from Tim Cowlishaw of the Dallas Morning News,
With just nine games to go, the Stars are outside the Western Conference playoff picture looking in. This thing has unraveled quickly and in embarrassing fashion. Ken Hitchcock has successfully transformed last year’s free-wheeling, risk-taking club into a defense first squad that is efficient in its own end.
But the Stars can’t score goals.
At least no one beyond the top line really scores goals any more. The Stars rank 18th in the league in scoring. They had one night on this trip where they rediscovered their scoring touch and nearly ended Toronto’s home winning streak that was close to two months in length. But veteran Patrick Marceau tied it with 16 seconds to go, and the Leafs won in overtime, 6-5. It was the only game in their last eight in which the Stars posted a number bigger than 2 on the scoreboard.
Colorado and Los Angeles now hold the keys to the two wild-card spots at the bottom of the Western Conference playoff race. The Stars remain in the hunt, but their challenge is significant and it comes on two fronts.
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