The good news for the Dallas Stars is that it's March. The bad news is that April comes next.
Dallas lost for the seventh time in its last nine games on Tuesday, falling to the Boston Bruins, 6-3, on the road. The Stars have come from breathing down the neck of the Western Conference-leading Colorado Avalanche to an all but guaranteed second- or, heaven forbid, third-place finish in the Central Division. Either placement will result in a first-round matchup against the Minnesota Wild in the Stanley Cup Playoffs. Whether the Stars get home-ice advantage for the series or not is the only matter.
Spend any real time around Stars fans on social media the last two or three weeks, though, and you'd think Dallas was already toast against their former city's current occupants. And, make no mistake, the Stars are absolutely struggling to the point that saying they're stinking up the joint isn't an overstatement. Caution is valid.
dallas stars threaten to play hockey on Thursday https://t.co/MXcthzXDkI
— x - kit (@samquue) April 1, 2026
But fear or doubt? Nay. After all, it isn't yet April. Besides, the Stars went through a similar stretch at the beginning of 2026. For nearly a month - from Dec. 23 to Jan. 22 - Dallas went a practical 3-11 over 14 games. Technically, Dallas went 3-7-4 over those 14, but those four, while they might have resulted in a point, were indeed losses. The Stars followed that 14-game run with 14 wins in their next 15 games.
In other words, they're far from cooked. And, anyway, it's not like the rest of the West, save Colorado, is doing much cooking. The Wild themselves are 4-5-1 over their last 10, and no team in the whole conference has won more than three straight games. Dallas' Central Division may be the best in the NHL as a whole, but the Stars have proven they can beat the Wild and the Avs. Two teams, by the way, Dallas will get once more apiece before the playoffs start in the middle of next month.
We have a 1C, but he's currently out with an Injury: R. Hintz
— X-Evan Richard (Superfan Evan) (@evanrox1) April 1, 2026
It's clear the Stars miss Roope Hintz down the middle, though, and that's not even counting injuries to Radek Faksa, Sam Steel, and Michael Bunting. Dallas won just 36% of its faceoffs against the Bruins on Tuesday. And Hintz's strong two-way play and first-line-capable offensive skills would have been a boon in the last few weeks. At least the team plans to get him back before the postseason begins, giving him time to re-acclimate himself before the real run begins.
By no means am I saying Stars fans should relax or that. This current run is nothing to worry about. It's just at this point that, with the run we witnessed in February and earlier this month, combined with three straight Western Conference Finals appearances, don't count your boys just yet. One shortened hot streak could be just around the corner, and all this will have been forgotten.