Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports
Last night the Dallas Stars lost to the Tampa Bay Lightning, again. They racked up their fifth consecutive loss, again. The fact that they’re still in the Stanley Cup playoffs race, in a broad technical sense, is perhaps the only surprise left in the 2021 season.
Lest that factoid fool you,
The Dallas Morning News’ Matthew DeFranks examined the razor-thin path remaining to the Victory Green Gang in his postgame article:
With a loss in regulation in any of the final three games, at Tampa Bay on Friday and at Chicago on Sunday and Monday, the Stars will be eliminated. With a Nashville win in either of its final two games, the Stars will be eliminated..
Stars on playoff life support ahead of tilt with Lightning
Field Level Media
07 May 2021, 05:19 GMT+10
Being winless in five games has put the Dallas Stars on the precipice of missing the playoffs. That wasn t expected from the team that reached the Stanley Cup Final last season.
As the Stars prepare for Friday s road clash with the defending Cup champions, the Tampa Bay Lightning, it s with the knowledge they re in nearly as much of a must-win as a Game 7.
The Stars (21-18-14, 56 points) sit fifth in the Central Division, four points behind the Nashville Predators and with three games remaining on the schedule. After meeting the Lightning on Friday in the second half of this two-game set, the Stars close out with a pair of road games against the Chicago Blackhawks. The Predators, who have played one more game, close out the season with two home games against the division-leading Carolina Hurricanes.
SUNRISE, Fla. (AP) â Aleksander Barkov scored 2:50 into overtime to lift the Florida Panthers to a 5-4 win over the Dallas Stars on Monday night.
Jonathan Huberdeau, Nikita Gusev, Gustav Forsling and MacKenzie Weegar also scored for the Panthers, and Owen Tippett had two assists.
Spencer Knight stopped 25 shots in his third career start and fourth appearance. Knight, who turned 20 on April 19th, is the youngest goalie in NHL history to start 4-0.
The Panthers are two points behind Carolina for first place in the Central Division and two points ahead of Tampa Bay. The Hurricanes and Lightning each have two games in hand over the Panthers.
Barkov scores OT winner to lead Panthers over Stars
Aleksander Barkov scored 2:50 into overtime to lift the Florida Panthers to a 5-4 win over the Dallas Stars on Monday night. Jonathan Huberdeau, Nikita Gusev, Gustav Forsling and MacKenzie Weegar also scored for the Panthers, and Owen Tippett had two assists.
The Canadian Press
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SUNRISE, Fla. Aleksander Barkov scored 2:50 into overtime to lift the Florida Panthers to a 5-4 win over the Dallas Stars on Monday night.
Jonathan Huberdeau, Nikita Gusev, Gustav Forsling and MacKenzie Weegar also scored for the Panthers, and Owen Tippett had two assists.
Spencer Knight stopped 25 shots in his third career start and fourth appearance. Knight, who turned 20 on April 19th, is the youngest goalie in NHL history to start 4-0.
Despite losing in overtime, Stars welcome Seguin s return to the lineup
Tyler Seguin caps off a wild rally in the third period with a goal in his long-awaited season debut by Mike Heika @MikeHeika /
Senior Staff Writer
It was all the emotions of the Stars season rolled up into one night.
Tyler Seguin fought back from two debilitating surgeries and finally played in his first game of the season, scoring a crucial game-tying goal.
Dallas battled back from a two-goal deficit in the third period and tied a game that seemed lost fairly early on.
And then the Stars lost in overtime - for the 14th time this season - while Nashville prevailed in sudden death and moved four points ahead in the standings.