The 2016-17 season is not over for the Dallas Stars . . . yet

Coming off Saturday’s emotional overtime win, the Dallas Stars enter their bye week still on the fringes of the NHL playoff discussion.

When we last spoke, the Dallas Stars found the very definition of “rock bottom”. In a season dotted with finding new ways to lose, the Stars outdid themselves in Nashville. A 3-0 lead evaporated into a disheartening, demoralizing 5-3 defeat. They proceeded to finish their short road trip with losses at Winnipeg and Minnesota. The situation was — and is — dire.

A clinging hope

Yet, in a league in which more than half its teams qualify for the postseason, Dallas is still in the playoff picture, albeit faintly. Several things need to happen in order for them to contend for a spot. And while they have shown no ability to get out of their own way, strange things can happen.

First and foremost, they are only six points out of the last wild card position in the Western Conference. Six points doesn’t sound like a lot, and it isn’t. But there is also the middling fact that Vancouver, Los Angeles, and Winnipeg stand between Dallas and eighth place Calgary. Those eighth seeded Flames currently stand at 62 points with 59 games played. In short, if form holds, Calgary would finish with about 86 points. So let’s call that the low water mark, in terms of playoff qualification.

Next, the Stars enter their bye week with 56 points and 60 games played. They would need to win 15 of their final 22 games just to get to 86 points. They can’t worry about the teams ahead of them right now. Instead, they just have to find a way to start stringing wins together. Is this likely? Probably not. But if we’re looking for the silver lining to this season’s disaster, then maybe we need to look no further than what happened on Saturday night.

A heroic effort

More from Dallas Stars

A familiar scenario unfolded in the opening period at American Airlines Center. The Stars found themselves in a 2-0 hole and looked like the same moribund squad that had their lunch money stolen in the previous three games. But just when all appeared lost, fan favorite Antoine Roussel countered with two tallies of his own to draw Dallas even with the visiting Tampa Bay Lightning. Tampa would regain the advantage in the second frame, but the Stars would again pull even early in the third on the strength of Roussel’s third goal of the night. It was also his first career hat trick.

Roussel’s heroics set the stage for a dramatic finish. Neither team could put the game away in regulation, so overtime was necessary. Yet, the Lightning did everything they could to win in the early stages of extra time, but Stars’ goalie Kari Lehtonen stood tall and kept his team in the game. Dallas finally did obtain control of the puck, and captain Jamie Benn sizzled a sinister wrist shot past Lightning goalie Andrei Vasilevskiy with 1:14 left to seal the dramatic 4-3 win.

A familiar face returns

Further enhancing this particular victory was the presence of Stars’ play-by-play announcer Dave Strader. Strader has been battling a rare form of bile duct cancer and has missed the entirety of this season as he endured treatment. His latest round of drugs had him feeling well enough to call a few games, and he will be in the booth for the duration of this home stand. After the win, the team stood at center ice and gave him a stirring tribute.

Next: Dallas Cowboys: Will They Draft Talent Over Need?

More from Sports Dallas Fort-Worth

Ultimately, nights like Saturday are what the Stars will need to build on if they have any designs on making a playoff run. Elements that have eluded them all year came together and produced a win. The team will spend their next four games in the friendly confines of home. For all the headaches they’ve given themselves, they still have a chance to redeem this season. Their pursuit reconvenes Friday night against Arizona. Stay tuned.

Home/Dallas Stars

The Season is Not Over for the Dallas Stars…Yet

By Ben Davila | Feb 20, 2017