Stars clinch playoff berth, now set sights on winning Presidents’ Trophy

VANCOUVER -- Jake Oettinger isn’t content with the Dallas Stars being the first team in the Western Conference to clinch a spot in the Stanley Cup Playoffs.

The Stars goalie has his eyes on first place in the NHL.

Oettinger made 27 saves to help Dallas defeat the Vancouver Canucks 3-1 at Rogers Arena on Thursday, a win that put the Stars into the playoffs for a third straight season and moved them one point behind the New York Rangers for top spot in the entire NHL.

Dallas (46-19-9) is three points ahead of the Canucks and the Colorado Avalanche for the top spot in the Western Conference, and three points ahead of Colorado for first place in the Central Division.

The Stars reached the Western Conference Final last season, losing to the eventual Stanley Cup champion Vegas Golden Knights in six games.

“It's what we worked all year for and obviously we went on a run last year, and we know how important getting those home games is,” Oettinger said. “So that's what we're playing for right now and trying to get our game to the level we played it to tonight for the rest of the season. If we play like that, we'll be very confident going into the postseason, and we're trying to win the Presidents' Trophy. It’s not every year you can say you're trying to win the Presidents' Trophy.”

The Stars have won the trophy as the top regular-season team in the NHL twice, in 1997-98 and 1998-99, and went on to win their only Stanley Cup in 1999.

“We want to win as many games as we can here going in the playoffs,” coach Pete DeBoer said. “I like how we're playing. We've got eight games left. If that results in a Presidents' Trophy, fantastic. If it doesn't and we keep playing and our game stays in the same place, we're comfortable playing against anybody.”

Dallas has won six games in a row for the first time this season, outscoring opponents 26-11 during the streak. The Stars have a balanced attack, with seven players scoring 20 goals of more for the first time since the team moved to Dallas from Minnesota in 1993. Jamie Benn, who scored his 18th goal of the season on a power play with 3:08 left to put them ahead 2-1 against the Canucks on Thursday, soon could make it eight and set a team record.

They acquired shutdown defenseman Chris Tanev in a trade with the Calgary Flames on Feb. 28 and are averaging less than 2.00 goals-against per game during their win streak, and have killed 13 of 14 opposing power plays.

“I just like the detail in our game,” DeBoer said. “We're not worried about the result. We're worried about playing playoff-type, detailed hockey, line changes, putting pucks in good places, making sure our special teams are good, making sure our goaltender is good. When you do that and your details are in a good place, usually results take care of themselves and that's what's happening.”

Oettinger’s .899 save percentage this season is well below his .912 career average, but the 25-year-old has won four in a row and has a .932 save percentage since being pulled against the New Jersey Devils on March 14 after allowing four goals on 10 shots.

“I feel good. I just want to keep working on some stuff and build on the good stuff I did tonight and just feel good right now and want to keep getting better,” Oettinger said. “We've at times played like a Stanley Cup contender, so when we put it all together like we did tonight we're really confident in what we can do.”

Confident enough that just making the playoffs again won’t be enough, though DeBoer still views that as an accomplishment worth celebrating.

“I've been in the League long enough to know it's really hard to make the playoffs and it's really hard to secure home ice in the playoffs,” he said. “You have to do a lot of work, starting 6-7 months ago, to give yourself the opportunity to be one of those 16 teams that plays for the Stanley Cup, so just proud of our group.”