Green Machine Musings- The Plot Thickens

 

 

           What exactly do the Dallas Stars need to do to end their run of five playoff-less seasons? Your guess is as good as mine.  The fight for the final wild card spot in the Western Conference is ultra-tight and could very well go down to the last game of the regular season on April 13th between the Stars and Coyotes.  Last night certainly did not help the cause of those wearing victory green.  How could any of us have predicted Phoenix going into Pittsburgh and winning AFTER having lost Mike Smith to what could be a very serious injury on Monday night in New York?  And to make matters worse, the Stars’ poor execution in the offensive end doomed them to a 4-2 loss at the Madhouse on Madison against the Blackhawks.  Don’t get me wrong, I’m glad that they skated well and competed hard all the way to the end, but moral victories just will not cut it this time of year.

 

 

 

            Here’s what the playoff picture in the Western Conference looks like after Wednesday’s contests.  Vancouver’s surprise win in Minnesota puts them just a point behind the Stars, but the Canucks have two fewer games left to play.

 

These teams are in (listed by total points and games remaining):

 

Central                       

                        GR      PTS

St. Louis          10       105*

Chicago            9          99

Colorado          10        96

 

Pacific

                        GR      PTS

San Jose            8        103*

Anaheim          10       101*

Los Angeles      9         90

 

 *Clinched Playoff Spot

 

            All of these clubs except for Los Angeles (and likely Colorado) have a legitimate shot at securing the top seed in the conference.  Remember, under the new playoff format, the division champion with the best record will face the #2 wild card team while the second-best division champion will face the #1 wild card team.

 

Without further ado, here’s the wild card situation and the remaining schedules of the four main competitors:

 

                               GR      PTS     ROW* (first tiebreaker)

7.) Minnesota          9         85         30

8.) Phoenix              9         82         30

9.) Dallas                10        79         31

10.) Vancouver        8         78         29

 

11-14.) Nashville (73 PTS), Winnipeg (73 PTS), Calgary (67 PTS), Edmonton (59 PTS)

 

*Regulation or Overtime Wins refers to any victory not involving a shootout

 

 

               Minnesota (85 Points)                              Phoenix (82 Points)

                  3/27 - @ St. Louis                                3/27 - @ New Jersey

                  3/29 - @ Phoenix                                 3/29 - vs. Minnesota

                  3/31 - @ Los Angeles                            4/1 - vs. Winnipeg

                    4/3 - @ Chicago                                   4/2 - @ Los Angeles

                    4/5 - vs. Pittsburgh                               4/4 - vs. Edmonton

                    4/7 - @ Winnipeg                                 4/8 - @ Columbus

                    4/8 - vs. Boston                                   4/10 - @ Nashville

                  4/10 - vs. St. Louis                                4/12 - vs. San Jose

                  4/13 - vs. Nashville                               4/13 - vs. Dallas

 

                   Dallas (79 Points)                               Vancouver (78 Points)

                3/28 - vs. Nashville                                 3/27 - @ Colorado

                3/29 - @ St. Louis                                   3/29 - vs. Anaheim

                  4/1 - @ Washington                                4/1 - vs. NY Rangers

                  4/3 - @ Carolina                                      4/5 - vs. Los Angeles

                  4/5 - @ Tampa Bay                                 4/7 - vs. Anaheim

                  4/6 - @ Florida                                      4/10 - vs. Colorado

                  4/8 - vs. Nashville                                 4/12 - @ Edmonton

                  4/9 - vs. Columbus*                              4/13 - vs. Calgary

                4/11 - vs. St. Louis

                4/13 - @ Phoenix

 

*The rescheduled game between Dallas and Columbus on April 9th will start with the Blue Jackets ahead 1-0, as that was the score at the moment when Rich Peverley collapsed on the Dallas bench in the original game on March 10th.

 

 

My Conclusion: The Stars have a moderately tough schedule to finish the season, as they will have a five-game road trip with four contests against the Eastern Conference, which they have struggled against more so than just about any other Western Conference team.  However, Minnesota and Vancouver's schedules to close the season are much worse, with the former's being absolutely brutal.  The Wild have not been a great road team, and now, after tonight's loss to Vancouver, they will have a four game road swing against some of the best in the West. And, as if to add insult to injury, when Minnesota comes home, they will face Pittsburgh, Boston, and St. Louis: the two best teams in the East and the best team in the West.  I certainly do not envy the men from St. Paul.  Vancouver's schedule is not quite as bad, but multiple games against Anaheim and Colorado could easily be their undoing.  The one silver lining for John Tortorella's men is the fact that six of their last eight games will be played at Rogers Arena in Vancouver.

 

            All things considered, it will still be up to the Stars to take care of their own business before they can even start to concern themselves with the results of their counterparts in this race.  There will certainly be no "backing into the playoffs" (as Ralph Strangis put it) this year in the Western Conference.  Whether your team makes the postseason or comes up short, one thing is for certain: this year's stretch run in the NHL's Western Conference is sure to be wildly exciting. And for those of us here in Dallas, we need to keep the faith that the Green Machine will, at long last, answer the bell and end the infamous streak at five seasons.