The Dallas Stars emphatically maintained their place in the Western Conference playoff race.
The Stars moved three points back of the eighth-place Phoenix Coyotes by trouncing the Nashville Predators 7-3 on Friday. It was a total team effort for the Stars, as they got goals from seven different players. It was a forgettable night for Nashville’s goalie Pekka Rinne, who was kept in net for all seven goals, which came on 29 shots.
A loss could’ve been devastating to Dallas’ playoff hopes. It would’ve kept them five points back while wasting one of the games in hand. The Stars still have a game on Phoenix, and two on Vancouver, which came off an overtime loss to the Colorado Avalanche on Thursday.
The Coyotes were not in action on Friday, but managed to come away with a shootout win over the New Jersey Devils the previous night, despite coughing up a two-goal lead.