The Dallas Stars are The Dallas Express Team of the Week following an eight-game winning streak that led to them shooting up in the NHL standings and tying for second-most points in the league with six games remaining in the regular season.
Dallas’ winning streak began on March 16, the night the team unveiled a statue of longtime captain Mike Modano at PNC Plaza outside the American Airlines Center, as the team rolled to a 4-1 victory over the Los Angeles Kings.
The Stars continued their homestand with two more wins before hitting the road for the West Coast, where they breezed their way to four more wins. However, the most impressive performance came Wednesday night when they returned home to shut out a potent Edmonton Oilers team 5-0.
“I like the detail in our game,” head coach Pete DeBoer told the media after the win. “I like how we’re playing for the most part. That’s a good thing. Everyone wants to be doing that this time of year. The wins are a by-product of that. It’s a great lesson that if you take care of those things, the results take care of themselves.”
The defense and goalie Jake Oettinger have made significant contributions lately, further fueling the fire. The team has not allowed more than three goals in a game since March 14, and Oettinger has collected back-to-back shutouts.
“He’s been very good,” DeBoer said of his goaltender. “We’ve bent and given up some grade-A chances, but he’s dialed in right now. He looks like he’s in his zone. When he gets that way, he looks like you could shoot all night and not score on him. That’s a good feeling for our group.”
The Stars are now among the top Stanley Cup contenders vying for home-ice advantage and a Presidents’ Trophy, which is given to the team with the most points at the end of the regular season, down the stretch, with three home games remaining. While there is a stigma around the Presidents’ Trophy and its hindrance in competing for a Stanley Cup, the last time the Stars won the award was the same year they won their only championship.
Dallas (48-19-9) returns to the ice with a road game against the Chicago Blackhawks (22-48-5) at 2:30 p.m. CT on Saturday, hoping to extend its winning streak and keep pace with the New York Rangers with the Presidents’ Trophy firmly in sight.
