SAN JOSE, Calif. -- The Stars do not need a lesson in the fragility of a spot in the standings. Not after last March. Not after five months of work was flushed with two weeks of rotten play, a playoff spot disappearing from a firm grasp. Not after another long summer, and another new coach.
But after a 3-2 loss in San Jose on Thursday night, Dallas is being served a semblance of the same lesson -- albeit on a much smaller scale, much earlier in the season, and in much less dire circumstances -- whether deservedly so or not.