34-37-11 and 79 points is a far cry from where the Dallas Stars expected to finish their 2016-17 regular season campaign. On top of that, it was a long way from where they were predicted and supposed to finish.
And yet, that’s where they found themselves after defeating the Colorado Avalanche 4-3 in the shootout in Game 82 of their 2016-17 regular season. Their 79 points were good enough for second-to-last in the Central Division, set them a significant 15 points from the postseason cutoff in the Western Conference, and left the organization, its fans, and the NHL wondering what had happened to the team that had won the division and conference one year earlier before being eliminated in Game 7 of the second round.