Upcoming schedule gives Stars prime opportunity to climb in standings

The schedule and the Stars have had an odd relationship this season, but they seem to be working it out.
Dallas was a powerhouse at home earlier in the campaign and a pushover on the road, and that was a cause for concern as it entered a stretch of 20 out of 32 games away from home starting in January. But the Stars so far have gone 18-9-1 as they head out on a four-game road trip, and that pretty much has put them in a place where they can realistically dream about making the playoffs.

Stars coach Rick Bowness said he's been pleased with how his team has handled the challenges so far, but that the playoff race creates a certain pressure, and the team has to continue to improve. After a wonky week in which Dallas won a game it didn't deserve in Carolina and squandered a home contest against Vancouver two nights later, there's a need for a reset.
So the team flew to California a day early and practiced in Anaheim on Monday. It's a strange way to start a four-game road trip, but it's needed, he said.
"The schedule is what the schedule is, and you deal with it the best you can," Bowness said. "It really cuts into your practice time and this team needs a good practice. You get the time difference and this teams need a good hard practice."
After a 4-1 loss to the Canucks at home Saturday, Bowness said there were moments he saw when the team was sloppy.
"We needed our structure tonight - to (not) give up a 3-on-2 with 30 seconds to go in the second period, and we have three players behind their net," he said after the game. "That doesn't happen to this team. Our team game is slipping, and we need to get it back, and we will."
That's been the mindset throughout the season. When Dallas started 4-13-0 on the road, there was a real concern that could wreck everything. But they put together a four-game road trip against "beatable" teams in Buffalo, Detroit, Philadelphia and New Jersey, and that not only fixed the standings a little, it helped the team's mindset.
This current run is similar.
Yes, every opponent's dangerous, but there's a real chance that Anaheim, San Jose and Seattle can't make the playoffs and don't really have the same motivation level as the Stars. The Sharks rank 22nd in points percentage at .508, the Ducks 23rd at .485, and the Kraken 31st at .354. Dallas is 15th at .583, but the Stars also have been among the Western Conference leaders in their 18-9-1 hot streak.
The point being that they seem to have the ability to take advantage of this opportunity, and they now need the execution to do just that.
"It's big becauseis a Senior Staff Writer for DallasStars.com and has covered the Stars since 1994. Follow him on Twitter @MikeHeika*.