Stars battle Avalanche for playoff seeding

Pete DeBoer was asked if it's more important to get good seeding for the playoffs or if it's better to have your game trending in the right direction when the regular season is over.
"Trending, trending in the right direction, for sure," DeBoer said. "The two most successful runs I've had to the Stanley Cup Final, I was a sixth seed and a seventh seed. You've got to get in and you've got to be playing well."

Fortunately for the Stars right now, if they are playing well, it could really help their seeding. Dallas meets the Colorado Avalanche on Saturday in Denver, and the two teams are part of a Central Division smackdown that will have pretty important results. Minnesota leads the division with 97 points, Dallas is in second with 96 and Colorado is third with 94 (but has one extra game remaining). That's tight. The team who wins the division could get wildcard Seattle in the first round with home ice advantage, while the other two teams will play each other with the second place team getting home ice in a seven-game series. So, there's lots on the line there.
Dallas took a 5-2 win in Arizona on Friday in preparation for this game, and players said they are excited about being in a contest with this level of importance.
"I think what's important is to get this game over with and then focus on tomorrow as opposed to thinking about tomorrow before today," said forward Jason Robertson, who had a goal and three assists on Friday. "We just took care of business today and we know the challenge ahead of us."
Colorado is the defending Stanley Cup champion but has been hobbled by injuries this season. They have responded nicely, going 16-5-1 over the past 22 games. However, they are coming off a 4-2 home loss to Minnesota on Wednesday, so that will be on their minds. In addition, Dallas took a 7-3 win on March 4 the last time these two teams met.
Colorado coach Jared Bednar said he felt his team wasn't engaged from the start against Minnesota and that will be a focus for tonight.
"I want our team to be emotionally invested in the game right away," Bednar said. "We kind of waded into that one, or some of our group did. Then, eventually when we got our game, I liked it a lot. But playing top teams in the league, you've got to play 60 and it's got to be everybody. So tonight, I would like to see us take advantage of them coming in late and playing last night and give ourselves the best chance by being invested and getting to our game and our identity and using our legs and our speed."
But while the Avalanche will be motivated, so will the Stars.
"They're kind of the measuring stick," said goalie Jake Oettinger who will get the start on back-to-back nights. "Stanley Cup champs, and back-to-back going into a great barn and playing a great team, so it will be a great challenge for us. I think everybody is going to be excited."
Dallas has a 7-2-1 record in its past 10 games against Colorado. It is 3-1-0 in its past four games in Denver. Oettinger is 3-0-1 in his career against the Avalanche with a 1.78 GAA and .953 save percentage. Robertson has 9 points (5 goals, 4 assists) in 8 games and is plus-5 in that span. And while seeding isn't the ultimate goal, playing well can often lead to a better seed.
"It's that time of year," DeBoer said. "For us, we've got to take care of our business, win games, and make sure our game is in a good place. Because come playoff time, it doesn't matter who you get, you're getting a really good team."
Key Numbers
26:26
Colorado defenseman Cale Makar leads the NHL in average time on ice at 28:26. Stars defenseman Miro Heiskanen is fifth at 25:38.
114
This is the Minnesota/Dallas franchise record for points in a season, scored by Bobby Smith in 1981-82. While Robertson has posted the best ever single season since the team moved to Dallas in 1993, he is tied for seventh overall at 95 points.
43
Former Stars forward Valeri Nichushkin has 43 points (16 goals, 27 assists) in 45 games for the Avalanche this season. In seven head-to-head meetings with Dallas, Nichushkin has one assist.
He said it
"This guy has been an elite defenseman in the NHL since he arrived. You don't have the career he's had or have the resume he has without having a lot of things that coaches like. Hockey sense, competitiveness, toughness, he can defend well, and he also can move pucks. He's got the resume he's got because he's got a lot of different talents. When you get older, some of those things start to go a little bit, but you never lose the brain. I think all older players in the league who are having success, they all have that IQ and that brain."
- Stars coach Pete DeBoer on why 28-year-old defenseman Ryan Suter has been second in time on ice for the Stars under two different coaching staffs over the past two seasons.
Expected lineup
Robertson-Hintz-Pavelski
Benn-Johnston-Dadonov
Faksa-Domi-Seguin
Kiviranta-Glendening-Dellandrea
Heiskanen-Miller
Lindell-Hakanpää
Suter-Hanley
Oettinger
Murray
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.