The Dallas Stars are driving their fans crazy with awful play over the last few weeks. They have a single win since February 2nd, holding a 6-8-4 record. They fill the bingo card of mediocrity with a 4-game losing streak, shutout for 9 straight periods, and blown late leads. The Stars are in danger of missing the playoffs which would be a complete disaster. Fans are getting restless and starting to panic. Eighth in the Central is where they sit albeit 1 point behind the Detroit Red Wings with 8 games in hand. Here’s what the situation is and what they can do to get out of it.
The Stars will not have 2 consecutive days off for the rest of the schedule barring any postponements. They play 17 games each in March and April so get ready for lots of games to get back into it. They have 38 games left and need at least 23 wins to have realistic chances of a playoff spot.
The last time the Stars scored against the Tampa Bay Lightning was Game 5 of the 2020 Stanley Cup Final. Andrei Vasilevskiy stymied the Stars offense for 3 straight games dating back to Game 6. 3 consecutive shutouts with 2 this season killed the Stars offensive hopes. The Stars can’t afford to lose to this team with 6 more games coming against them. They need to solve Vasilevskiy quickly.
Is it possible for them to make the playoffs? That answer is yes but they need lots of wins. If you count points percentage, they are 6th behind the Columbus Blue Jackets and Chicago Blackhawks. They keep letting these teams take wins from them so that hurts their chances. All they need is a fourth-place finish.
It seems like the Stars can’t buy a win right now. The game against the Florida Panthers crippled their point total after failing to secure points with a 2-0 lead late in the 3rd period. They showed heart last night in the final minutes against the Blue Jackets but still lost. This is a frustrating team that fans are getting antsy about.
The Stars will not make the playoffs if they keep playing like they are. February was a disaster and they brought their soggy cereal into March. They need to fix what their deal is fast because missing the playoffs the year after making the Stanley Cup Final is a total meltdown.
Author’s note: I post every Friday and if the Stars do not win between now and my next post, I will start into the talks of a rebuilding phase.
Photo: Dallas Stars / Twitter
