If the Dallas Stars wind up squeaking into the eighth and final spot in the Western Conference or missing the playoffs altogether, last night's 2-1 regulation loss to the Northwest Division leading Vancouver Canucks will not be what cost the team the Pacific Division championship.
It is the Stars' pathetic record in the second half of back-to-back games this season that has them on the ropes right now, along with the collective weight of three regulation losses in the team's last four games. Allowing Phoenix to get a point out of Tuesday's game after holding a two-goal lead in the third period has also quickly proven costly to Dallas' hopes.
But as far as last night's game goes, what can you do? It was asking a lot to expect to beat a club of Vancouver's quality three times within a month (and there's still one more to go with the Canucks on the road at the end of next week). The Stars were game, battled hard but simply came up a tad short in their third-period comeback bid against a tiring Vancouver team that was holding on for dear life at the end after outclassing Dallas earlier in the game.
Kari Lehtonen kept the Stars in the game all night, and Cory Schneider (minus one bad misplay that led directly to Dallas' lone goal) was outstanding for the Canucks. Lehtonen had no prayer of stopping either Vancouver goal, as both were the result of Vancouver making plays and the Stars' coverage breaking down to lead to wide-open shots from point blank range. Mason Raymond was left wide open on the doorstep for a slam-dunk while Kevin Bieksa was able to go to the net and follow up his own rebound with no price to pay for it.
Bieksa's early third-period goal, which made the score 2-0, was a real backbreaker for the Stars. Dallas got one back on an ugly-but-good tally a few minutes later, as Schneider misplayed the puck behind the net, and the puck came out in the crease, where Vernon Fiddler dived to steer the puck in the net just ahead of the goalie's dive to smother it.
The Stars brought a lot of pressure in the Canucks end of the ice late in the game. Vancouver did not attack at all, merely dumping pucks in deep and trying to make Dallas go 200 feet. Several times, Dallas created good chances to tie the game but either Schneider would make the save or the shot would get blocked. The Canucks never panicked, though, and the final push with Lehtonen pulled for extra attacker was snuffed out.
By the end of the night last night, the worst possible scenario played out for the Stars. Not only did they lose, but the Kings, Coyotes and Sharks all defeated difficult opponents to pick up two points in the standings. As a result, both LA and Phoenix have overtaken the Stars in the Pacific Division and the Sharks are now just one point behind. With the Stars having been toppled from the top spot in the Pacific, they also now have to worry about what Colorado does.
Next up for the Stars: A home-and-home set with the Calgary Flames. Tomorrow's game at the American Airlines Center is the final one of what has been a disappointing homestand (shootout win against Phoenix notwithstanding). Afterwards, the Stars rematch with the Flames in the first leg of Dallas' second western Canada road trip of the month.
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