Dallas Stars Win Division For 2nd Time in 18 Seasons
While the Dallas Stars have been pretty good over the last few years, the team hasn't visited these heights in a little while.
The Stars have wrapped up the Central Division title, with 111 points and 51 wins. This is the second time in the last decade the Stars have won the Division, with the last coming in 2016. The team that year won 50 games, and checked in with 109 points. While that 2016 playoff team was able to win the first round of the playoffs against the Minnesota Wild, but lost in the second round to the St. Louis Blues.
After the 2016 season, the Stars missed the playoffs two years in a row before getting on a pretty good trend. In the odd 2019-2020 pandemic year, the Stars were able to fight adversity and make the Stanley Cup Finals. They ended up losing the Finals to the Tampa Bay Lightning, but it was a thrilling playoff run for fans and players.
The team missed the playoffs the following year, and then started up the streak they're currently on. The Stars have made the playoffs for the last three seasons (including this year). In the 2022 playoffs they lost in the first round, but last season they pushed all the way to the Conference Finals. They dropped the Conference Finals to the Vegas Golden Knights 4-2.
This year's team has the experience of the last two playoff trips, and is playing better than those two squads as the playoff start.
The Stars have a goal differential of +63 this year, which is one of the best in the league. Young goalie Jake Oettinger has 30 wins of the season, and has a goals against average of just 2.87 on the season. Another young gun is helping to carry the Stars' offense, with Jason Robertson leading the team with 76 points, split with 27 goals and 49 assists. You also have 20-year-old Wyatt Johnston leading the team with 29 goals. This is a very good, very young team.