First Shift: Stars renew bad blood with Wild

Sure, Dallas led the NHL in faceoff success, ranked third in penalty kill success and was third in goals against average, but the fact this team was able to go 18-4-4 in games against divisional opponents really helped pave the way to confidence down the stretch and an eventual run to the Western Conference finals. Remember, many prognosticators felt the Stars would struggle in a tough Central Division against St. Louis, Winnipeg, Nashville and Minnesota – let alone Colorado – so there was a real chance a potential playoff berth could come down to the last week of the season. But fueled by their success against the Central bunkmates, the lads in Victory Green built momentum.