NASHVILLE, Tenn. _ In the final month of the season for the Stars, there's little to solidify.
Entering Thursday night's 2-0 loss in Nashville, the Stars were eight points clear of a playoff spot in the Western Conference, making clinching a postseason spot a mere formality. They were eight points back of St. Louis for the Central Division lead, and six points behind the streaking Avalanche.
The Stars are likely locked into the No. 3 spot in the Central, but if they intend to chase the top of the division, the schedule is friendly. It'll just take a better performance than Thursday against the Predators, one that resulted in the team's first four-game losing streak since early December.
The Stars' penalty kill remained leaky, allowing two goals _ Filip Forsberg's shot from the right circle in the first period, and Matt Duchene's net-front tip in the second period _ as the unit's slump continues. The Stars' offense was shut out for the first time since a seven-goal trouncing in Minnesota before the All-Star break. The power play was goalless in four tries.
Predators goaltender Juuse Saros made 33 saves, and Anton Khudobin made 30.
Thursday's loss will likely be forgotten soon, the product of having a top-10 team in the league standings. It's also one the Stars need to turn a dream of a Game 1 home game into a reality.
The Stars are entering the softest part of their schedule in March after a taxing February heavy on road games and light on rest. Including Thursday against the Predators, Dallas plays six straight games against teams not in a playoff spot. Of the next 12 games, nine are in the comfy confines of the American Airlines Center. They have just three back-to-backs the rest of the season.
The opportunity is there. The execution is not.
After three straight one-goal losses where the Stars felt in the game, Thursday was a step back. The scoring chances were scarce at even strength, and Nashville dictated the swings of momentum. In the third period, interim head coach Rick Bowness shuffled the lines looking for a spark.
Bowness has stayed away from heaping praise on his team, instead waiting for a clinched playoff berth to claim that they've accomplished something. A mid-March swoon shouldn't impact an early April run. (As memories of 2017-18 creep in, that Stars team was never more than six points clear of a playoff spot. This Stars team has had that cushion since the beginning of February.)
While playoff seeding may be penciled in, the Stars have other things to sort out. The penalty kill cannot be porous as they've been in the last month. Ben Bishop has to earn starts and build towards being the postseason starter. The coaching staff has to decide on who its sixth defenseman is in an ideal lineup.
The chanced to do so will be there. The performance has to follow.
