It wasn’t long ago that the Dallas Stars were sitting rather comfortably in the Central’s 3rd spot, thanks to losing streaks by the Colorado Avalanche and the Minnesota Wild. But because of their own recent skid, the playoff situations is much murkier:
Now Dallas sits firmly in the swamp that is the playoff bubble in the Western Conference. Heading into Friday’s game, five teams were separated by two points. If the playoffs started today, the Stars would be one of two teams to make the postseason. However, if they slip back further, then the horrifying thought of another missed playoff would loom.
The Stars still control their own destiny, however, and are looking forward to the challenge. And despite recent comments about the team’s “culture of mediocrity,” there is reason for hope, at least according to new acquisition Andrew Cogliano:
“I know the tension is high, I can feel it, but there are a lot more good things to build off here than I think outside people would expect. I’ve played 900 games and I’ve seen a lot of good habits, winning habits, in terms of how guys play here. It’s just a matter of putting it together and doing things very consistently.”
You can read more in Mike Heika’s piece here.
Other Stars News
The Denis Gurianov yo-yo continues:
The Dallas Stars have recalled F Denis Gurianov from the Texas Stars of the AHL.
— Mark Stepneski (@StarsInsideEdge) January 18, 2019
Gurianov will likely slot in tonight as the Stars take on the Winnipeg Jets, as both Tyler Pitlick and Valeri Nichushkin will be out: [NHL]
You’d think Texas Stars forward Joel L’Esperance would have earned a callup by now, but I guess he’ll have to settle for tearing it up in the AHL:
The top-scoring rookie in the AHL is headed to the 2019 All-Star Classic! Congratulations Joel!
Read: https://t.co/4Dw3dHAvWy pic.twitter.com/dOiU5jNBWb
— Texas Stars (@TexasStars) January 18, 2019
You know there’s a lot of drama going on when Dallas is getting semi-regular national coverage:
Will too much drama derail the Dallas Stars? #NHL https://t.co/0D4oSwEODT pic.twitter.com/iZv3TgonS1
— NBC Sports (@NBCSports) January 18, 2019
Around the League
If you’re struggling to be positive about the Stars these days, try being negative about everyone else instead!
Friday Grab Bag: Everyone deserves some misery, so I went looking for reasons to be pessimistic about the league’s ten best teams. Plus, should you RT that fake trade, a YouTube look back at the 2005 lockout and lots more. https://t.co/A8BrdKJMmd pic.twitter.com/AKczP5MO0y
— Down Goes Brown (@DownGoesBrown) January 18, 2019
The Stars don’t make Greg Wyshynski’s list of top potential Stanley Cup matchups, but they get an indirect honorable mention: [ESPN]
I’ll take suspensions involving top players for 200, Alex:
Nashville’s Ryan Johansen has been suspended for two games for high-sticking Winnipeg’s Mark Scheifele. https://t.co/7hLAUSFrZS
— NHL Player Safety (@NHLPlayerSafety) January 18, 2019
An update from the recent concussion lawsuit: the deadline for players to opt in the settlement has been extended: [NBC Sports]
The Edmonton Oilers will likely be buying this deadline, but that’s probably not the best idea:
The Oilers are overvaluing their playoff chances and it could backfire big-time. @THNJaredClinton files: https://t.co/TAAeFSZLJw #NHL pic.twitter.com/iDWg66DVlc
— The Hockey News (@TheHockeyNews) January 18, 2019
Finally…
Speaking of trades, I’m just gonna leave this here:
Stars and Capitals have been scouting each other heavily lately. Including Stars head pro scout in Washington this evening. The Caps Burakovsky is on the Stars list as they look at trade options and continue to assess where team is at.
— Sean Shapiro (@seanshapiro) January 19, 2019