The Dallas Stars fell just short of completing a comeback win against the Vancouver Canucks on Saturday night. And although securing a playoff spot will have to wait a little while longer, the Stars continue to show effort and perseverance. That’s important.
It’s not often that a Dallas Stars loss (or a loss by any team, for that matter) can be labeled as “impressive.” And yet, the Stars arguably put together their most impressive losses of the 2018-19 season on Saturday.
After spending the entirety of the past week in Canada for a four-game road trip, the Stars traveled to Vancouver to wrap up the swing. It was a game against a non-playoff team that had the potential of clinching a playoff spot for Dallas if they could win.
Dallas had rolled through the first three games of the trip, posting a 3-0-0 record and outscoring the opposition 10-5. That included wins against the Winnipeg Jets (who currently lead the Central division), Calgary Flames (who currently lead the Pacific division), and Edmonton Oilers.
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They had dominated the Jets with speed and offensive aggressiveness, found a way to outdo the Flames in a defensive battle, and clawed back from an early 2-0 deficit against a risky and loose Oilers club to win their first shootout of the year.
Three wins, six points, and a big boost in the playoff race set the Stars up for an easy final push to the finish line. Their odds of qualifying for the postseason had skyrocketed from 88 percent to 99.8 percent in a span of six days. And with only four games (all against teams outside of the playoff picture) separating them from the start of the postseason, everything seemed to be falling perfectly into place.
A promising setup like that can sometimes help lull teams into a state of hopeful carelessness. After all, the Stars’ magic number sat at just two going into Saturday night. Any combination of two points either gained by Dallas or lost by the team sitting in ninth place in the Western Conference throughout the final week of the season would secure a spot for the Stars at the postseason table. That’s a nearly flawless situation for any team to own.
And through the first half of the game against the Canucks, it looked as though the Dallas Stars had sunken into that state of blissful idleness. Vancouver came out of the gate swinging and took it to the Stars. With their playoff hopes being officially dashed on Friday night, the Canucks had the persona of a team that was ready to play loose and use speed and risk to their advantage. It was a similar look to how the Oilers battled the Stars two nights prior.
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Less than five minutes into the first period, Tim Schaller scored his third goal of the season (all of which have come against Dallas). A few minutes later, Sven Baertschi put one past Anton Khudobin to make it 2-0. And though the Stars put 12 shots on goal in the opening frame, they found themselves down by two goals through 20 minutes.
But, unlike their comeback against Edmonton on Thursday, Dallas was held scoreless through the second period as well. Jakob Markstrom, who was brilliant against the Stars two weeks ago when he stopped 44/46, had a 24-save shutout brewing by the second intermission.
For a Stars team that had crumbled in the race to the playoffs in March 2018 and hadn’t played in a postseason game since 2016, this would have been a perfect time to surrender. Playing against a team with no playoff hopes while their own playoff hopes were all but certain? Losing one game won’t be the end of the world.
But, as they did on Thursday and as they have done on multiple occasions throughout the final month of the 2018-19 season, the Dallas Stars didn’t back down. They didn’t spend the third period in a lackadaisical state, sending a few easy shots on net and hoping to simply not get shut out. Instead, they flipped the script.
Dallas dug its heels in for the final 20 minutes, outshot the Canucks 13-8, and quickly assembled an offensive push that helped them claw back. Around the midway point of the period, Andrew Cogliano scored a dirty goal on the doorstep after taking a few preliminary hacks towards the net. Five minutes later, Alexander Radulov continued his scoring surge by notching his 27th goal of the season.
Pucks and Pitchforks
Just like that, a 2-0 game turned into a 2-2 deadlock. The Stars had once again stood up, dusted themselves off, and fought back against a team that had nothing to play for except pride. They forced the game into overtime and eventually into the shootout. And though Khudobin was rock solid through the first seven shooters faced, Dallas simply couldn’t get a goal. Markus Granlund found the back of the net in the eighth round, and after Mattias Janmark couldn’t find a way to respond, the Canucks escaped with a 3-2 shootout win.
But that means very little at this point. It doesn’t matter that the Dallas Stars didn’t secure a playoff spot on Saturday night. It also doesn’t matter that they couldn’t pot one more goal against another stellar showing from Markstrom. After all, they won’t be seeing him in the postseason.
What matters most is that the Stars once again found a way to make something out of seemingly nothing. They rallied from a slow start and early deficit to earn a valuable point. Not many teams can do that on a regular basis, but Dallas is finding ways to make it happen.
The comeback helped cut their magic number in half. It also helped boost their playoff odds to 99.9 percent. And with the new numbers, the Stars could clinch a playoff spot on Sunday afternoon if the Arizona Coyotes lose in any fashion. If the Coyotes win, Dallas can clinch on Tuesday night with a win or an overtime/shootout loss.
But it’s the Stars’ attitude that’s more impressive than anything right now. They aren’t letting opportunities slip from their grasp. If they build an early lead, they are using focus and structure to keep it intact. If they start at slow and fall behind, they are finding ways to drive back to even and give themselves a chance to win.
"“We’re staying grounded emotionally as we have been doing ever since the All-Star Break. Wins or losses, we’re feeling the same way after.” – John Klingberg"
And if they can keep carrying that determined and resilient attitude into the postseason, it could spell trouble for any opponent they encounter. Succeeding in the Stanley Cup Playoffs is based on being resilient against adversity and finding ways to hike up the intensity and adjust game plans when changed is needed.
It seems as though this Dallas Stars team can find ways to succeed, regardless of what situation they are put up against. The same thing couldn’t be said about the Dallas Stars from a month ago. It couldn’t even be said about the Dallas Stars from two weeks ago.
“I think we’re playing pretty good as a team right now and feeling good about our game,” said Stars defenseman John Klingberg. “We’ve got to move forward from this and try to clinch at home. But we feel positive.”
So what if the Stars didn’t clinch a playoff spot on Saturday night in Vancouver? Through the first 40 minutes, it looked as though they might finish the road trip empty-handed.
Instead, they clawed back and put on an exciting overtime and shootout. They proved to themselves and to the NHL that they are indeed a playoff-ready force. The consistency is building after a 3-0-1 road trip and the fight to the playoffs is nearly complete.
“Great point, great point,” said Stars coach Jim Montgomery. “Fall down 2-0 and battle back again. Great road trip. We’ve got a team that believes right now and it’s fun to watch.”
It may not be the ideal way to end the road trip, but it’s still a heck of a way to keep the ball rolling in the right direction.