The Road to the Stanley Cup Just Got Tougher for the Dallas Stars
The Dallas Stars arrived at the rink Saturday morning with their road to the Stanley Cup getting more challenging overnight.
The Stars were enjoying their day off after splitting 1-1 with two Central Division opponents on their latest road trip when news emerged Friday that the NHL’s top division became even more competitive, with the Vancouver Canucks trading former Norris Trophy winner Quinn Hughes to the Minnesota Wild.
Rumors had been circulating that Hughes would join his two brothers in New Jersey. That’s what the Stars were hoping for.
“Obviously, we would have loved to see him go somewhere out East,” Stars forward Matt Duchene said.
The Impact of the Trade on the Central Division
But instead, Hughes makes the race for the Central Division tighter — a division that is already home to three of the top teams in hockey and is now home to arguably four of the top five defensemen in Hughes, Colorado’s Cale Makar, Dallas’ Miro Heiskanen and Winnipeg’s Josh Morrissey.
The Colorado Avalanche (53 points), Stars (47) and Wild (43) rank top three in the division and the Western Conference in points. Less than halfway through the regular season, it’s already become clear that the team to emerge from the division will likely win the conference, if not the Presidents’ Trophy.
The Importance of Securing the Division Crown
But it’s also becoming clear that, most likely, only one of those three teams will advance past the second round of the playoffs, making securing the division crown more important than ever.
“With how good these teams are now, any advantage you can get — and for the second round you want to have home-ice advantage — so it makes it so important,” Stars goalie Jake Oettinger said. “We want to win the division for sure.”
With the current NHL playoff format, the second- and third-place finishers in each division face each other in the first round. The winner goes on to face the division champion, as long as the first-place finisher beats a wild card team in the first round.
The Stars’ Chances of Winning the Division
For the Stars, currently finishing in first vs. second is the difference between having to play both Minnesota and Colorado or just one of those teams. It could be the difference between having legs if they reach the third round or being drained by their first two opponents.
“If we get to the conference finals, we’re going to have to go through two really good teams again,” Duchene said. “Kind of par for the course at this point. Kind of sucks that you don’t get rewarded for having a really good regular season. I think everyone wants 1 vs. 8 again.
“You work that hard in the regular season, and you almost might as well finish in the wild card spot at times. But it is what it is.”
Recent Performance and Upcoming Games
The Stars have recently learned that even winning the division doesn’t always help. Dallas won the Western Conference in 2024 and drew the eighth-seeded Vegas Golden Knights. The teams needed seven games to decide the series, and by the time the Stars advanced to the Western Conference finals, they were already beaten up.
Only 33 games into the season, it’s far too early to worry about playoff seeding and who the Stars will play in the first round. Stars coach Glen Gulutzan said his team hasn’t discussed the standings at all.
“For us internally, there’s been no talk, zero talk about, hey, let’s try to catch the Avalanche,” Gulutzan said. “For me, I’ve just really stayed on us, just focusing on us. I think our game has enough growth that we don’t need to be chasing somebody else right now. We’ve got to look internally and just keep figuring out how we do things.”
That’s been especially important as the Stars dropped back-to-back games in regulation for the first time since mid-October. Dallas fell to Minnesota 5-2 on the road Thursday and Florida 4-0 at home Saturday night. The Stars have struggled 5-on-5 over the last few weeks, and their once-dominant special teams units both faltered against the Panthers.
The Stars still have plenty of time to close the six-point gap with the Avalanche, especially since the teams will play three times between March 6 and April 4. They’ll also play Minnesota twice, on March 21 and April 9.
But Colorado has earned points in 30 of its first 32 games. The Stars need to keep pace to ensure those games in March and April can make a difference.
Conclusion
The Dallas Stars face a tough road to the Stanley Cup, especially with the recent trade of Quinn Hughes to the Minnesota Wild. The team needs to focus on their own game and not worry about the standings, but it’s clear that securing the division crown is crucial for their chances of advancing in the playoffs.
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FAQs
Q: What was the recent trade that affected the Dallas Stars?
A: The Vancouver Canucks traded former Norris Trophy winner Quinn Hughes to the Minnesota Wild.
Q: How does this trade affect the Central Division?
A: The trade makes the race for the Central Division tighter, with the division now home to arguably four of the top five defensemen in the NHL.
Q: What is the importance of securing the division crown for the Stars?
A: Securing the division crown is crucial for the Stars’ chances of advancing in the playoffs, as it would give them home-ice advantage in the second round and potentially avoid playing both Minnesota and Colorado.
Q: How have the Stars performed recently?
A: The Stars have struggled 5-on-5 over the last few weeks and dropped back-to-back games in regulation for the first time since mid-October.
Q: What are the Stars’ chances of winning the division?
A: The Stars still have plenty of time to close the six-point gap with the Avalanche, but they need to keep pace to ensure that their upcoming games against the Avalanche and Wild can make a difference.
