Dallas Stars Playoff Push: Examining Potential First Round Opponents

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WINNIPEG, MB – MARCH 25: Jason Dickinson #16 of the Dallas Stars and Nikolaj Ehlers #27 of the Winnipeg Jets battle for the puck along the boards during third period action at the Bell MTS Place on March 25, 2019 in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada. (Photo by Darcy Finley/NHLI via Getty Images) /

1. Winnipeg Jets

Record: 45-29-4, 94 points, 43 ROW

Chances of playing Stars in first round (according to The Athletic): 46 percent

Coming in as the Stars’ most likely opponent in the first round is the Winnipeg Jets, and rightly so.

If the Stanley Cup Playoffs started today, Dallas and Winnipeg would be pitted against each other. That would more than likely make for an opening series filled with plenty of energy between two teams that are still relatively new to the Stanley Cup Playoffs.

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Since the league realigned in the summer of 2013, the Dallas Stars have only been to the Stanley Cup Playoffs twice; the Jets are in the same boat. And when you consider the recent pasts of each club, the storylines would be enticing to say the least. The Stars being back for the first time since 2016 and looking to make a name for themselves while the Jets trying to go one step further after being eliminated in the conference finals in 2018? Sign us up.

The regular season series between the two teams seems to lean in favor of the Stars, with Dallas posting a record of 3-1-0. That included outscoring the Jets 15-10 and picking up some critical points within the division that helped them stay afloat. But the playoffs are a different animal entirely, so using the regular season as a comparison isn’t always the most reliable idea.

While the odds seem to heavily favor a Dallas-Winnipeg matchup (it’s been this way for the past two weeks or so), there’s a lot of room left for things to change. The Jets are currently tied for first place in the Central with the Nashville Predators, and the final week of the season will serve as the deciding factor.

Winnipeg’s path to the top seed in the division includes a four-game road trip to close out the season. The Jets will make stops in Chicago, Minnesota, Colorado, and Arizona. All four of those teams are still in the playoff hunt as of Monday morning, so each one will likely be digging in and scrapping for every point left on the table. That could make things difficult on a Winnipeg team that’s just 20-17-0 on the road this year.

But if Winnipeg finds a way to keep their hold on first place and the Stars finish in the top wild card spot, this could be a thrilling series between a preseason Cup favorite and a team that is heating up at the right time of the year by using a stifling and challenging style of hockey.

We’ll see if the Jets and Stars can hold their positioning.

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