It was another frustrating night at the American Airlines Center. The Dallas Stars dropped an important game to the Pittsburgh Penguins on Saturday night and wrapped up a big homestand on a discouraging note.
The 2018-19 rollercoaster continued for the Dallas Stars on Saturday night. And if you’re surprised at this point, don’t be.
The Stars wrapped up a five-game homestand on Saturday with a visit from the Pittsburgh Penguins. It was the second and final meeting of the regular season between the two teams, and both needed the points. For the Penguins, two points offered them a chance to move into a tie for second place in the Metropolitan division. For the Stars, it was an opportunity to build on their cushion in the wild card race.
A swarm of Penguins fans showed up to the AAC as they always do. Anton Khudobin took to the crease. One final game on home ice before a four-game road trip. The table was set for a big game with massive implications.
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And the Stars fell short. In a critical game at a critical point in the season, the Dallas Stars couldn’t find a way to pull through.
It’s not like they didn’t fight, though. Dallas outshot Pittsburgh 31-30 (including 15-9 in the final period), made things tough on Matt Murray, and put together an admirable defensive effort against one of the NHL’s better offenses. Tyler Seguin had a goal and six shots on net. Radek Faksa and Roman Polak were close behind with four each.
To top it all off, the Stars rallied on two separate occasions. After Pittsburgh opened the scoring in the first period on a power play goal by Jake Guentzel, Seguin responded early in the second to tie things up. Jared McCann scored a few minutes later after Dallas committed a costly turnover in the defensive zone. Less than four minutes later, Andrew Cogliano scored his second goal as a Star on a beautiful snipe to even it up at 2-2.
But the crushing blow came in the most unexpected way possible. Early in the third period, the Stars were awarded a power play and had an opportunity to take their first lead of the game. 46 seconds into it, John Klingberg turned the puck over to McCann, who quickly rushed to the other end and scored on a backhand shot. It was the Stars’ first shorthanded goal against this season and helped put an ugly bow on a tough loss.
So, where does that leave the Dallas Stars? In the thick of the playoff race. And while that’s not a bad place to be, it’s hard not to think about where they could be.
The Minnesota Wild and Arizona Coyotes lost their most recent games, so the Stars are still three points away from the playoff wall. But with the Avalanche putting together a late-season push, they now sit just two points back. And if they beat the Chicago Blackhawks tonight, they will draw even with the Stars at 82 points.
Saturday’s loss to the Penguins provided a disappointing finish to a rough homestretch. The frustration is evident. The memories of last year’s collapse still loom. And the race is still far from over with seven games to go in the campaign.
And now, it’s off to Canada.