Confidence is such a strange and fickle creature. Two weeks ago, the Dallas Stars were in a stretch-drive tailspin and fell out of playoff position. It took Dallas a few games to right their ship -- a key turning point was a 4-2 loss in Philadelphia where Dallas actually played quite well after a rough first period -- and now the team is on a 5-1-0 run.
Last night in DC, the Stars crushed the Washington Capitals by a 5-0 count. Play was rather even for the most of the first period but Dallas dominated the final 45 minutes.
Kari Lehtonen, getting his sixth start in a row, was brilliant in net and posted a 35-save shutout. He is 5-1-0 with a 1.67 goals-against average and .950 save percentage over that span, which included a pair of games last week on back-to-back nights.
Tyler Seguin opened the scoring with 4:06 remaining in the first period. Heavy forechecking by Valeri Nichushkin and Seguin behind the net was followed by a Washington turnover directly onto the slot. Jamie Benn's shot was tipped-in by Seguin for Seguin's 33rd goal and team captain Benn's 44th assist of the season.
Perhaps the most impressive aspect of the Stars' recent play has been that the team has been winning -- and goals have been plentiful -- without the top line being on a scoring binge. Last night's first goal was the only one produced by the Seguin line.
Over the final 40 minutes, the Dallas supporting cast took over in supplying the offense. Dustin Jeffrey scored his first and second goals of the season. Alex Chiasson racked up three assists. Ageless veteran Ray Whitney scored his 9th goal of the season and the 385th of his regular-season NHL career. Ryan Garbutt punctuated the lopsided with with a third-period shorthanded goal; bringing the checking line player's total for the season to an impressive-for-his-role 16 goals.
Immediately following the Stars' third goal, Capitals coach Adam Oates replaced starting goaltender Jaroslav Halak (20 saves on 23 shots in 29:50 played) with Braden Holtby. The Stars scored their final two goals against Holtby, who stopped 11 of 13 shots in 30:10.
Washington's frame of mind right now is even worse than where the Stars were a couple weeks ago. The Capitals have lost ugly in each of their last two games and are now two points behind Columbus for the final wildcard spot in the Eastern Conference playoffs.
Additionally, the Blue Jackets hold one game in hand over Washington. Lastly, the Caps have won only 25 games in regulation or overtime this season (nine wins have come via shootout), so the Caps will lose via tiebreaker if they end up tied in points with any of the teams vying for a wildcard spot.
The Stars fortunes, on the other hand, are looking up again. Coupled with the Phoenix Coyotes' shootout loss to the Winnipeg Jets last night, the Stars moved one point ahead of Dave Tippett's team for the final wildcard spot in the Western Conference. The Stars also hold one game in hand over Phoenix.
The Stars continue their southeasterly road trip through, heading to Raleigh on Thursday to play the Carolina Hurricanes and then to the Sunshine State for a Saturday game in Tampa Bay and a Sunday tilt in Sunrise against the Florida Panthers.