The Dallas Stars had a perfect opportunity to panic on Monday night.
They had just finished up a disappointing and frustrating 1-3-1 homestand, had watched their playoff odds drop 10 percent, and seen their cushion on the playoff wall drop from seven points to three in a matter of days.
On top of that, they were staring down a four-game road trip that started off against two of the top three teams in the Western Conference. Their road record sat below .500, the memories of a March 2018 collapse that led to an early offseason were looming, and the Avalanche, Coyotes, and Wild were inching closer to the top wild card spot.