Heika's Take: Stars waste prime opportunity to gain ground in standings

Tuesday night's big Central Division showdown between the Stars and Blues had all the makings of the type of game that could be looked back upon as a difference-maker in a very tight playoff race.

Unfortunately, it'll be looked back upon in a positive way for St. Louis and a negative way for Dallas.
The Blues were missing 10 players for various reasons and were traveling to an arena where the host had won eight straight games. Sure, Dallas was without some of its best players in Roope Hintz and Alexander Radulov, but you clearly could give the intangible check marks to the Stars.
Heck, they even got the first goal again, this time from rookie Riley Damiani, playing in his first NHL game.
In a lot of ways, the Stars had a pretty feisty game and really battled with the Blues in a physical confrontation that probably didn't play to the Stars' strengths. They looked like they were going to some uncomfortable areas in pursuit of a game that could go down to the final minute - or even to overtime or a shootout. But just when you thought the Stars might come through with a big play, it was the Blues who responded.
"We had some guys who, I'll have to check the video to see if they even played," Stars coach Rick Bowness said matter-of-factly. "I couldn't find them on the ice. Unless you want to show up and get your nose dirty and get involved in a game like that then you're a complete non-factor and we had a few of those guys that were complete no-shows. We have no chance if we have guys that don't want to show up and play in those games."

Goalie Jake Oettinger held the Stars in the game, and it was 1-1 heading into the third period. That should've been a good thing for the Stars, who had every opportunity to win a huge game. But they gave up the go-ahead goal in the third and then Radek Faksa took a four-minute minor penalty for high sticking, and the game unraveled.
The Blues move to 16-8-5, good for 37 points. The Stars fall to 13-11-2 and stay at 28 points. Yes, St. Louis has played three more games, but a nine-point difference in the standings is huge, especially when it could've been cut to five with one good period.
As much as players like Damiani stepped up (he finished with a goal and four shots on goal), the Stars as a team had too many holes. Bowness didn't point out names but said the players aren't giving enough.
"Some guys have to step up and they haven't stepped up," Bowness said. "It's as simple as that. We're not using any excuses at all. We just didn't have enough guys want to play a gritty game and they didn't."
The Stars have now lost four games in a row, and they seem to have lost the positive momentum from that seven-game win streak. Even playing at home wasn't the slam dunk it's been for much of the season. And with 10 straight games against divisional opponents, more losses will create a panic button.
On the good side, the two teams will line up again on Friday in St. Louis, and the Stars will have a chance to at least even things out. Dallas has been battling some illness that has affected the team's energy level, but Bowness said he didn't want to use any excuses. The Blues were dealing with even more hardship and rallied behind that.
"No," Bowness said. "Let's be honest, we're not using any excuses. We just didn't have enough guys who wanted to play a gritty game and they did."
As the Central Division starts to take shape, that gritty style is helping a lot of teams. Minnesota leads the way, St. Louis is second and Nashville has surged to 17-10-1. Mix in Colorado and Winnipeg, and the open chairs for the postseason party could start filling up very early in the season.
Tuesday's game should be a reminder of that.
This story was not subject to the approval of the National Hockey League or Dallas Stars Hockey Club.
Mike Heikais a Senior Staff Writer for DallasStars.com and has covered the Stars since 1994. Follow him on Twitter @MikeHeika.