Whoever plays the Dallas Stars in the Western Conference bracket of playoffs this season will be considered an underdog. By virtue of pushing their game on Wednesday versus the St. Louis Blues to overtime tied 1-1, the Texas-based squad has capped off the 2023-24 regular season by clinching the number one seed in the West.
Stars Shoot to the Top of Western Conference
Sitting on 111 points, all Dallas needed on Wednesday was a single point in their match against St. Louis. Heading into the contest, their closest rivals were the Vancouver Canucks with 109 with still one match left on Thursday against the Winnipeg Jets. Wednesday’s effort provided the Stars with a small but insurmountable three-point cushion, hence the top seed.
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This postseason the Stars will try to improve on last season’s commendable performance when they reached the Western Conference Final but fell to the eventual champions Vegas Golden Knights in six games. With players such as Jason Robertson, Wyatt Johnston, Roope Hintz, and Jake Oettinger between the pipes, many would argue their chances of making a deep run are good.
This result also locks in a first-round tilt between the aforementioned Canucks and the Nashville Predators. The Pacific Division champion Canucks have home-ice advantage in that series.
The last time Dallas finished atop their conference was in 2015-16 when they made it no further than the second round of the playoffs.