04/18/24 01:00:00
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04/18 00:58 CDT Dallas Stars clinch top seed in Western Conference by getting
to overtime against Blues
Dallas Stars clinch top seed in Western Conference by getting to overtime
against Blues
By STEPHEN HAWKINS
AP Sports Writer
DALLAS (AP) --- Jason Robertson, coach Pete DeBoer and the Central Division
champion Dallas Stars took a breath when the regular-season finale was tied at
the end of regulation. Their fans had been cheering throughout those closing
seconds.
The Stars clinched the top seed in the Western Conference playoffs with that
point they earned for getting to overtime at home against St. Louis. They added
another one by winning 2-1 in a shootout Wednesday night.
"It feels like we knew what we had to do," said Robertson, who scored the only
goal in the shootout. "I mean, it's definitely an accomplishment you should be
proud of."
The last time Dallas was the top seed in the West was 2016, also the year of
its previous Central Division title. The Stars (52-21-9) finished with 113
points, the most since their franchise-record 114 in 1998-99 on the way to
winning their only Stanley Cup title. They were one win shy of the record 53
set in 2005-06.
Pacific Division champion Vancouver, which would have held a tiebreaker over
Dallas, can only reach 111 points with a victory in its regular-season finale
Thursday night.
"Once we knew we had the point and the conference clinched, you can relax a
little bit," DeBoer said. "But I think it was important to our group to win the
last game. I think we wanted to earn it, and we did that all year. It's a lot
of points, 113 points."
Just one fewer than the New York Rangers, who finished with the most in the NHL
to win the Presidents' Trophy.
Stars goalie Jake Oettinger made 26 saves in regulation and overtime before
stopping all three Blues attempts in the shootout. Robertson, the first
shooter, used a nifty backhand to put the puck past Jordan Binnington, who
stopped 36 shots.
"I knew we got the point that we needed to in overtime, so in the shootout just
trying to do something crazy," Robertson said. "I'm just having fun out there."
Dallas won 12 of its last 14 games in the regular season, and Oettinger allowed
two goals or less in 10 of his last 11 starts.
The Stars will play either reigning Stanley Cup champion Vegas (98 points) or
the Kings (97 points) in the first round of the playoffs. Both have home games
Thursday night to finish the regular season. One of them will finish third in
the Pacific Division and the other will be a wild card headed to Dallas, where
the Golden Knights last season wrapped up the Western Conference Final with a
Game 6 victory.
The Stars will have home-ice advantage throughout the Western Conference
playoffs after a hard-fought win over the Blues, who had already been
eliminated from playoff contention.
"It's good. It's great," said Mason Marchment, who scored Dallas' only goal in
regulation on a sweeping shot in front with 14:49 left in the third period.
"It was an interesting game. I mean, those aren't easy games to play. And give
St. Louis credit, they didn't mail it in. They showed up and played hard, and
Binnington was outstanding," DeBoer said. "They made us earn it. So I'm glad
it's that kind of game. ... You want to play competitive games down the stretch
going into the playoffs, and we've had a bunch of them."
___
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