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Posted at 10:30 AM EST

9:38 PM EST. OT included. Dallas is coming off a near flawless 5-2 victory in Winnipeg in what the local media called “its best effort of the season”. If nothing else. it had to give the Stars a huge boost of confidence, not to mention a step closer in its quest to make the playoffs. At the moment, the Stars sit in the top wild card spot with 84 points. Sitting close behind is the Avalanche with 81. Just outside the picture, the Wild and Arizona Coyotes boast 79 points each. And though their odds are incredibly slim, the Chicago Blackhawks are still technically involved with 76 points. Dallas will qualify for the playoffs if they can outlast three of the four teams listed above and that’s where the magic number comes into play. In order to finish the year in a Western Conference playoff spot, the Stars’ magic number currently sits at 7. That means that any combined number of points gained by Dallas or lost by the team with the ninth-highest potential in points (currently Arizona at 91) will guarantee them a spot in the postseason. The Stars chances of making the playoffs is 97.1% after that win over Winnipeg. It was 87% before that win.

We had Dallas to beat Winnipeg, citing how well they were playing but not getting the desired results, Prior to beating Winnipeg, Dallas went 1-3-1 during a five-game homestand in which they dominated opponents and lost. Right now, the Stars are live as hell and are worthy of getting behind, thus we’ll dip into this well one more time.

Calgary is a great team to be sure but we have to wonder how much importance they’re putting on these final few games. Do the Flames want to burn out before the playoffs start or do they want to just try and stay sharp and not really worry about the results? With a comfortable seven-point lead for first overall in the West, the Flames first priority might be to keep everyone healthy and not overuse any of their key players. Furthermore, Calgary’s goaltending situation is anything but stable, which is likely going to be the only thing that prevents them from reaching the Stanley Cup Finals. Goaltending decides games more than anything else and right now, Ben Bishop and the Stars are on fire in regards to their performances on the ice while David Rittich and Mike Smith have both failed in earning the #1 goaltender status. That battle will continue here, as Calgary tries to decide which goaltender option is better when the playoffs roll around. The Stars have to decide nothing and after dominating Winnipeg for 60 minutes, we like the path this visitor is on. We also like the price here.

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