On Wednesday night, the Dallas Stars set a franchise record with their eighth consecutive victory, thanks to a 5-0 shutout win over Connor McDavid and the Edmonton Oilers.
The win gives the Stars 105 points, a five-point cushion over the Colorado Avalanche in the Central Division. Meanwhile, with a Vancouver Canucks win over the Arizona Coyotes, the Oilers remain the second seed in the Pacific Division, seven points back of the top spot.
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Dallas is the hottest team in the NHL right now, with eight consecutive victories, breaking the franchise record of seven straight wins set and matched on six previous occasions.
Sporting one of the most complete lineups in the league, the Stars are one of the least talked about Stanley Cup contenders who could easily win it all in June.
Jake Oettinger powers the Stars to a 5-0 win with 35 saves
The Stars wrapped up their season series with the Oilers on Wednesday night, securing a 5-0 win, thanks to Jake Oettinger shutting down McDavid and the lethal Oilers' special teams for his third shutout.
The season series between Dallas and Edmonton is over, with the Stars compiling a 2-0-1 record against their northern rivals. Ultimately, if both advance deep into the playoffs, they could face each other again in the Western Conference Final in late May.
On Wednesday night, the Stars jumped out to an early 1-0 lead, with Radek Faksa scoring 2:08 into the game. Although it was a slim lead after 20 minutes, Dallas erupted for four goals in the final seven minutes of the second period when Tyler Seguin, Wyatt Johnston, Jamie Benn and Sam Steel lit the lamp on Calvin Pickard.
Ultimately, McDavid was pointless in a crucial game. He remains at 126 points, third in the scoring race behind Nikita Kucherov (129) and Nathan MacKinnon (127), while Pickard made 27 saves to see his record drop to 11-6-0.
Dallas sets new franchise win streak record, remains focused on playoffs
Dallas hasn't won the Stanley Cup since 1999, appearing in the finals twice since then, losing in 2000 and 2020. This season, they are the top team in the Western Conference and in contention to win the Presidents' Trophy for the third time.
Although regular season successes are celebrated, this team is gearing up for a lengthy playoff run, hoping to bring a championship back to Dallas for the first time in 25 years.
"We're just trying to focus like on the little habits, the little details, trying to focus for the playoffs," forward Radek Faksa said. "We have lots to play for. We already clinched a spot. We want to win the conference ... so we have a great spot for the playoffs."
Considering Dallas has a favorable final six games, playing only two playoff-bound teams, it has a chance to close out the regular season on a high note and be prepared for another run at the Stanley Cup, one that came up just two wins short last season in the Western Conference Final.
