Dallas Stars: Examining Their Competition In Stanley Cup Playoff Race

By Josh Clark | Mar 19, 2019

ST. LOUIS, MO - MARCH 2: Colton Parayko #55 of the St. Louis Blues and Jaden Schwartz #17 of the St. Louis Blues defend against Jamie Benn #14 of the Dallas Stars at Enterprise Center on March 2, 2019 in St. Louis, Missouri. (Photo by Scott Rovak/NHLI via Getty Images) /

1 of 5

The final leg of the race to the 2019 Stanley Cup Playoffs is here. At the moment, the Dallas Stars find themselves stuck in the middle of the sprint. Here’s what the homestretch looks like both for the Stars and the competition surrounding them.

Only 18 days separate the Dallas Stars and the rest of the NHL from the end of the 2018-19 regular season. That can be an intimidating thought.

In just 18 days, half of the NHL’s teams will schedule their exit interview days and prepare to clean out their lockers for the offseason. While they do so, the remaining 16 will schedule their next practice and get ready to embark on the road to the 2019 Stanley Cup Final.

But before April 6 arrives, a few things have to happen. For starters, the final standings need to shape out. With only four teams being mathematically eliminated from the playoff race so far, the other 27 still linger. And while some have much better odds than others and the race will continue to thin, the list of involved teams is still loaded.

More from Editorials

On top of a need for finalization, these teams also have to figure out their identity. Some already know and cling to their identity, but others are still trying to search for it in the midst of the playoff hunt.

It’s an exciting time in the regular season as the most exciting time in the hockey calendar year approaches. But with that excitement also comes a certain sense of nervousness and uncertainty. While the teams sitting at the top of their respective division standings can feel a sense of reassurance about their playoff hopes, the teams in or near the wild card standings are still very much on edge.

That’s where the Dallas Stars come in.

Sitting at a record of 37-29-6 with 80 points, the Stars currently own sole control of the top wild card spot in the Western Conference. But even so, they are far from being confirmed as a playoff team.

The intriguing part about the Stars’ race in particular is that so many things could still happen. For instance, Dallas sits just two points out of third place in the Central, two points from the second wild card spot, and three points from being outside of the playoff picture altogether.

Which way will their story turn over the final 10 games? Will they continue forging ahead and qualify for the postseason for the first time since 2016? Or will they stumble in the final leg of the race and find themselves in the back of a loaded race? We’ll find out in the next few weeks.

But, as important as it is for the Dallas Stars to know their identity and surge in the final few games, they also need to keep a stern eye on the teams around them. Besides Los Angeles, Anaheim, Edmonton, and Vancouver, the rest of the Western Conference is currently jockeying for position.

So, how does the rest of the road look for the St. Louis Blues, who are only one game ahead of Dallas? What about the Arizona Coyotes, who are trailing close behind? And though they are outside the playoff picture at the moment, what will the Minnesota Wild, Colorado Avalanche, and Chicago Blackhawks face in the last stretch? Will they find a way into the top eight in the West?

There are a lot of variables in play as the standings shift on a nightly basis. Here’s how the standings look as of Tuesday, March 19.

C3. St. Louis Blues 78 GP 92 PTS 41 ROW

WC1. Dallas Stars 79 GP 89 PTS 40 ROW

WC2. Colorado Avalanche 78 GP 85 PTS 34 ROW

3. Arizona Coyotes 79 GP 84 PTS 34 ROW

4. Minnesota Wild 79 GP 81 PTS 35 ROW

5. Chicago Blackhawks 77 GP 78 PTS 32 ROW

But in the final 11 days of the regular season, what are the Dallas Stars and the teams around them up against?

Let’s take a look at each slate.

Home/Editorials