DALLAS — The Stars are back in the Stanley Cup playoffs, this time without any drama or without much celebration.
Well, except for another Jason Robertson milestone, part of a dominant four-point night.
A 5-1 home win Monday over the Nashville Predators guaranteed the Stars a spot when the NHL’s postseason begins April 17. A year ago, the Stars didn’t clinch until the next-to-last game of the regular season.
“We’re just trying to stay in the moment,” first-year Stars coach Pete DeBoer said before the game. “I’ll be honest. I’m not talking about playoffs, because in my mind it’s a foregone conclusion that we’re going to be in the playoffs.
“We’ve done the work to do that. It’s about our nightly game and getting in the right place.”
Actually, the Stars did exactly what DeBoer wanted with a solid game against a Predators team on the periphery of the playoff race.
The Stars (42-21-14, 98 points) also gained two point in the vise-tight Central Division race with the Minnesota Wild and Colorado Avalanche. Home games against Philadelphia (Thursday) and Las Vegas (Saturday) follow this week.
Robertson led the Stars with a goal (his 43rd) and three assists, becoming the first Star to score 100 points since the franchise moved from Minnesota in 1993. The 100th came on a power play goal in the third period and drew a nice ovation from the fans at American Airlines Center. Robertson now has 10 points in his last three games and 101 for the season.
Dallas took command with second-period goals 3:36 apart by Colin Miller and Joe Pavelski for a 3-0 lead. Roope Hintz, who thrives against the Predators, had gotten the Stars’ offense going with his 35th goal this season in the first period.
Backup goaltender Scott Wedgewood stopped 26 of 27 Nashville shots in his first NHL appearance since Feb. 18. His most timely save may have been one-on-one with Kevin Gravel, who had gotten behind the Stars’ defense coming out of the penalty box early in the second period.
Wedgewood had been loaned to the Texas Stars in the AHL for a Friday start to shake off the rust.
“It was a smart decision to go down, get out some kinks and trust it,” Wedgewood said. “I think that was the biggest thing. It was good. It was what I needed.”
A lower-body injury that was supposed to keep Wedgewood sidelined for a couple of weeks lasted a month and a half. With Wedgewood’s injury, the workload increased significantly for Jake Oettinger, who has 57 starts this season.
“It did linger a lot longer than any of us thought,” DeBoer said. “But we’re through the other side of it, and I really like the fact he got a game in Austin. I think that’s important when you’ve been out an extended period. He played well, and you can’t mimic those game-like situations in practice. We’re going to need him here down the stretch.”
