DALLAS -- The stage is set for the biggest game of the season, and the scenario is simple.
The Stars can punch their ticket to the 2022 Stanley Cup Playoffs with a victory in regulation over the Vegas Golden Knights on Tuesday night at American Airlines Center. It would give the Stars 95 points, five more than Vegas with two games remaining after Tuesday's matchup.
RELATED: [GAME DAY GUIDE]
It's been a long and winding road for the Stars, who sat in 13th place in the Western Conference on Jan. 1 and still stand as the only team within the top eight in the Western Conference to hold a playoff spot for fewer than 100 days in 2021-22 (60 days).
To earn a spot in the playoffs on Tuesday will require something the Stars haven't been able to do yet this season - beat the Golden Knights.
They've gone 0-1-1 in the two games vs. Vegas thus far, including a 5-4 loss at T-Mobile Arena on Dec. 8. The Stars held a two-goal lead midway through the third period that night but gave up three in six minutes to let the game slip away. Dallas is 2-6-2 all-time vs. Vegas, including a 1-3-2 mark on home ice.
The Stars' magic number to clinch a spot in the playoffs is four, which means any combination of four points gained by Dallas or four points lost by Vegas would do the trick. Dallas has three games remaining on its schedule (all at home), including Wednesday vs. Arizona and Friday vs. Anaheim.
Vegas is coming off a brutal 5-4 shootout loss against San Jose on Sunday. The Golden Knights held a two-goal lead with a little more than two minutes remaining in regulation but gave up the equalizer with 0.9 seconds left on the clock. After failing to score on a power play in overtime, Vegas goalie Logan Thompson gave up the shootout's only goal to Thomas Bordeleau.
Great seats are still available for tonight's game against the Vegas Golden Knights! Get your tickets now!
This story was not subject to the approval of the National Hockey League or Dallas Stars Hockey Club.
Kyle Shohara is the Digital Manager for DallasStars.com and writes about the Stars/NHL. Follow him on Twitter @kyleshohara.
