Stars win important one!

By Jon Gabrielle, Stars correspondent

 

 

The Dallas Stars won an important game last night in San Jose, 3-2 in an 11 round shootout.

And not because they sit on the playoff bubble, exactly half-way between first place and last place, and that points, any points, are at a premium.

 Their 37 points in the Western Conference puts them in eighth place, only 8 points from the top perch, however, only 8 points from the basement as well.

So far, that has been the story of this season. Mediocrity.

But the importance of this 31st game lies not so much in the fact that they are in a tight playoff race already, or that they lost their previous outing in Anaheim. It was the way they lost there, blowing a 3 goal lead to begin a long road trip and having two full days to contemplate it’s effect.

Playing San Jose didn’t make things easier. But therein lies the silver lining.

The Stars, hovering around the playoff bubble, stand a more than decent chance of facing the front running Sharks, should they qualify for the post season tournament. The Sharks, are again making a mockery of the regular season, while contending for that all important Presidents trophy.

The importance therefore of last night’s game went well beyond the two points, although important too.

First, the Stars bounced back against a tough opponent, on the road.

Second, their team psyche, as well as their goalie’s, seems to be intact. They came from behind when trailing after two periods, while manifesting no ill effects and putting Tuesday’s meltdown behind them, prompting this from Turco. “It’s one of many exciting long games we have played this year. It’s a tough place to play. You can see the aggravation but we overcame it tonight.”

Thirdly, they won in a shootout…something neither Turco nor his mates have done well at this year. Their 1-6 record heading into last night’s skills contest, a testament to their inadequacy in the event. The  fact that it took 11 rounds goes further to the mental make-up of their netminder.

And finally, they beat San Jose, a place all roads will undoubtedly have to pass through, come playoff time. By the way, if the season ended today, which thankfully we have 51 more games to go, the Stars and the Sharks would meet in the first round.

All in all, Marc Crawford was happy. “I thought we played a good, strong game,” the coach said.

Succinctly stated, as he and the team headed down the coast, for a Saturday night affair with the Los Angeles Kings.

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Turco leads Stars!

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