Written in the Stars 3-20-12
Written in the Stars
Dallas Stars’ fans have to be getting nervous about their team’s playoff chances, because the race for the Pacific Division title is tight. More on that shortly. The team’s play this week didn’t help give themselves or fans any breathing room whatsoever. For the first time in a month, the Stars have lost two straight regulation games. The Stars have had a few days off since their last game on Friday, so they should be well rested for this crucial week of play. You can count all remaining games left in the regular season for the Stars on your hands; there are only ten left. It’s crunch time now. The madness is just beginning.
Giveaway Tuesday
If you need an incentive to go to the game against the Phoenix Coyotes Tuesday night (you know other than the playoff race that is going on in the Pacific Division), it’s Kari Lehtonen bobblehead night. The first seven thousand fans that arrive will get a collectable Lehtonen bobblehead. Check out the Dallas Stars website, for ticket and promotional information.
Week in Review
Tuesday March 13: 1-0 road win over the Minnesota Wild. Granted the Wild have all but given up on the season, but the Stars nonetheless had to fight all sixty minutes for a 1-0 shutout victory. At the time, it was their season high sixth straight win. Kari Lehtonen was sensational again, stopping all 25 Wild shots. With his 2-0 shutout the previous game against the Ducks, Lehtonen posted back-to-back shutouts, which had to have been huge for his confidence and the Stars. Everything in this well-oiled machine seemed to be going smoothly and working on all cylinders.
Wednesday March 14: 5-2 road loss to the Winnipeg Jets. On the second game of their back-to-back, the Jets spanked the Stars 5-2, thanks to four unanswered second period goals to build a 5-0 lead. Loui Eriksson scored twice for the Stars, but it was way too little too late. Not exactly a great way to play your first game in Winnipeg since 1996. It was one of those games where the Stars just didn’t have it. They were beaten to loose pucks, the Jets fought harder and played with a greater sense of urgency. These games happen time to time. You don’t want to put too much emphasis on one loss. Every team’s win streak has to end (the Stars were 10-0-1 in their prior eleven games). Every good team, every playoff team has a bad loss every once in a while. It shows that other teams take you seriously and want to play their best to beat you. No shame in this loss, especially to a team on the verge of making the playoffs in the eastern conference.
The Stars clearly were frustrated with their play against the Jets and how they winning streak was coming to an end. (Photo courtesy of Jonathan Kozub/NHLI via Getty Images)
Friday March 16: 4-1 home loss to the Chicago Blackhawks. This was a battle between two teams fighting for playoff positioning; the Blackhawks were definitely hungrier. They scored two early goals not even two minutes into the game, a deficit the Stars could not overcome. Corey Crawford was outstanding in net for the Blackhawks. Had it not been for Jamie Benn scoring a goal with just under six minutes left in the third period, the Stars would have been shutout. This loss has to sting a little more for head coach Glen Gulutzan. When the Stars came back home to Dallas and gave up two early goals, it almost seemed like they didn’t even come to play, but the Chicago Blackhawks are no ordinary team. The Blackhawks have the talent to win the Stanley Cup this year. This was a game to get a barometer on where the Stars could be come playoff time. Can the Dallas Stars beat the really good teams in the Western Conference? With an effort like the one they gave Friday, the answer is an emphatic no.
Shooting Stars
With the way the Dallas Stars played last week, there weren’t many players that deserved a gold star, but here some of the shining players from last week:
- LW Loui Eriksson, 2 goals and 1 assist, +2 rating
- LW Jamie Benn, 1 goal and 1 assist, -2 rating
- Stars penalty killing unit, killed 9 of 10 power plays.
Falling Stars
Of course this week, there are plenty of candidates who did not play up to a star standard. Here are a few that stick out:
- RW Adam Burish, -2 rating, 14 penalty minutes
- LW Brenden Morrow, -3 rating, 1 assist, 4 penalty minutes
- D Adam Pardy, -3 rating
- C Vernon Fiddler -1 rating, 16 penalty minutes
As you can see, it was not a good week for the Stars; there could have been plenty of other players on this list. The Stars must play better if they want to make the playoffs.
Powerless play
The Stars did not enjoy the man advantage much at all last week. To make things worse, they were forced to defend the opposing team’s man advantage a lot last week.
- Dallas Stars temper: 48 penalty minutes in three games. They need to clean that up or they’ll be playing short-handed a lot, which ultimately lead to giving up goals and losing games.
- Power play unit: One opportunity last week. One! They have to play harder to draw some more penalties. Having that man extra man on the ice often decides the outcome of the game.
**Stars still sitting in third
Despite a 1-2 record last week, the Stars remain in 3rd place in the Western Conference as the Pacific Division leader with 83 points, but they are skating on thin ice with their playoff lives: Phoenix is tied for the division lead, while San Jose and Los Angeles sit only a single point behind with 82.
The Dallas Stars could miss the playoffs altogether if they don’t win the division. The Colorado Avalanche have 83 points as well and sit in 8th place, but they have played two more games than the Stars. The race to win not only the Pacific Division, but that 7th and 8th seed in the West is very close and compelling; it will come down to the final week, maybe even day, of the season.
Coming up this week…
Tuesday 3/20…VS Phoenix 8:00 pm ET
Thursday 3/22…VS Vancouver 8:30 pm ET
Saturday 3/16…VS Calgary 2:00 pm ET
Monday 3/26…@ Calgary 9:00 pm ET
Again, this is a critical week for the Dallas Stars. With another road trip to Canada coming up, the Stars can ill-afford to go on a skid, especially with three games at home. With San Jose, Phoenix and Los Angeles all breathing down their necks, the margin of error is very small. The Stars can’t worry about their division opponents though. They’ve got to be focused on winning their games this week. If they don’t, their playoff dreams may be dashed. The team’s fate will be found out soon as it is written in the stars.
**At the time of publishing the post, the Ducks-Sharks game was not final, and therefore was not factored in to the point standings.