Heading into a five-game homestand, the Dallas Stars felt pretty confident. They had finally caught up to the St. Louis Blues for third in the Central, and their playoff chances were as high as 97% in some models.
Ten days and three points later, the Stars are now sitting just barely inside a playoff spot. They’re still heavily favored to make the Stanley Cup playoffs, but the margin for error has decreased drastically after going 1-3-1 at home:
“Missed opportunity. That’s really what it comes down to,” Stars coach Jim Montgomery said after a 3-2 loss to Pittsburgh on Saturday.