Dallas Stars: Assessing Each First Round Playoff Opponent Scenario
The final day of the 2018-19 regular season is here and the Dallas Stars still don’t know who their opponent will be in round one of the Stanley Cup Playoffs. At this point, it could be any of four teams. Here’s how the final day of the regular season will help in determining their opening round foe.
Sometimes in the NHL, it just isn’t a hockey team’s night. In other words, no matter what a hockey team does in a game, they never seem destined to win it. And on Friday in Chicago, it just wasn’t the Dallas Stars‘ night.
With four of their regular starters staying behind in Dallas and another two being scratched from the lineup, the Stars took on the Chicago Blackhawks with a significantly different look. No Jamie Benn, Mats Zuccarello, Valeri Nichushkin, or Andrew Cogliano. No Roman Polak or Ben Bishop in the backend.
Why were the Stars playing without those typical starters? Well, because they didn’t really have a need for their entire starting lineup. Dallas had clinched a spot in the Stanley Cup Playoffs on Tuesday night at home in a 6-2 bashing of the Philadelphia Flyers. And while their seeding or opponent weren’t secured yet, their spot was. That’s what mattered.
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So, as a precautionary measure, Zuccarello, Cogliano, and Bishop (who have been injured recently) all missed the game while Benn (rest), Polak (rest), and Nichushkin (illness) all sat out as well.
And after Patrick Kane sent a laser over the far shoulder of Anton Khudobin midway through the first period, it was clear that the Dallas Stars could be in for a long night. That supposition became fact as the game went on and the Blackhawks continued to pour it on during their Fan Appreciation Night. By the time it was all said and done, the Stars were on the receiving end of a 6-1 shellacking.
“From the first shift, it just wasn’t there tonight,” said Stars forward Tyler Seguin.
“I didn’t like the way we played, obviously,” added head coach Jim Montgomery. “I thought we were sloppy. We tried to play a skill game, which is not our game. We weren’t tight defensively in our own end and we weren’t able to make enough plays. That kind of game that was played is not our style of hockey.”
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That’s not exactly how you want a five-game point streak and seven-game point streak on the road to disappear. But, as we mentioned before, sometimes it just isn’t a hockey team’s night.
“I think everyone was kind of focused on next week maybe tonight, so I’m not sure,” Seguin mentioned after the game. “But we’ll talk about it quick, move on, and get ready for tomorrow night.”
And that’s where the focus now comes into play. Friday night’s beating is over with and in the past. Now, the spotlight is on the final day of the 2018-19 regular season. And though the Stars already have their seat at the postseason table, the final day of the season could play a large role in determining where they sit and who they are across from.
Saturday night carries an immense weight for the Central division in its entirety. For the Nashville Predators, Winnipeg Jets, and St. Louis Blues, it’s one final opportunity to take a swing at the division title. All three currently sit within one point of each other in the top three of the Central standings.
For the Dallas Stars and Colorado Avalanche, it’s one last chance to make a play at the top wild card spot. And for the Chicago Blackhawks and Minnesota Wild, it’s one final opportunity to play for sixth in the division and try to avoid finishing in dead last.
This is where things can get tricky for the Stars. For one, they still need one point (or for Colorado to lose one point) in order to secure the top wild card spot and assure their berth in the Central division bracket. On top of that, they still have no idea who their opponent will be in the opening round.
So, how will that be determined? With game 82, of course.
Here’s a look at the schedule for each Central division team as the final day of the regular season gets underway.
Vancouver Canucks @ St. Louis Blues, 3 p.m.
Minnesota Wild @ Dallas Stars, 7 p.m.
Chicago Blackhawks @ Nashville Predators, 7 p.m.
Winnipeg Jets @ Arizona Coyotes, 9 p.m.
Colorado Avalanche @ San Jose Sharks, 9:30 p.m.
Let’s unpack that for a moment.
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Pucks and Pitchforks
On the one hand, the Blues, Stars, Predators, Jets, and Avalanche still have something to play for. But when you look at their opponents, there’s a sharp contrast. The Canucks, Wild, Blackhawks, and Coyotes have all been eliminated from the playoff race, while the Sharks cannot move up or down from their second place spot in the Pacific division.
So, each opponent is playing for nothing more than pride and trying to end the 2018-19 regular season on a high note. That can sometimes lead to them being all the more dangerous, though.
For the Dallas Stars, they are in need of one point to secure their spot in the Central bracket. If they miss out and the Avalanche defeat the Sharks, the Stars would shift into the second wild card spot and enter the Pacific bracket.
So, with four teams still in the running to be the Stars’ first-round opponent, let’s take a look at each of the scenarios that could play out on Saturday night and help in determining the opening matchups in the West.
Dallas plays Nashville if: the Stars pick up at least one point against the Wild AND the Predators win OR the Predators pick up one point and the Blues and Jets both lose in any fashion OR the Blues and Jets both lose in regulation
Dallas plays Winnipeg if: the Stars pick up at least one point against the Wild AND the Jets win and the Predators lose in any fashion OR the Jets get one point while the Predators lose in regulation and the Blues lose in any fashion
Dallas plays St. Louis if: the Stars pick up at least one point against the Wild AND the Blues win and both the Predators and Jets lose in any fashion OR the Blues get one point and both the Jets and Predators lose in regulation
Dallas plays Calgary if: the Stars lose to the Wild in regulation AND the Avalanche win in any fashion
Seems simple enough, right?
The final day of the regular season is going to be a confusing but thrilling one for the entire NHL, but especially in the Central division. Who will win the division title? Who will sit in second and third? Who will occupy fourth and fifth? And who will sit at the bottom of the totem pole?
All of those questions will be answered by midnight tonight. But for the Dallas Stars, the focus is on winning their final game and entering the 2019 postseason on a winning note.
Next. Playoff Bound: Stars Defy Odds In Dramatic, Challenging Year. dark
“It’s important tomorrow, that we come out and play a lot better than we did tonight,” Montgomery said on Friday night.
Puck drop is at 7 p.m. from the American Airlines Center.