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Dallas Stars Daily Links: Suddenly, The Stars Are In The Thick Of Divisional Playoffs Battle

Now what? asks Matthew DeFranks. Plus, trade-deadline talk, Robo the Instagram legend, and more.

If you didn’t see this coming...well, you must be a Dallas Stars fan. Once again, the Victory Green Gang has gotten hot at a fortuitous time, and here they are in the very thick of the Central Division’s playoffs battle – not as a wild-card hope, but as a solid contender.

The Dallas Morning News’ Matthew DeFranks examines the Stars’ recent run of, well, stellar play against its divisional foes, and reports that the players are knocking down their milestones and setting new ones:

“Now is the time of year when you really start looking at [the standings] more,” Stars forward Tyler Seguin said. “We know our situation with how we’ve been on the road this year, and how we’ve been in the last 10-11 games.

“We know where we’ve been as far as catching Nashville. Not looking too far ahead, but also looking at St. Louis now. Just setting new goals every day and never taking a day off as a group, or becoming complacent as a group.”

Fans may still be wary of getting their hopes up, but the stats gurus are seeing a pattern:

MoneyPuck’s model gives the Stars a 58.4% chance of making the playoffs. HockeyViz is at 64.8%. Hockey-Reference (81.1%) and The Athletic (83%) each put the Stars over 80%....

Beginning with last week’s game in Winnipeg, 12 out of 15 games are away from American Airlines Center. That used to be a massive issue for the Stars, who did not earn their first road regulation win until Nov. 27 and didn’t earn their second until Jan. 20.

But the Stars have started to figure things out on the road and are 8-2-1 away from home since Jan. 20, the fifth-best road points percentage in the league during that stretch.

Matt has more. [SportsDayDFW]

Stars Stuff

Saturday’s home start against the New York Rangers has a theme we can all get behind.

Also, it should give you lots of opportunities to appreciate this guy.

Around The Leagues

#Murder Was The Case

No activity in the Dirty Central last night, but Thursday’s schedule will see plenty of action – most of it at the same time:

  • Chicago Blackhawks @ Boston Bruins, 6 p.m. Central Time
  • Arizona Coyotes @ Toronto Maple Leafs, 6 p.m. CT
  • Minnesota Wild @ Detroit Red Wings, 6 p.m. CT
  • Winnipeg Jets @ New Jersey Devils, 6 p.m. CT
  • Colorado Avalanche @ Carolina Hurricanes, 6 p.m. CT
  • St. Louis Blues vs. New York Rangers, 7 p.m. CT/

Elliotte Friedman discusses the trade market, the KHL exodus, and more in his newest 32 Thoughts, which has everything plus a Jyrki Jokkipakka cameo.

Here’s your occasional reminder that it’s never too early to start talking about the next NHL Draft.

Some homecomings are more...fraught than others. Greg Wyshynski has proof, and he shares it (if you have ESPN+).

Looking for after-action on Jaromir Jagr’s benefit for Ukrainian refugees in Czechia? Look no further.

Greetings From Scenic Cedar Park

The Texas Stars got their score on in a big way with last night’s win over the Charlotte Checkers.

Finally

Welcome to the party, Marian Studenic. Enjoy.

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