Dallas Stars create a storybook ending by winning the Western Conference
It's only fitting by starting and ending the regular season with a 2-1 shootout win against the Blues. With the win last night, the Stars lock up the number one seed in the Western Conference and will have home-ice advantage through the WCF. Here are the three takeaways from the win against the Blues last night.
By Brian Sweet
If you thought the Dallas Stars season couldn't get any more weirder for you last night. The Stars started the regular season taking on the St. Louis Blues and would win 2-1 in a shootout. Well, the same thing happened last night with the same result. Stars fans should buy a lottery ticket with those strange odds. While the Stars had to win the complicated way last night, it does feel wonderful winning the regular season Western Conference Championship.
It's the first time the Stars have wrapped up the Western Conference title since 2015-16. Everyone chipped in last night so the fans didn't have to bite their nails watching the Vancouver Canucks and the Winnipeg Jets later tonight. Jake Oettinger won the MVP of the game last night making two remarkable stops to help the Stars win. If they don't show those on ESPN later today, fans might lose it. They were probably the best saves of the year by any goaltender in the league.
Stars fans can do is sit back and relax today and wait for the dust to settle. Their first-round opponent will be named later tonight after the final games of the regular season. It's a split right down the middle on who the Stars' fanbase wants to play. Some want revenge against the Vegas Golden Knights, while others wish for the first-round warmup against the Los Angeles Kings. Here are the three takeaways from the game against the St. Louis Blues.
Did the Stars clinch the top seed in the West?
— z - Jeff K (@jeffk_stars) April 18, 2024
z - ZAM RIGHT!
Sending ‘em into the postseason happy!#STARSWIN!#STLvsDAL#PAcam#BigmouthStrikesAgain#TexasHockey pic.twitter.com/YNLjRqF2IT
Dallas Stars vs. St. Louis Blues: 3. Playoff Otter activated
Oettinger looks ready for the first round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs. His save in the first period to keep it scoreless should have been shown across SportsCenter last night. One of my friends texted me saying he looked like a Golden Retriever knocking down a tennis ball out of mid-air. Let's not forget the save in overtime that had fans across the league jealous. It will be a candidate for the save of the season even though it looks like Oettinger wasn't putting much effort into the save.
OTTER WITH THE PADDLIN’ OF THE CENTURY pic.twitter.com/3LoDxaESjL
— Spittin' Chiclets (@spittinchiclets) April 18, 2024
Dallas Stars vs. St. Louis Blues: 2. The Blues gave the Stars a playoff test
It felt like the Stars were playing in game 1 of the NHL Playoffs against the Blues. Jordan Binnington played like a playoff veteran last night stopping 36 of 37 shots on net. Whoever the Stars play in the first round, they will face a goaltender like Binnington. There will be a lot of low-scoring games for the Stars in the next couple of months. The Stars didn't get flustered and kept attacking the net like they should. Congrats to the St. Louis Blues on a good season and thank you for one last playoff test.
Dallas Stars vs. St. Louis Blues: 1. Young guns look ready for the playoffs
Wyatt Johnston and Logan Stankoven look ready for the Stanley Cup Playoffs. I would have to give the top line of the night award to Jamie Benn's line for how aggressive they were in front of Binnington. Stankoven used his body to fight for all of his scoring chances last night. Benn and Johnston almost scored on a few of their shot attempts as well. The key to a long playoff run might depend on how well Johnston and Stankoven play. It sure looked like they were ready for game one on Sunday.
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