Wild Card Race: Looking at Dallas Stars Playoff Clinching Scenarios

Shouldn’t you be working? Shouldn’t I?

The Dallas Stars have a legitimate chance to make the 2014 Stanley Cup Playoffs, and the only thing on the minds of many are how exactly can they get it done with just two games left?

Players and coaches do not have the luxury of publicly admitting that there are many ways in which they can make it to the promised land. They have to “take it a game at a time” and “every game is a must-win,” and we certainly hope they believe those things.

But we’re all kicking around what the Phoenix Coyotes can or cannot do against the Predators and Sharks ahead of Sunday’s game in Glendale, which, worst case, will mean something. But oh how we wish it wouldn’t.

So we’re all thinking about it. Let’s talk about it here.

These are but a few of the possible scenarios- No doubt you can come up with many others. These are the ones I am kicking around in my head as I try to figure out requirements for beer and liquor over the weekend…

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“My Most Likely Scenario” (If they make it)

If the Stars somehow make it in, it’s going to be painful. Very painful. This would see to that and then some. Phoenix beats the hapless Preds tonight and Dallas loses to the mighty Blues, making for one of the more miserable Saturday mornings in recent memory.

They get the job done, however, in overtime or the shootout, and Tyler Seguin has something to do with it.

“The Best Case Scenario”

This is what you want.

Sunday means nothing, so just let them have it because, you know, Tim Thomas is in net and some guys are resting. Dallas has to beat St. Louis and Phoenix has to drop one of their next two, and the best Tippett can do is equal them at 91 points from there.

Also, it would allow us to celebrate at home at the AAC. A lot has to go right, but that’s a pleasant thought.

“The Worst Case Scenario”

“How in the hell did the Stars miss by four points after being in such a good spot Tuesday night?” you’ll ask.

They won’t earn another point this season and the Coyotes snap out of their funk…

“Back that Thing Up”

Four overtime losses between the two teams sees the Stars needing only to survive to overtime on Sunday night, and the Stars beat the Coyotes at their own game, backing their way into the playoffs with a couple of overtime losses and starting the playoffs as an unlikely 8-seed despite not having won a game in well over a week.

This doesn’t seem very likely.

“The Heartbreaker”

In this one you feel pretty good on Saturday morning. You’re back in front after a tough Thursday night watching the Predators not care and you think the Sharks might go ahead and help you out, but it gets all the way to a shootout Sunday night and Jordie Benn tries his move again and fails after Radim Vrbata beats Kari high to the glove side.

Complete and utter devastation at the last possible second again. Somewhere Marc Crawford gets fired from whatever job he performs these days.

“No Snappy Name For This One”

In this one the Coyotes finish a strong 2-0-1 but see the tie-breaker bite them in the arse again as the Stars come up with a big win over St. Louis tomorrow, and an even bigger “let’s just get to overtime” survival routine in Phoenix Sunday.

“Futility”

In this one neither team earns another point ahead of their Sunday matchup. At that point it really doesn’t matter. Pull the goalie even earlier, Lindy, who cares? Because all they can do is pull even in points you and you own the tie-breaker.

Alright, not very likely either, but it would be fun.