The Dallas Stars have won six straight games and acquired points in nine straight games as they try to catch up to the Winnipeg Jets in the Western Conference standings.
The Stars’ six-game winning streak also included a 4-0 record in road matches, with the team taking down the Edmonton Oilers and the Calgary Flames and beating the Seattle Kraken twice.
“To go on this trip and win all four games, you’ve got to give our group credit,” said coach Pete DeBoer, according to NHL.com.
“We had to do it all different ways. I thought our goaltenders were great the entire trip, which helped. We bent but didn’t break.”
Dallas’ record is 49-21-4, and it has 102 points this season. With just eight games remaining in the regular season, they trail the Jets by only four points for the top spot in the standings.
The Stars have also played one less game than the Jets to this point, meaning the team has a chance to make up ground with an additional win in the coming weeks.
Stars center Matt Duchene said the team is focused on winning games to close out the season, but the biggest focus is on preparing for the Stanley Cup playoffs, which are scheduled to begin on Saturday, April 19.
“We’d love to take that top seed, that’s obviously a goal, but we’re going to have to play great teams no matter what position we finish, and we want to make sure our game is where it needs to be. If it is, it gives us the best chance to win in the playoffs. That’s the goal right now, and I think we’re taking good steps toward that,” he said, per NHL.com.
The most important game of the regular season is yet to arrive. Next week, the two top seeds in the Western Conference will face off in a game that could determine which team secures the first seed in the playoffs.
The Stars are currently 1-2 against Winnipeg this season and must win the upcoming matchup to have the best chance at the top seed.
Although Dallas is preparing for the playoffs and aiming to take over the first seed in the Western Conference, the team must also continue winning games to avoid slipping down in the standings.
Dallas leads the Vegas Golden Knights by only four points and the Colorado Avalanche by only six points, meaning the team could easily fall in the standings with multiple losses to end the season.
The Stars hope to continue their winning streak with a matchup against the Nashville Predators on Thursday at 7 p.m. at the American Airlines Center.