The 3-2 loss to the Detroit Red Wings on Thursday night ought to do it. The Dallas Stars keep losing games they should win and fans are getting fed up. This latest loss against the Detroit Red Wings proves that the Stars are finding more ways to lose instead of opportunities to win. They sound like a broken record that refuses to change the tune. Now they are in a race with the Chicago Blackhawks for the 4th and final Central Division spot in the playoffs. Each passing loss gets them further away from a playoff spot. Controlling their destiny is important and still one of the cards in their shortened deck.
They got a much-needed point while down 3-1 with 2:06 remaining in the 3rd period against the Lightning. Jamie Benn and Alexander Radulov scored to even the game. Their lovely friend in the overtime period came and went. Another OTL/SOL inked into their record. Getting more than 1 point is a necessity moving forward.
Losing to the Red Wings is embarrassing considering they dominated the game. 40-21 Stars shots weren’t enough to prevent a 9-10-7 record. Jake Oettinger held an odd 4-1-6 record before last night. He has been the shining star in the lineup. Making a playoff spot is still not out of the realm of possibility.
Thanks to 3 straight Blackhawks losses, the Stars still are 8 points back with 5 games in hand. Stop losing should be the #1 goal for this team moving forward. They are giving way too many points to other teams, especially to the Blackhawks.
A team that plays great for only 5 minutes per night hardly wins. The Stars show flashes of brilliance in their play but their consistency or lack thereof is a problem. They play losing hockey quite a bit. Playing from behind all the time is not the way to go and their record in games when trailing after the 1st or 2nd period shows it.
Fans are getting antsy with this latest loss. Missing the playoffs after making it to the Stanley Cup Final is an interesting conversation moving forward. They do just enough every week to squeak by me writing a postmortem on the season. They need 3 wins this week to prevent that from happening. The fate of the franchise lies ahead over these next few weeks.
