The Dallas Stars continued their fallback to earth with a large thud on Thursday, with a shutout loss to the Winnipeg Jets. The Stars have now dropped four-straight following the aftermath of their seven-game win streak, in which they ranked as one of the best teams in the NHL during that span. In recent contests, the script has flipped for the would be Stanley Cup contenders as they have looked more like Jekyll than Hyde.
The Dallas Stars were hoping to turn the tide against their division rivals on Thursday night following the nightmarish stretch of previous games. Dallas was coming off a slew of games in which they have underperformed and had leads slip from their hands, with their most recent coming in historic fashion against the Vancouver Canucks. They did not fare better on Thursday night, as the Winnipeg Jets thoroughly outplayed the Stars en route to a 4-0 win in Dallas to close out the season finale. This might be cause for concern for both, as the two foes could be set to clash late in the Stanley Cup Playoffs if both advance.
The Stars will have to look for more answers following the shutout loss to the Jets as goaltender Connor Hellebuyck did not give any quarter in net to stop all 25 of the shots the Stars threw his way. Hellebuyck was able to settle in quite easy as the Stars were outshot in the opening and closing of the contest. The loss marked the third loss of the four-game series in which the Jets outscored Dallas 13-5. In the coming games and weeks, the Stars will not only have to worry about getting back on track for the Stanley Cup Playoffs, but will also have to wonder how they will be able to tilt the ice in their favor against a team that has had their number all season long.
