Dallas Stars Aiming To Widen Gap Against Avalanche In Playoff Race
By Josh Clark
The playoff race continues in the Central division on Thursday night as the Dallas Stars and Colorado Avalanche square off. And while the Avs need a win to stay afloat in the race, the Stars could use a win to pin their divisional foe further back in the sprint.
The Dallas Stars have a tall task to conquer on Thursday night. But, you probably already knew that.
With the playoff race in full swing and only nine games to go in the regular season, each game seems more critical than the one preceding it. And with that thought in mind, the Stars are forging right along in the hunt for their first playoff berth since 2016.
Their next opportunity to take the next step comes on Thursday night. But unlike in their win on Tuesday against the Panthers or their loss on Sunday against the Canucks, this matchup carries a more sincere and serious storyline. That’s because the Stars and Avalanche currently sit just six points apart in the Western Conference playoff race.
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The Dallas Stars (38-29-6, 82 points) have put together an impressive surge over the past three weeks. They are 6-2-1 in the month of March and have solidified (for the time being) their hold on the first wild card spot. They are four points ahead of the Arizona Coyotes, who currently own the second wild card spot in the West, and two points back of the St. Louis Blues, who sit third in the Central division.
Meanwhile, the Colorado Avalanche (32-29-12, 76 points) are holding up the bottom of the list in terms of “realistic challengers” left in the West. A 10-9-4 mark since the All-Star Break has helped remove the Avs from the wild card picture and has put them in chase mode for the final two weeks of the regular season.
But they are far from out of the race. After defeating the Minnesota Wild (who sit wedged between them and the Coyotes) on Tuesday night, the Avalanche took another step forward in getting back in the picture. And with two points separating them from a wild card spot, tonight’s opportunity against the Stars is a critical one.
Dallas (4th in the Central) and Colorado (6th in the Central) have been closely intertwined in the standings for much of the 2018-19 regular season. And while the Avalanche had the upper hand through the first half of the year, the Stars have flipped the script over the past two months.
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All of the ups, downs, and altercations in-between have led the two clubs to this Thursday night contest. For the Avalanche, it’s two big points that could boost them back into the playoff picture. For the Stars, it’s a chance to push the Avalanche closer to the brink and further strengthen their grasp on a playoff berth.
This will be the fourth and final meeting between the Dallas Stars and Colorado Avalanche in the 2018-19 regular season. Colorado currently owns a 2-1 series lead, though Dallas came up victorious in the most recent affair with a 4-0 shutout win back on March 7. Alexander Radulov netted his first career hat trick and Ben Bishop made 31 saves for his second consecutive shutout in the win.
"“I think we learned in those couple of games that we played against them [in Denver]. How we screwed the lead in the one game and the other game they scored five or six goals. It was a lot to learn and I think we responded well tonight.” – Esa Lindell on March 7"
That was a worrisome result for an Avalanche team that is built on offense and used their scoring power to down the Stars in their prior matchups. In the first two games of the season, Colorado outscored Dallas 9-6, including an impressive 3-2 comeback victory back in November.
“Those games left a bitter taste in our mouths,” said Jason Dickinson following the win against Colorado on March 7. “Those were points we let slip away from us and we did not want to let that happen again. Obviously, they are right behind us in the hunt, so this game was huge for both teams.”
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The Avalanche currently own the tenth-best scoring offense in the NHL at 3.16 goals per game. Their top trio of Nathan MacKinnon, Mikko Rantanen, and Gabriel Landeskog has combined for 101 goals and 247 points on the year. Six of those goals and 14 of those points came against the Stars in the first two meetings of the year.
But with Landeskog out for the rest of the season with an injury sustained against the Stars on March 7, the Avalanche have been forced to shift their offensive attack.
Their problems, however, lie in the defensive end. Colorado allows 3.05 goals against per game, owns a team save percentage of .903, and boasts the fifth-worst penalty kill percentage in the NHL (77.4 percent).
Goaltenders Semyon Varlamov and Philipp Grubauer have struggled with finding a consistent stride this season, and both were used in the last meeting with the Stars. Grubauer is expected to start tonight, which will mark his first start against the Stars this season.
In terms of the home team, the Dallas Stars made some changes to their lineup at morning skate. After relying on the top line of Jamie Benn, Tyler Seguin, and Alexander Radulov to secure a big 4-2 win over Florida on Tuesday, head coach Jim Montgomery turned to a different look on Thursday morning. Here’s how the Stars lined up.
Roope Hintz – Tyler Seguin – Alexander Radulov
Jamie Benn – Jason Dickinson – Joel L’Esperance
Mattias Janmark – Radek Faksa – Blake Comeau
Andrew Cogliano – Jason Spezza – Brett Ritchie
Esa Lindell – John Klingberg
Ben Bishop
Jason Spezza will draw back into the lineup after serving as the healthy scratch on Tuesday night. He was scratched due to Montgomery wanting younger legs in preparation for a fast Panthers team. Spezza has eight goals and 27 points on the season and scored two goals in his first game back following his last healthy scratch in January 2018.
In addition, Taylor Fedun will also be back in the lineup after missing Tuesday’s contest due to a death in the family. He will slot in on the third pairing alongside Ben Lovejoy.
Valeri Nichushkin will serve as the healthy scratch on offense in Thursday’s game. He’s been more noticeable and made some impressive strides over the past few games, but was scratched due to Montgomery preparing for a more physical game against the Avalanche. Brett Ritchie will take his spot on the right side.
And finally, Ben Bishop will make his second consecutive start after missing two games with an injury. He’s 25-14-2 on the season and currently owns the best save percentage (.932) and goals against average (2.05) of his career. Bishop was named the NHL’s Second Star of the Week last week and also set a new franchise shutout streak record.
This game offers opportunities to both corners. The Colorado Avalanche have a chance to get back into the playoff picture after weeks of clawing to stay in the running. Meanwhile, the Dallas Stars can not only inch closer to a secured berth and third place in the division, but also push the Avalanche further out of the race.
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There’s likely to be plenty of emotion and physicality involved in a big Central division tilt as the two clubs face off in one last scrap against each other. More critical points are on the line in a four-point game. Puck drop is scheduled for 7:30 p.m. at the American Airlines Center.