The Dallas Stars aren’t dead yet. Not technically. If you squint hard enough, the standings make it seem like they’re still in the hunt for the NHL post season. A four-point gap isn’t the end of the world, after all. Unless it is.
The fact of the matter is that the NHL’s standings are a convoluted mess. Participation points and a new divisional format make it difficult sometimes to see what’s actually going on.
For the sake of clarity, and to keep the fires of hope burning, let’s take a quick look at the Stars’ possible paths to post-season play, and more specifically, the teams they’ll have to pass to get there.