Hope springs eternal: Stars enter March filled with promise and potential

As the thermometers in DFW crept over 90 degrees earlier this week, they were accompanied by a familiar feeling.

It’s one of comfort and potential. As the warm air begins to circulate, leaves repopulate the trees and nature springs anew, so does hope and excitement. That’s especially true in the National Hockey League.

As the trade deadline approaches and spring hockey takes center stage, teams embark upon one of two paths. Clubs in the League either begin prepping to sell top pieces on their rosters and look to the future, or look to add said pieces in hopes of crafting a long playoff run.

The Stars find themselves square in the middle of the latter category. By swinging for the fences in a trade for defenseman Chris Tanev, the Stars filled a sizable need on their blue line and further reinforced the belief that this team has what it takes to go all the way.

That belief grew a little bit more on Thursday night as the Stars dominated the Winnipeg Jets from start to finish in a battle of the top two teams in the Central Division. In their third game (all of which included travel) in four nights, the Stars responded well to both the adversity of a 5-1 loss in Colorado and the enthusiasm surrounding a big trade. They handled Winnipeg 4-1 to become the fifth-fastest team to cross 80 points.

They also hit the 62-game mark. That’s tied for the most by any team in the NHL. It’s been a lot of hockey in a small amount of time, including 13 games in the final 24 days of February, but all things considered, it was a successful month.

The Stars battled a wave of injuries to multiple starters while also squaring off a number of top 10 teams in the NHL standings. They lost Evgenii Dadonov to a lower body fracture for a while. Tyler Seguin is “week-to-week” with a lower body injury. Jani Hakanpää and Nils Lundkvist missed significant stretches at the same time. They were also without Miro Heiskanen for 10 games and Matt Duchene for the Monday matinee against the Bruins.

Yet, through all of the obstacles, Dallas posted a 6-4-3 record and maintained their spot atop the Central Division heading into March.

And so, the focus shifts to the final 20 contests of the 2023-24 campaign. What’s in store for the team? How do their odds of claiming the division title rise or fall based on what lies ahead? Are they in control of their own destiny?

All signs seemingly point to yes. In fact, the final 20 games lie out rather nicely for the lads in Victory Green.

Dallas will play its final 20 games over a 48-day span, a much more relaxed layout than last month. Mixed into that stretch is 11 home games, including a five-game homestand and four straight at home to close the regular season. Home ice has been mighty friendly to the Stars to the tune of an 18-8-4 record and 4.00 goals per game. They are currently on a 7-game point streak on home ice (5-0-2) and always bring their A-game.

Now what about the opponents? As of today, 13 of the Stars’ final 20 games are against teams currently outside the playoff picture. What’s more, seven are against the Coyotes (2), Ducks (1), Sharks (3) and Blackhawks (1), all of which sit in the bottom-five of the NHL standings.

And while it’s proven nightly that any team can beat any team on any given night in the NHL, Dallas has succeeded greatly against teams near the bottom. The Stars sport a combined record of 17-5-3 against their remaining opponents. That certainly seems to add a dose of confidence.

Conversely, the Jets face 11 teams currently occupying a playoff spot. So do the Avalanche. That includes each team atop the division squaring off one more time in a critical four-point game.

“It’s a big race right now to get the division,” Stars forward Jason Robertson said. “Every team in the playoffs is going to be good. It’s not any walk in the park compared to other divisions. Other teams are playing good hockey. Whatever happens we’re going to have to beat whoever.”

On top of that, the Jets have some catching up to do. Winnipeg has played 58 games, tied for fourth fewest in the NHL. They have about a week’s worth of contests to catch up on, and they’ll do so with 16 in a 29-day span this month. That includes nine road games, three back-to-backs and just a single two-day break between games. While they do have four games in hand on the Stars, that’s a condensed schedule to navigate with the pressure mounting.

Meanwhile, the Stars have seven breaks of two or more days in the remainder of their schedule. Rest and practice time come at a premium this time of year, so the added downtime should prove beneficial in a number of ways.

For Seguin and Dadonov, it means more time to heal up from injuries and hopefully be back at full speed in time for the Stanley Cup Playoffs. For Tanev, it’s added time to learn a new system as well as build chemistry on and off the ice with new teammates. For Logan Stankoven, it’s a chance to continue finding and cementing his spot. The 21-year-old is off to a wicked start with three goals and four points in his first four NHL games and looks like a mainstay already.

Time to recharge is never a bad thing in the NHL, and it should provide positivity for the Stars as they continue to grapple for first in the division and Western Conference as a whole. With only two points separating them from the Vancouver Canucks and one more head-to-head in Vancouver this season, the West is just as within reach as the Central.

And after a challenging but respectable February, the Stars look poised to keep their expectations at a sky-high level. Mix in the fact that after a 3-3-3 run through February last season, the Stars closed the year on a 16-5-1 tear (.750) and confidence can begin to run rampant.

Springtime is here, the Stanley Cup Playoffs are slowly coming into view, and the Stars are still leading the way in the race to the finish.

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