On March 11, the Dallas Stars were set to begin a six-game road trip that began with the Pittsburgh Penguins that night. The teams were tied for the ninth-best record in the NHL at 82 points, which put Dallas at only fourth in the Central Division. They were only three points back on the Minnesota Wild however, with a game in hand, and they were three points ahead of the Los Angeles Kings, who sat in ninth place with no games in hand.
Fast forward two weeks (seven games) later.