ESPN

There’s only one game in the Western Conference playoff race tonight, and that has the Los Angeles Kings hosting the Edmonton Oilers.

It’s a big chance for the Kings to put some heat on the teams chasing them in the race. A win and they go two points up on Phoenix, three on San Jose and four on Dallas. That would put them in a pretty good spot. Get one point or none, then they have to watch Tuesday and see where they stand heading into the final two games of the season.

It’s easy to look at this game on paper and say it’s a win for the Kings, but look around the league and you’ll see games aren’t always playing out the way you’d think.

For example, the Minnesota Wild notched shootout victories over both the Kings and Blackhawks over the weekend. The Wild aren’t going through the motions here at the end of the season. Neither are a lot of other teams. The Wild are worth noting because they host Phoenix the final day of the season.

That’s why a lot of can and will happen over this final week and it may not play out the way it looks like it should on paper. Games will be settled and points will be gained and lost on the ice.

Of note yesterday, Detroit beat Florida in a shootout to move into that fourth spot in the West. They are one point up on Nashville and Chicago, which picked up a point in that shootout loss to the Wild.

The Dallas Stars are on the outside looking in at a playoff spot for the first time in more than a month. Saturday was not a good night for the Stars. Among those Pacific Division teams battling for the third, seventh and eighth spots, they were the only team not to get points.

Their 3-0 loss to the Sharks dropped them down to ninth, one point behind the now eighth place Sharks. Tuesday is basically a must-win game for the Stars. The Sharks need the win, too. It’s not like they are out of the woods because they won Saturday.

The Kings lost in a shootout to Minnesota Saturday, but the point they picked up kept them in first in the Pacific Division. Phoenix, a 4-0 winner over Anaheim Saturday, tied the Kings at 91 points. Both teams have 33 regulation/overtime wins, so it went to the next tiebreaker, which is the head-to-head matchup. Both teams won three games, but the Kings were 3-1-2 and the Coyotes were 3-2-1 and the Kings win the series 8 points to 7 points. And people wonder why I put the records for the season series and not just the wins in game previews.

But the bottom line is the race is still tight. None of those four teams has anything secured yet and none of them is out of the picture yet. The standings have shifted a lot this past week and they can shift a lot over this final week.

Some other notes from Saturday night:

*Chicago clinched a playoff spot with a 5-4 victory over Nashville.

*Vancouver took over the top spot in the West, beating Calgary 3-2 in overtime and getting some help from Columbus, which beat St. Louis 5-2.

*The Flames, by the way, were officially eliminated from the playoff race with the OT loss to the Canucks.

There’s still a pretty good battle for that fourth seed and home ice in the first round. Detroit and Chicago both are one point behind Nashville. Detroit hosts Florida Sunday and Chicago hosts Minnesota.

Everybody in the Western Conference was off last night, but there are plenty of big games tonight.

By the end of the end of the night, the Stars could be anywhere from third in the West to out of a playoff spot. A win, obviously, keeps them at least in the top eight.

The Stars and Flames, of course, kick of their home-and-home series this afternoon at American Airlines Center. Both teams need the win because if they don’t then the pressure will really be on when the two teams meet again Monday in Calgary.

Los Angeles, the current Pacific Division leader, hosts Boston tonight. The Kings have won six straight. The Bruins are 2-5-0 in their last seven games.

Seventh place Phoenix is at tenth place San Jose. Those two teams are separated by two points.

Ninth place Colorado hosts Vancouver.

Detroit and Nashville both have games as well. They are battling Chicago for that fourth seed, which brings home ice advantage in the first round. The Blackhawks are idle.

Just look at the standings and you can see why every game and every point is big right now for the Stars. They still sit atop the Pacific Division and third in the West, but their grip on that spot is precarious. The lead is just one point in the division and just one point on ninth place.

Plenty of big games tonight. The Stars and Canucks square off in a battle of division leaders. Vancouver played last night in Chicago, losing 2-1 in overtime to the Blackhawks. They also lost forward Daniel Sedin, who took an elbow to the head from Chicago defenseman Duncan Keith in the first period and did not return. We should get more on Sedin’s status today. The Canucks, who have been struggling lately, played well last night but are just 3-5-3 over their last 11 games.

Los Angeles, one point behind the Stars and eighth in the West, takes on St. Louis, which is coming off a 4-3 loss at Anaheim last night. The Kings are starting to score some goals and have won five straight games. The Blues, who are on game five of a seven-game road trip, are 1-2-1 over their last four games.

Phoenix, one point behind the Stars and ninth in the West, hosts seventh-seeded Colorado, which is tied with the Stars at 85 points. The Coyotes will be without captain Shane Doan, who will be serving the first game of his three-game suspension for elbowing Stars forward Jamie Benn. The Avalanche are on a roll. They have points in six straight (4-0-2) and are 6-1-2 over their last nine games.

San Jose -- which is in 10th place, three points behind the Stars and two points out of the playoffs -- hosts Boston tonight.

Calgary, in eleventh place, plays at Minnesota. The Flames are worth watching because the Stars play them in a home-and-home series this Saturday and Monday.

Those were two big points for the Dallas Stars on Tuesday night. They stayed in first place in the Pacific Division and third in the Western Conference.

But things are still incredibly tight. The Stars lead in the division is just one point and their lead over ninth place is one point. Everybody chasing the Stars in the division and in the conference race picked up points, except for the San Jose Sharks. So, there is still a lot of work to do.

The Kings beat the Sharks 5-2 in Los Angeles Tuesday. The Kings, who have won five in a row, moved into second in the division and into eighth place in the West. Los Angeles and Phoenix are tied at 84 points, one behind the Stars, but the Kings have played one fewer game than the Coyotes and they get the higher ranking because of a better points percentage.

The Sharks, who were trending up a couple days ago, have dropped two straight and are now three points out of the Pacific Division lead and tenth in the West, two points out of a playoff spot.

Colorado beat Calgary 2-1 in overtime Tuesday night. The Avalanche are at 85 points, the same amount as the Stars, but they have played two more games.

The Avalanche are 5-0-1 in their last six and 7-1-1 in their last nine. Four of Colorado’s last five wins have come in either the shootout or overtime.

The Flames are winless in three games, but they have points in two of those games, so that’s helped them hang around things. They are in eleventh place, two points out of a playoff spot.

Chicago won again Tuesday night, routing Columbus 5-1. The Blackhawks, who have won four straight and have points in six straight (5-0-1) are now challenging Nashville and Detroit for that fourth seed, which brings home ice in the first round.

The Blackhawks play Vancouver tonight with a chance to Detroit and Nashville at 92 points.

Here's a link to photos from last night's Dallas Stars-Chicago Blackhawks game. You can see all the photos by Shannon Byrne here or by clicking below on the image of Stars captain Brenden Morrow wearing his green, St. Patrick's Day warmup jersey (more info on the jerseys here).

DALLAS -- As far as starts to a game go, Friday was not good for the Dallas Stars. The Stars surrendered two early goals, including one just 10 seconds into the game, in a 4-1 loss to the Chicago Blackhawks at American Airlines Center.

“You don’t want to start a game like that,” said Stars forward Jamie Benn. “We put ourselves in a hole and you never want to do that against a good team like Chicago.”

Blackhawks center Dave Bolland beat Stars goalie Kari Lehtonen with a shot from the slot ten seconds into the game, ending Lehtonen’s shutout streak at 128:42, and giving Chicago a 1-0 lead.

Just 1:32 later the Blackhawks made it 2-0 when Patrick Sharp beat Lehtonen with a shot from the left faceoff circle.

“It wasn’t our best game, but for 56 minutes we were OK playing against a good hockey club,” said Stars coach Glen Gulutzan. “Two minutes in the first and two minutes in the third put us to bed.”

The Blackhawks put the game away with two goals in the first 1:45 of the third period. Marian Hossa scored 33 seconds into the period and then Sharp notched his second goal of the night 1:12 later.

“What we talked about was having a better start to the game,” said Sharp. “To score two quick ones in the first like that, it seems like we started every period pretty quick. You’re not always going to score like we did but as long as you do the right things, the game turns out in your favor.”

Lehtonen, who came into the game with consecutive shutouts under his belt, gave up four goals on 31 shots.

“Not his best game, but he didn’t have a chance on a couple of those either,” said Gulutzan. “That’s the way it goes. He’ll be back.”

Said Chicago’s Bolland: “He’s a great goalie. He uses his angles pretty well, but I think once we got to him pretty quick, we started to break out. We kept getting more shots and were getting some bodies in front of him. Goalies get rattled when that happens.”

The loss was the second straight for the Stars following a six-game winning streak and an 11-game points streak.

“I think we’ve shied away from our game a bit,” said Benn, who scored Dallas’ lone goal of the game with 5:50 remaining. “We need to get pucks deep, we need to play a simple game and win the blue lines. We can’t shootout ourselves in the foot with bad starts.”

The Stars don’t play again until Tuesday, when take on Phoenix, a team they currently lead by two points in the race for first place in the Pacific Division.

“Rest up, and refocus,” Benn said of the Stars break between games. “We have a big one Tuesday. It’s going to be huge for our team.”

Notes

*Until Dave Bolland’s goal ten seconds into the game Friday night, the fastest goal allowed by the Stars to begin a game was 11 seconds. That was scored by Rick Martin of Buffalo on October 14, 1979.

*The Stars have scored six goals over their last four games.

*The Stars did not have a power play for the second straight game and for the fourth time this season.

*The Stars were 4-4 on the penalty kill and are now 40-42 (95.2%) on the PK over the last 13 games.

*Jamie Benn’s goal was his 22^nd of the season, tying his career-high.

*Friday’s attendance was 19,099, an overflow sellout and the highest announced attendance ever for a Stars game in Dallas.

Here are some postgame quotes following the Dallas Stars’ 4-1 loss to the Chicago Blackhawks at American Airlines Center on Friday night.

Stars coach Glen Gulutzan

“It wasn’t our best game, but for 56 minutes we were OK playing against a good hockey club. Two minutes in the first and two minutes in the third put us to bed.”

Gulutzan on Kari Lehtonen’s performance

“Not his best game, but he didn’t have a chance on a couple of those either. That’s the way it goes. He’ll be back.”

Stars forward Jamie Benn

“You don’t want to start a game like that. We put ourselves in a hole three or four minutes in and you never want to do that against a good team like Chicago.”

“I think we’ve shied away from our game a bit. We need to get pucks deep, we need to play a simple game and win the blue lines. We can’t shootout ourselves in the foot with bad starts.”

Stars captain Brenden Morrow on the team’s confidence after two straight losses

“We had a quick little meeting (after the game) and we are still a confident bunch. We’re in a pretty good position. As of right now, we are in a playoff spot. It’s a good feeling where we are at, but we’ve got some tough games and work ahead of us. But we are in a better position being in the playoffs now than if we were grinding to get into one.”

Chicago forward Patrick Sharp

“What we talked about was having a better start to the game. I think the last three games, we had to come from behind. It takes a lot out of the team. To score two quick ones in the first like that, it seems like we started every period pretty quick. You’re not always going to score like we did but as long as you do the right things, the game turns out in your favor.”

The Dallas Stars opened a key four-game homestand with a 4-1 loss to the Chicago Blackhawks at American Airlines Center on Friday night. The Blackhawks scored 10 seconds into the game and never looked back, scoring another goal 1:42 into the game to build an early 2-0 lead.

Jamie Benn scored the lone goal for Dallas, which lost its second straight game and saw a four-game winnings streak at home come to an end.

Stars goaltender Kari Lehtonen allowed four goals on 31 shots.

The Stars did not have a power play for the second straight game.

Patrick Sharp scored two goals for Blackhawks, who pulled three points ahead of the Stars.

First period

The Blackhawks struck just 10 seconds into the game as Dave Bolland beat Kari Lehtonen with a shot from the slot.

The Blackhawks made it a 2-0 game at the 1:42 mark when Patrick Shark ripped a shot by Lehtonen from the left circle.

The Blackhawks had the first power play of the game, but failed to cash in on it. They got a four minute power play after Michael Ryder was given a double minor for high sticking Marian Hossa, but that one lasted only 90 seconds after Chicago defenseman Duncan Keith was called for interference.

Chicago had a 12-5 shots advantage through the first period.

Second period

The Stars outshot the Blackhawks 11-6 in the second period and had some good offensive pressure at times, but couldn’t get a puck past Blackhawks goalie Corey Crawford, who had some nice saves, including a couple of saves on close range bids by Loui Eriksson with just under four minutes left in the period.

Third period

Chicago blew the game open with two goals in the first 1:45 of the third period. The Blackhawks made it a 3-0 game when Marian Hossa’s shot from the right point deflected off the stick of Stars defenseman Adam Pardy and past Lehtonen 33 seconds into the period.

Just 1:12 later the Stars coughed up the puck and Sharp scored his second of the night, putting home a shot from the slot to put the Blackhawks up 4-0.

The Stars got on the board with 5:50 remaining when Jamie Benn slipped a puck past Crawford to make it a 4-1 game.

Stars lineup

Eriksson-Ribeiro-Ryder
Morrow-Benn-Ott
Nystrom-Fiddler-Burish
Dowell-Wandell-Vincour

Fistric-Robidas
Goligoski-Larsen
Pardy-Daley

Lehtonen (starter)
Bachman

Injured: Souray (charley horse), Dvorak (ankle)
Scratched: Petersen, Garbutt, Jordie Benn

DALLAS -- Dallas Stars defenseman Philip Larsen, who banged his knee into the endboards in Wednesday's 5-2 loss at Winnipeg, is a game-time decision for tonight's game against Chicago at American Airlines Center.

Larsen skated this morning, but if he can't play, then the Stars will insert Jordie Benn into the lineup.

"Jordie Benn is more than capable to go in if we need him," Stars coach Glen Gulutzan said.

Sheldon Souray (charley horse) and Radek Dvorak (ankle) both skated with the team this morning. Neither player will go tonight, but both players should be ready Tuesday.

Kari Lehtonen will start in goal for the Stars tonight. Gulutzan indicated that Lehtonen will play all four games of the homestand.

Corey Crawford gets the nod in net for the Blackhawks.

The Stars kick off a four game homestand Friday night and they’ll be facing some pretty stiff competition over the next week, taking on Chicago, Phoenix, Vancouver and Calgary.

These are big points because even though the Stars have gone on a great run, teams below them have picked up points and are still within striking distance. It’s still a dog fight for the division and a spot in the playoffs.

The Stars have three days off after Friday's game, so picking up points and padding their lead would be a nice way to head into the their break. Get no points, and there's always the chance someone could pass them by the time they play their next game, which is Tuesday against Phoenix.

Friday night it is Chicago. If the playoffs were to start today, the Blackhawks would be the Stars' first round opponent.

The Blackhawks have been holding pretty steady at the sixth seed but – like the Stars – they’ve got work to do to secure a spot, which means to keep collecting points and avoid any kind of significant slide over these final 11 games.

Games around the league Thursday night were a mixed bag as far as the Stars were concerned.

The Phoenix Coyotes, playing their second game in as many nights, lost 4-1 at Calgary. The Coyotes remain two points behind the Stars, who now have one game in hand.

San Jose won 2-1 in a shootout over Nashville to move to within three points of the Stars with one game in hand on Dallas. San Jose also moved to within one point of eighth-seeded Colorado and the Sharks have three games in hand on the Avalanche.

Nashville moved to within one point of Detroit for the fourth seed in the West and home ice in the first round.

The Flames, who made it five straight wins with their victory over Phoenix, moved to within one point of eighth-seeded Colorado. The Flames, who play at Edmonton Friday night, have two games in hand on Colorado.

The Avalanche picked up a point Thursday night to hang onto the eighth spot, falling 1-0 in a shootout to New Jersey.

The Kings, who are five points behind the Stars and three points out of eighth, play at Anaheim Friday night.

Chicago Blackhawks at Dallas Stars
Friday, March 16
7:30 p.m.
TV: Fox Sports Southwest
Radio: KTCK-1310 (AM)

About the Stars

The Stars (39-27-5) had a six-game winning streak and an 11-game points streak snapped with a 5-2 loss at Winnipeg on Wednesday.

“We beat ourselves, we didn’t play well, we turned pucks over way too easy,” Stars defenseman Stephane Robidas said. “We didn’t play a simple game like we’ve been doing in the past 11, 12 games. We’ve just got to go back to basics.”

Friday’s game against Chicago kicks off a four-game homestand that will see the Stars also play Phoenix, Vancouver and Calgary.

Kari Lehtonen is scheduled to start in goal for the Stars Friday.

Injuries: D Philip Larsen (lower body) is day-to-day. RW Radek Dvorak (ankle) and D Sheldon Souray (lower body) are out.

About the Blackhawks

The Blackhawks (38-25-8) are coming off a 4-3 shootout victory over St. Louis on Tuesday. The Blackhawks overcame a 3-1 deficit in the game and put 46 shots on goal against the defensive-minded Blues.

“That was a fun game,” Chicago forward Patrick Kane said. “A really fun game. … To put up 40-plus shots on a team like that, that is so defensive, says something about our team. What we can do when we play to our potential.”

Chicago improved to 5-2-0 over its last seven games.

Corey Crawford is scheduled to start in goal for the Blackhawks.

Injuries: D Niklas Hjalmarsson (upper body) is questionable. C Jonathan Toews (concussion), D Steve Montador (concussion), LW Daniel Carcillo (knee) and D Sami Lepisto (leg) are out.

Series notes

*This is the fourth and final meeting between the two teams.

*The Stars are 2-1-0 in the season series and the Blackhawks are 1-2-0.

*October 7, at Dallas: Stars 2, Blackhawks 1
*October 8, at Chicago: Blackhawks 5, Stars 2
*February 23, at Chicago, Stars 3, Blackhawks 1

*If the playoffs started Friday, the Stars and Blackhawks would meet in the first round.

Statistical tidbits

*Over his last nine starts, Dallas goalie Kari Lehtonen is 8-0-1 with a 1.29 goals against average, .955 save percentage and three shutouts.

*Lehtonen has posted shutouts in his last two starts and is currently riding a 128:32 shutout streak.

*Dallas is 4-0-1 in its last five home games.

*The Stars are 36-38 (94.7%) on the penalty kill over the last 12 games.

*Chicago is 11-12 (91.7) on the penalty kill over the last six games.

*Stars forward Loui Eriksson has 14 points (7 goals, 7 assists) in his last 11 games.

*Chicago forward Patrick Kane has 8 points (5 goals, 3 assists) over his last 8 games.

Last night was a good one for the Dallas Stars. Not only did they rally to beat the San Jose Sharks in a shootout, but none of the teams chasing them in the standings picked up two points.

The Sharks, obviously, only got one. Phoenix only picked up one, losing in a shootout at Minnesota. The Coyotes are winless in five (0-4-1). The Kings lost 3-1 at Columbus, ending their three-game winning streak. Those Blue Jackets, who have won five in a row, continue to make life miserable for teams in the playoff chase. Colorado lost as well, falling 4-2 in Nashville.

All that just helped add to the Stars’ lead over these teams. The Stars are three points up on Phoenix, four points up on the Sharks and five points on both Los Angeles and Colorado.

They’ve also tied Chicago at 79 points. Not significant in the standings since the Stars hold the third seed and Chicago is sixth, but worth a mention.

There’s still a long ways to go, but the Stars are in decent shape as long as they continue to pick up points and avoid a string of regulation losses. Those regulation losses, the ones where you get no points, are the ones that really, really hurt.

Here’s a sign of how much the Stars have improved their playoff chances with this 8-0-1 run. After they lost to Nashville on Feb. 19, the Stars chances of making the playoffs were 9.9 percent, according to sportsclubstats.com. After last night’s win over the Sharks, those chances are now 86.4 percent.

Games worth noting tonight: the Kings are at Detroit, Chicago hosts the New York Rangers and Calgary hosts Winnipeg.

With their big win at Vancouver last night, the Stars increased their lead in the race for first in the Pacific to two points over Phoenix and they have a three point lead over San Jose and Los Angeles. The Sharks have two games in hand and the Kings, who are ninth in the conference, have one. That just goes to show how tight the race is.

Phoenix lost last night at Columbus. After an 11-0-1 run, the Coyotes have now dropped four straight games. San Jose lost 3-2 in a shootout to Edmonton. The Sharks are 2-7-2 in their last 11 games. The Kings won last 5-4 last night at Nashville. The Kings have won three in a row for the first time since November 12-17.

Colorado and Calgary both won last night, so both those teams continue to hang around that final playoff spot. The Avalanche have won six of their last eight games (6-2-0). For the Flames, it was just their second win in the last eight games (2-3-3).

With help from the Stars, St. Louis - a 5-1 winner over Chicago – moved into the top spot in the West. The Stars are now within two points of Chicago as far as total points.

Everybody in the Western race is off tonight, so enjoy a night of no scoreboard watching.

With their win last night in Edmonton, the Stars kept the pressure on the teams below and above them in the standings.

The Stars are still in eighth, but they’ve tied the seventh-seeded San Jose at 73 points. The Sharks still rank higher because they have played two fewer games and have the higher points percentage. The Stars also pulled to within two points of Pacific Division leader Phoenix, which has one game in hand.

Both Phoenix and San Jose play tonight. The Coyotes host Columbus and the Sharks host St. Louis.

Los Angeles, which is in ninth place and three points behind the Stars with one game in hand, hosts Anaheim tonight.

Colorado, also three points behind the Stars and even in games played, hosts Pittsburgh.

Sixth-seeded Chicago won at Ottawa last night to pull four points ahead of the Stars, who still have a game in hand on the Blackhawks.

Calgary lost last night in Anaheim. The Flames are in 11th place and four points behind the Stars. Saturday’s game against the Stars is going to be huge for the Flames, as a loss would be a huge blow.