Stars general manager Joe Nieuwendyk knows how critical the next six-game homestand is for his team. And because they've won just one of the five games since the Olympic break, it's going to take a special stint at home to keep playoff hopes alive. The Stars play Los Angeles, Colorado, San Jose, Philadelphia, Ottawa and Phoenix starting Friday (and every other night thereafter).

Asked if he still believes the Stars can make the playoffs, Nieuwendyk responded: "I think anything is possible."

"But the problem is you start to run out of games," Nieuwendyk said. "We have 16 to go. Everybody is quite aware that if we are going to stay in the mix, we need to get five of six or six of six at home. That’s the reality. Everybody is looking at this homestand and here we are. Everything will get dictated in the next six games at home. If we come away .500, it’s not good enough."

I would agree. This team must get a bundle of points in these next six games. We'll see if they can pull it off.