First Shift: Stars look to bounce back quickly in matchup with Devils

If ever the Stars had the opportunity to make a strong rebound from a gut-punch game, this is it.

After blowing a 3-0 lead in a 4-3 loss to top-ranked Florida on Tuesday, Dallas has four home games in a span of 10 days. What’s more, if the playoffs started today, three of the four opponents would be on the outside looking in. For a team who has been twisted by the schedule for the past six weeks, now is the time to capitalize.

“We have played as many or more games than anyone in the league, and as many on the road as anyone in the league,” Stars coach Pete DeBoer said. “So we have set ourselves up with a good schedule over the next month with a lot of home games. We’ve got to take advantage of that.”

Dallas has played 67 games, tied for most in the NHL. It has played 35 road games, second most in the NHL. On one hand, that means its two point lead over Winnipeg is somewhat precarious, because the Jets have played two fewer games and can pass Dallas simply by winning the games in hand. Colorado beat Vancouver last night to move into a tie with Dallas for first place.

Both Colorado and Winnipeg have 36 regulation wins, which is the first tiebreaker if two teams are even in the standings. Dallas has 29, so it will likely lose any tiebreaker for playoff positioning. That’s important right now, because whoever wins the Central Division will play a wild card team and the other two will face each other. This means the Stars could play host to Winnipeg or Colorado or could actually start the playoffs on the road at either if it finishes third.

But all of that seems secondary to the Stars. They want to simply be playing well when the playoffs start.

“Honestly, we are really focused on getting our game together,” said Matt Duchene. “I think we know what we have, but we want to be our best.”

After this homestand, Dallas has one long road trip left with games at Arizona, San Jose, Vancouver and Seattle and then settles in for a balanced ending that includes struggling teams like Chicago and Buffalo, as well as contenders like Colorado, Winnipeg and Edmonton.

For now, though, simply bouncing back from the Florida game is the key.

“It’s definitely a little disappointing to play with the lead and come out like that,” Joe Pavelski said of a third period in which Dallas was outscored 3-0. “We sat back a bit, didn’t win enough one-on-one battles – everything that made us successful the first half of the game kind of slipped in our game a little bit. Didn’t handle a couple key moments, but for us – this group – this might come at a good time. This is a great reminder of what’s ahead of us. We’re going to be in this situation again against good teams. In the playoffs, you’re up by two, you’re down by one – the game can’t change. You’ve got to look to win periods, create momentum, keep moving the game forward. We didn’t do a good enough job. We’ll look at a few clips, I’m sure. Take this as a lesson. This won’t be a low point for us for long. Look to right it and be better next time.”

Key Numbers

26-4-2
The Stars have a combined record of 26-4-2 against teams currently outside the playoff picture. They own a goal differential of +47.

15
Stars forward Matt Duchene has 15 points (6 goals, 9 assists) in his past 10 games against the Devils.

3.91
Dallas ranks second in goals per game at home at 3.91. It ranks 26th in goals against at home at 3.36.

He Said It

"I'm very fortunate they came calling and asked. It was not a tough decision when I chatted with the wife. It came together pretty quickly."

- Goalie Jake Allen, who waived his no-trade-clause to move from Montreal to the Devils

This story was not subject to the approval of the National Hockey League or Dallas Stars Hockey Club.

Mike Heika is a Senior Staff Writer for DallasStars.com and has covered the Stars since 1994. Follow him on Twitter @MikeHeika.