights to open up a five-game homestand on Friday, they currently own a 92.0 percent chance of qualifying for the 2019 Stanley Cup Playoffs. according to sportsclubstats.com.

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That’s an impressive spot to be in considering the circumstances and adversity that the team has dealt with this season.

But how did they get into this spot? How did they work their way up the ladder as the season progressed and wedge themselves into the middle of the playoff chase? Though things look good right now, it wasn’t always like this. In fact, the Stars’ playoff odds sat around 60 percent less than two months ago.

What the Dallas Stars have found a way to do more than anything else over the past few weeks is fix their problems. As a result, they are enduring a helpful surge.

Over the past few games, the Stars have been building on some of the issues that plagued them through the first part of the regular season.

Take their play on the road for instance. Just a little while ago, the Dallas Stars were the only team in the playoff picture with a record below .500. But it wasn’t just one or two games below; it was several. The Stars sat at a record of 11-16-3 at one point when playing away from home. Since then, they are 5-1-0 and have bumped their record to 16-17-3. And with five road games remaining on the schedule, there’s a real opportunity for the Stars to hop over the .500 mark after a disappointingly slow start to the year.

Strong road play is an essential element to own, especially when it comes to the postseason. And for the first 60 games, it didn’t look like the Stars would be able to survive when away from home. Over the past month, however, that thought process has changed.

Their play against the Central division is another encouraging factor. After starting the year on a bumpy 1-4-1 note, the Stars have bounced back in a big way and currently own a mark of 12-8-2 when going up against divisional opponents. Considering those games mean the most in regards to the playoff run, it’s another encouraging step in the right direction.

The depth scoring is stepping up as well. Over the last four games, the Stars have received goals from Roope Hintz (four), Radek Faksa, Joel L’Esperance, and Alexander Radulov. Instead of Radulov, Jamie Benn, and Tyler Seguin carrying the load as usual, Dallas has received a helpful boost in offensive output from their younger forwards.

Their defense is playing with more physicality, the penalty kill is getting better and better, and the entire Stars team is playing with more energy and emotion than they did earlier in the season. The consistency is slowly starting to roll out.

The thing about the race to the Stanley Cup Playoffs is that it asks a lot from teams stuck in the thick of the contest. On top of that, only the strongest ones answer the call and eventually earn their spot in the race.

One of those calls is to round out the issues that plagued the team early on in the regular season that helped pin them in the middle of the race to start out.

Last season, the Dallas Stars were unable to fix their early issues and it led to another year without a postseason berth.

This time around, however, the Stars are surging at the most critical time of the year and are doing it by their own accord. That starts with rounding out the entire team’s attack and shoring up all of the spots that are lacking.

And if Dallas can keep doing that and continue working on their shortcomings, they could quickly find themselves as one of the most dangerous teams in the chase.