At long last, the Dallas Stars are where everyone expected them to be - holding down a playoff spot.
Winners of four of their last five (4-0-1), the Stars have collected nine points through that stretch, boosting the club back into playoff contention. Through 37 games this season, Dallas has now reached 39 points, good for the second wild-card slot in the West.
So what's finally clicked to have the Stars playing as the highly-flying and offensively exciting team we've come to expect?
For one, it appears that some of Dallas' scoring stars, namely Tyler Seguin and captain Jamie Benn, circled the season's beginning as mid-December:
| Date Range | Player | GP | G | A | Pts | Pts/GP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Since Dec. 13 | Seguin | 7 | 3 | 5 | 8 | 1.14 |
| Before Dec. 13 | Seguin | 30 | 10 | 19 | 29 | 0.97 |
| Since Dec. 13 | Benn | 7 | 2 | 7 | 9 | 1.29 |
| Before Dec. 13 | Benn | 30 | 8 | 16 | 24 | 0.80 |
But the forward ranks aren't the only part finding their game. Point to the crease as a big reason for the Stars' turnaround, as goaltenders Kari Lehtonen and Antti Niemi have solidified in recent weeks:
| Date Range | Goalie | Starts | Record | GAA | SV% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Since Dec. 13 | Lehtonen | 3 | 3-0-0 | 1.81 | .939 |
| Before Dec. 13 | Lehtonen | 18 | 6-9-3 | 2.92 | .894 |
| Since Dec. 13 | Niemi | 4 | 2-1-1 | 1.76 | .941 |
| Before Dec. 13 | Niemi | 12 | 5-4-3 | 3.22 | .901 |
Still, the Stars have their work cut out for them, as Dallas sits four points shy of the St. Louis Blues, who hold down the third playoff slot in the Central, despite playing one less game than the Stars.
As well, four other teams - namely Calgary, Los Angeles, Winnipeg, and Nashville - are all within four points of this playoff battle, with only two wild-card positions up for grabs.
In the end, the play of the Stars' top players will determine if last year's Central Division winners will make a return trip to the postseason.
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