Good morning on this glorious Wednesday morning. I'm sure you are wrapping up your Christmas shopping and getting those presents wrapped and under the tree today. We are a week away from Christmas, and it feels like it was yesterday when the Dallas Stars began their hockey season. The Stars have given their fans the gift of being one of the top teams in the league right now. That's a good gift, and it didn't cost them a penny. All it cost them was a lot of hard work and determination to bring home the Stanley Cup.
With the Dallas Stars having an off day yesterday, two of their Central Division rivals played last night and won big. The Minnesota Wild and the Colorado Avalanche both picked up wins against their respective opponents last night. It's going to be another photo finish in the Central Division this season, and hockey fans are going to be in for a treat. Let's take a look at how the Central Division is shaping up in our newsletter this morning.
Dallas Stars News: Central Division race
Looking at the top of the Central Division, we have the Colorado Avalanche in first place, your Dallas Stars in second place, and the Minnesota Wild in the rearview mirror. The Wild have gotten back into the race after they picked up Quinn Hughes from the Vancouver Canucks. That's going to help out their defense and possibly their offense for the remainder of the season. The Stars have their work cut out for them if they want to win the Central Division.
Dallas Stars News: Last night's results for the Avalanche and the Wild
The Colorado Avalanche and the Seattle Kraken faced off against each other last night. It was a closely contested game until Nathan MacKinnon (sarcastic shocked face) scored two goals in the third period to lead the Avalanche to a 5-3 victory. I know it's only the Seattle Kraken, but the Stars would be in a good position if the Avalanche won the Presidents' Trophy and that curse were placed on them heading into the postseason, assuming the Stars made the playoffs.
Up north, the Minnesota Wild easily took care of the Washington Capitals 5-0. Not a complete shocker, given how the Capitals' season is going. Vladimir Tarasenko was the leading scorer for the Wild last night with two goals. It just goes to show how easily a trade can change a franchise's season projection. Hopefully, the Stars don't throw it into neutral with how both teams are playing right now. The Central Division is going to be fun to watch, with all the talent in it.
Dallas Stars News: Moving forward
The Stars have one more off day (today) before taking on the San Jose Sharks tomorrow night. They are on a tear right now after pulling off a five-goal comeback last weekend with a goal from John Klingberg in overtime. It's good to see him doing well after his tenure with the Dallas Stars. Also, the Stars will see former player Ty Dellandrea tomorrow night. It's going to be a reunion as the Stars and the Sharks drop the puck tomorrow night.
After tomorrow night's game, the Stars will travel down to Anaheim to take on the Ducks before returning to Dallas to face the Toronto Maple Leafs on Sunday. The Stars look to get revenge on Anaheim after they embarrassed them in Dallas. The Ducks have a young team with some excellent scoring talent led by Cutter Gauthier. The Stars have some good matchups before Christmas. Let's hope the Stars are healthy and ready to go.