The Dallas Stars are officially in the 2016 Stanley Cup playoffs.
Clinching a post-season berth was simply a formality for them at this point in the season. Now riding a three-game winning streak, the Stars currently lead the Central Division, and their 6-2 win on the road in Chicago on Tuesday opened up a six-point gap between them and the struggling Blackhawks.
So, what’s next for the high-scoring Stars? Top spot in the West heading into the playoffs is definitely a possibility. What are they capable of in the playoffs? For now, their quite pleased with the way they’re playing down the stretch.
“We’re playing some of our best hockey right now through the depth of the lineup,” Stars coach Lindy Ruff told the Dallas Morning News.
“There’s a lot of good things, special teams, our goalie has made some big saves. There’s a lot of things that allow you to win a game.”
Meanwhile, in Chicago...
The Blackhawks, defending Stanley Cup champs, have won only three times in their past 10 games. They were booed off the ice in their own building after giving up four goals on 15 shots to the Stars in the opening 20 minutes, chasing goalie Scott Darling from the Chicago crease.
Said Chicago’s captain Jonathan Toews to the Chicago Sun-Times: “We remind ourselves we have to work through it — that’s the only we it’s going to get better and we’ll go from there. We know what we’re capable of this year and once we get to the postseason, we’ll remind ourselves of that and look at the big picture and try to take it shift-by-shift and get out of this little funk we’re in.”