It’s been a while since I’ve written one of these, and with everything going on with the Dallas Stars this season, it’s about time I got caught up. On March 16, the Stars’ 15-game point streak came to an end in a 6-3 loss to the Utah Mammoth. Before that, their last regulation loss was on Jan. 22 against the Columbus Blue Jackets. Including the loss to the Mammoth, the Stars are 1-2-2 since the streak ended, and they haven’t looked particularly great.
Related: Stars Week Ahead: Schedule & Storylines – Playoff Spot, Robertson Extension and More
Still, Dallas ranks second in the Central Division and in the NHL, and officially locked up their playoff spot on Sunday, as they look to build on a strong season under new head coach Glen Gulutzan, not to mention three straight trips to the Western Conference Final.
Stars’ Mini Slump Cause for Concern?
The Stars have been the second-best team in the league since October, so on the surface, these last five games are no big deal. They rank ninth in the NHL in goals for, second in goals against, second on the power play, and 11th on the penalty kill. Sure, they’ve lost some games, but they’ve essentially booked their playoff match-up against the Minnesota Wild with basically nothing to play for down the stretch. Right?
Well, if we want to be pessimistic, the Stars ended a great season in 2024-25 with a seven-game losing streak, and despite reaching the Conference Final, they never really regained their regular-season peak form. Since Mar. 16 (five games), Dallas ranks 22nd in goals for, 27th in goals against, 20th on the power play, and 16th on the penalty kill. It’s only five games, and they were due for a setback considering how dominant they were for almost two months (minus the Olympic break, of course).
All I’m saying is, last season they walked backwards into the playoffs, and never flipped that switch that would have helped them over the hump. They needed the Colorado Avalanche to collapse and for Mikko Rantanen to take over the third period in Game 7 of the first round to move on. Then, they beat a Winnipeg Jets team in the second round that couldn’t exorcize its own playoff demons. Against the Edmonton Oilers, they were dispatched in five games.
The Stars are a great team, and they have the potential to do something special, not just this year, but for years to come. Right now, they are my pick to win it all. However, they need to nip this nonsense in the bud because, as we’ve seen, it is much harder to make adjustments come playoff time.
Wyatt Johnston Makes History
On Mar. 22 against the Vegas Golden Knights, Wyatt Johnston scored his 23rd power-play goal to pass Dino Ciccarelli for the most in franchise history. Then, against the New Jersey Devils on Tuesday, he scored his 24th, which also happened to be his 40th of the season. Being a power-play specialist of sorts is nothing to sneeze at. It’s important, for sure. But there was a time when that was all he could offer, and his productivity at 5-on-5 was almost nonexistent, which was a concern.
Now, he’s doing both, making him a potentially dangerous weapon in the postseason. We all know about Rantanen and Jason Robertson. Add Johnston into the mix, and the team could be unstoppable. His power-play contributions are valuable, but we also know that penalties are typically called less in the postseason. What he can do at 5-on-5 will be key.
Stars Sign Dylan Hryckowian to a Two-Year Deal
A fun storyline this season has been the emergence of 25-year-old rookie Justin Hryckowian. Whatever the Stars were missing last season in grit and toughness, they found it in Hryckowian. He has 11 goals and 25 points, and plays with an edge that the team has needed for quite some time. He’s also a chameleon of sorts, slotting in up and down the roster all season.
On Mar. 20, general manager Jim Nill announced that the Stars signed Justin’s younger brother, Dylan, to a two-year entry-level contract that will start in 2026-27. Dylan will report to the Texas Stars in the American Hockey League (AHL) for the remainder of the season.
Dylan was an offensive leader for Northeastern University and has been described as playing with the same edge and grit that his older brother has shown us in the NHL. In 31 games this season, he had 15 goals and 37 points, and led the Huskies in both categories.
He also led the team in shots (110) and was 14th in the NCAA in points per game with 1.23. As a result, he was named to the Hockey East First All-Star Team, as well as the Hockey East All-Academic Team in 2023-24 and 2024-25. Throughout his college career, Dylan totalled 39 goals and 107 points in 100 games and helped the Huskies win the 2024 Beanpot Championship.
It’s hard to know exactly what Dylan’s role will look like in Dallas in the next two years and beyond. He is 21 years old, and based on what Justin has accomplished in his rookie season, this is exciting news. We can’t help but be happy for the brothers.
Stars Are Officially Playoff Bound
We all knew it was coming, but the Stars officially became the second team in the NHL to punch their ticket to the 2026 Stanley Cup Playoffs behind the Avalanche. Despite losing in overtime to the Golden Knights on Sunday, Dallas clinched their postseason berth after the Mammoth beat the Los Angeles Kings – the loss means the Stars can now do no worse than a wild-card spot, even though the odds of them dropping out of the top three in the division are extremely slim.
The Stars have 97 points. The Avalanche are ahead by seven points, and the Wild are behind them by five, making Minnesota Dallas’ most likely first-round opponent.
I’m not tired of mentioning that the playoff format is ridiculous. Not only are these two teams second and third in the division, but they are also second and third in the Western Conference. Here are some more clouds to yell at.
Of the top 13 teams, Colorado, Dallas, and Minnesota are the only three from the Western Conference. That is how bad the West has been, specifically, the Pacific. The Anaheim Ducks are 14th in the NHL, and if the playoffs started today, they would be playing a wild-card team as division winners. That should say it all.
A playoff matchup between the Stars and Wild would almost certainly be the best of the first round. It’s just disappointing that one of these teams would have to go home after two weeks.
Stars Embark on Road Trip to Finish the Month
The Stars will start a four-game road trip to finish the month of March. It starts on Thursday night against the New York Islanders and finishes against the Boston Bruins on Mar. 31. They will play the Pittsburgh Penguins and the Philadelphia Flyers in between.
