Turning page on 'missed opportunity,' important trip looms for Stars

There are times, it seems, the Stars want to send Tina Turner out onto the ice at American Airlines Center to do her Proud Mary routine and growl at the crowd, saying, "We never, ever do anything nice and easy…"
They seem that defiant with this playoff stuff, that married to the drama of chasing a postseason spot down the stretch.
So, here were go again.

The Stars had the opportunity to cash in on a five-game homestand and set themselves up for a nice leisurely coast to the end of the season if they simply collected six or seven of the available 10 points. Instead, they earned just three of 10 and now they sit just two points ahead of Colorado and three ahead of Minnesota and Arizona.
Two of these teams will make the playoffs, two will not.

The Stars still control their own destiny, but they do that heading off on a four-game road trip that starts in Winnipeg and Calgary -- the two division leaders in the West.
"Missed opportunity. That's really what it comes down to," Stars coach Jim Montgomery said after a 3-2 loss to Pittsburgh on Saturday. "We could be sitting in a really comfortable position if we win three of five on this homestand, but we haven't done that."
The Stars have been seeking consistency, just not this kind.
Dallas had every chance to score against the Penguins, and couldn't. Just as it was against Colorado and Vancouver and Vegas, there were scoring opportunities galore. Just as it was against those three opponents, the opposition goalie was just a little bit better.
Of course, the Stars added one extra twist to this one. With the score tied 2-2 in the third period and Dallas on the power play, a puck squirted free, and Jared McCann beat John Klingberg back for a spinning, shorthanded, backhand goal that proved to be the game-winner.

"It seems like we had really costly mistakes, whether it was game management, puck management or game awareness," Montgomery said. "To give up a shorthanded goal when it's 2-2 in the third period -- the urgency to recognize danger just wasn't there."
Klingberg said the play just happened.
"The puck was going there, and I was trying to get up," he said. "I tried to get the puck first and he chipped it over my blade and then it's a 2-on-1. I tried to make the best out of it, but the puck went in and it is what it is right now."
It was an additional dollop of pain and anguish for the loyal Stars fans who have been through playoff misses eight times in the previous 10 seasons.
Last year, Dallas was 38-24-6 when it went in an 0-6-2 slump that coincided with a knee injury to Ben Bishop. The Stars finished the season 42-32-8 (92 points) and missed the playoffs by three points. This season, they are on pace for 90 points, and that could get them into the postseason. That's what a great opportunity this is.

And yet …
Here we are.
And just as hard it is to deal with the fact the team's first real shorthanded goal against (the previous one went into an empty net) cost them Game No. 75, it's also difficult to see so many great scoring chances stay out of the net. Dallas is last in the NHL in shooting percentage at 8.2 percent, and this homestand was a hard reminder of that.
"We had plenty of opportunities to score on the power play and tie it up coming down the stretch and your best players have to lead you there," Montgomery said. "Just like they get the credit when we beat Florida, they also have to be the guys that take ownership when things don't go well on the power play and we lose momentum and we lose a hockey game.
"That was costly tonight."

Now, the pressure is dialed up as the team heads to Western Canada. Stumble there, and the final three games against Philadelphia, Chicago and Minnesota will take on even more meaning.
"You need it at this point," said forward Andrew Cogliano. "Tonight is a tough pill to swallow, it's a tough one to lose. But we've got to have a short memory. That's what playoffs is about, If you want to get into the playoffs, you have to be able to forget it and move on. We have to go on a big road trip now and come together as a team and win games. It's as simple as that.
"If we want to make the playoffs, this is the road trip where we have to all collectively come together."
They always say that the harder you have to work for something, the more you appreciate it. That makes sense, I guess. But my fear is that if the Stars make the playoffs, there will only be a feeling of relief.
Tina Turner seems to want it that way.
This story was not subject to the approval of the National Hockey League or Dallas Stars Hockey Club.
Mike Heika is a Senior Staff Writer for DallasStars.com and has covered the Stars since 1994. Follow him on Twitter @MikeHeika.