LOS ANGELES -- The standings do not lie. And as of Thursday morning, the Western Conference standings told the Stars they were out of the playoff picture.
For the first time in two months, the Stars entered the day not in a playoff position, jumped Wednesday night by a surging Colorado as Dallas is one point behind both the Wild and Avalanche for a wild card spot in the West. Ahead of Thursday night's game against the Kings, losers of nine straight games, the Stars lost seven of their previous 10 games.
The Stars need a sense of urgency to arrive, and Stars coach Jim Montgomery said it wasn't there during morning skate at the Staples Center.