The Stars play at Chicago Sunday and Monday to close out their season, and while the results won't get Dallas into the playoffs, Bowness said they'll play to win. Both Roope Hintz and Tyler Seguin will be shut down for the final two games after battling with lower-body injuries, but Bowness said the roster will reflect the best healthy players available.
"We're going to put the best lineup we can tonight and put the best lineup we can tomorrow and do everything we can to win these games," Bowness said.
Bowness admits it was difficult to finally face the reality of elimination on Saturday night. "There was an awful pit in my stomach after the end of the game, much like when we lost in the Stanley Cup Final last year," he said. "Those things stay with you, they do. The disappointment of not getting in after everything I just described that we went through, you can't put that into words. It's an awful feeling in your stomach, and it'll never go away."
Despite everything that happened over the course of the season and the disappointment of missing the postseason, Bowness beams with pride when asked about the resilience of his squad in the face of adversity. "Those are things you can't control, so you can't beat yourself up over that," he said. "You deal with it the best you can, and that's why I'm so proud of the players."