The Dallas Stars are moving one step forward then one step back. The record keeps spinning on repeat. This past week for the Stars was some of their highest and lowest points. What a game that was on Saturday, followed by the referee show on Sunday. First period domination of the Seattle Kraken then the 7-1 shellacking from the Florida Panthers means they had a rollercoaster of a week. Mid-January is upon us which means it’s crunch time for NHL teams. The up-and-down nature of this team needs improvement if they want a playoff spot. Their consistency seems problematic.
Referee’s Decision
There is using referees as an excuse for a loss and then there is what happened on Sunday. Stars fans took to Twitter to express their fury after a game at the St. Louis Blues. All roads pointed to a Stars victory. A 1-0 lead going into the final minute of regulation hopefully means at least a point. Entering the final minute of the game with a lead and leaving without a point should never happen. Fans littered Twitter with anger as they felt the referees had their hand on the game’s decision and absolutely they did. Before the goal, Miro Heiskanen hit the ice after an infraction from a Blues player’s stick. Heiskanen went on to commit a penalty after that, leading to two powerplay goals. Fans said enough about what they think of the referees after that game.
The Low
Friday night’s game was one big oof. 7 goals against means you had an awful night. Unlike last season, the Stars visit Florida for the first and final time this weekend. The two best teams in the NHL are the Florida Panthers and Tampa Bay Lightning. The Stars play them both in two days. Things got off to a bad start on this road trip with the Panthers scoring goal after goal.
The Playoffs
January means the playoffs conversation is coming. This is the halfway point of the season so every team can self-reflect on where they are. There is a clear-cut difference between the haves and have nots. The Stars are teetering on the edge of the have nots. An 18-14-2 record is not good enough for the playoffs. They are close to a wildcard spot though. The San Jose Sharks hold the second wild-card spot. The Stars are right behind them at 3 points behind with 4 games in hand. 4-11-1 on the road means they must play better away from the American Airlines Center. Playoffs are not out of the realm of possibility but they need to step it up.
Teams are going to have weeks like this in a season. Ending the Pittsburgh Penguins’ streak of 10 straight wins left smiles on the faces of Stars fans, especially after trailing 2-0. The best thing now is to move on. A 2-2 is not the end of the World but fans wish they can get some consistency. It’s several months until the playoffs but they need to start collecting wins.
Photo Credit: Dallas Stars Twitter
