Although hope had started to fade weeks ago – maybe even months, since the Coyotes didn’t emerge from the late-January All-Star break with the same efficiency that headlined an admirable first half – Arizona’s playoff aspirations weren’t officially extinguished, for the fourth consecutive season, until Thursday.
A loss to the Stars kept the distance between the Coyotes and the second wild-card berth in the Western Conference at 12 points, an unbridgeable gap with only 10 points up for grabs. The team embarks on its final five games starting with Saturday's home finale against the Capitals.
This last week of the season will decide just how far the Coyotes will finish from a playoff spot but even if they don’t win another game, they’ll be closer to the cutoff than the 43-point margin that stamped a 29th overall ranking last season.