FRISCO -- The Stars enter Tuesday night with a chance to end a two-season hiatus from the postseason, with one point against Philadelphia clinching a playoff berth for the first time since 2015-16.
In some ways, this was forecasted for some time by the standings. The Stars have spent just one day since Christmas break not in a playoff position, and were never more than four points out of a playoff spot all season. Their goaltending has been stellar, and they have an outside shot at having three 30-goal scorers.
But a second-half surge has eased stress and has the Stars ready to solidify their playoff positioning with time to spare in the regular season.