With a 4-3 OT loss to the Arizona Coyotes on Wednesday night, the Stars have clinched a playoff spot.
Now what?
They’ll have to figure out their opponent. As one of the Wild Cards in the Western Conference, the Stars will face either Colorado or Calgary in the first round of the playoffs.
Here’s what fans need to know about Dallas’ potential opponents:
Colorado Avalanche
Dallas faces Colorado if: The Stars finish below Nashville.
Potential second-round opponent: Winner of Minnesota vs. St. Louis.
Season series: Stars went 2-1-0, Avalanche went 1-2-0.
- Nov. 26 in Dallas: 3-1, Stars
- Feb. 13 in Dallas: 4-0, Avalanche
- Feb. 15 in Denver: 4-1, Stars
Things to know
1. The Avalanche are one of the deepest teams in the league, boasting a supreme top line that the Stars have come to know (Gabriel Landeskog, Nathan MacKinnon and Mikko Rantanen), plus depth scorers like Nazem Kadri, Andre Burakovsky and former Star Valeri Nichushkin.
Colorado’s defense corps is also among the most dangerous in the league, with Cale Makar (entered Wednesday with 27 goals) and Devon Toews (57 points before his injury) leading the way. In total, the Avalanche have eight players with 50 or more points.
The Stars have three.
2. Even if the Avalanche have had playoff struggles, those haven’t come in the first round. Colorado has advanced past the first round in each of the last three seasons, including last year’s dominant sweep of St. Louis.
Colorado, however, has not won a second-round series since 2002. Their closest call came two years ago, when the Stars beat the Avalanche in Game 7 of the second round thanks to a Joel Kiviranta hat trick.
3. The once unbeatable Avalanche have looked vulnerable recently, losing a season-high four straight games before beating the Blues on Tuesday night. Before that losing streak, the Avalanche did not lose more than two consecutive games since a three-game losing streak in mid-October.
They also locked up the top seed in the Western Conference in the last game before the losing streak, so they’ve had nothing to play for in the final seven games of the regular season.
Calgary Flames
Dallas faces Calgary if: The Stars finish above Nashville.
Potential second-round opponent: Winner of Edmonton vs. Los Angeles.
Season series: Stars went 1-2-0, Flames went 2-0-1.
- Nov. 4 in Calgary: 4-3 (OT), Stars
- Feb. 1 in Dallas: 4-3, Flames
- April 21 in Calgary: 4-2, Flames
Things to know
1. If you think that the Stars’ top line is good, Calgary’s may be even better.
Between Johnny Gaudreau, Elias Lindholm and Matthew Tkachuk, the Flames’ top line ranks among the best in the league. Gaudreau and Tkachuk are both 100-point scorers, and the Flames are one of just two teams in the NHL with a pair of players past the century mark. Entering Wednesday, Calgary has also outscored opponents 70-30 at 5 on 5 with that line on the ice.
2. Flames goaltender Jacob Markstrom leads the league with nine shutouts and has bounced back nicely from a subpar debut season in Calgary last year. He also is third in the league with 62 starts (entering Wednesday) and fifth in total minutes played.
3. Plano native Blake Coleman is part of a deep group of forwards in Calgary, again playing a key third-line role with the Flames, just as he did with the Lightning as he won back-to-back Stanley Cups. In addition to the firepower of the top line, the Flames can ice two-way centers like Mikael Backlund and Calle Jarnkrok, and scoring wingers like Andrew Mangiapane and Tyler Toffoli.
