Push to the Playoffs: Stars can clinch with Coyotes loss

The Dallas Stars needed two points in Vancouver Saturday night to clinch a playoff spot but could only get one in a 3-2 shootout loss.
Standing in their way was Canucks goaltender Jacob Markstrom, who stopped 38 shots in regulation and overtime and then all eight Dallas attempts in the shootout.
Still, with the one point, the Stars sliced their magic number to one and can secure a berth in the Stanley Cup Playoffs as early as Sunday if Arizona loses to Minnesota in any fashion (more below).

The Stars went 3-0-1 on their four-game road trip and cut their magic number from 10 points to just one during a tough stretch of the schedule that saw them play four games away from home over six days. It was a pretty impressive week for the Stars, who still have a strong hold on the first wild-card spot in the Western Conference.

With the one point in Vancouver Saturday, the Stars extended their lead to four points over Colorado, which is in the second wild-card spot.
Dallas did fall three points behind St. Louis for third place in the Central Division. The Blues, who have one game in hand on Dallas, won 3-2 in overtime at New Jersey Saturday.
With both Winnipeg and Nashville losing on Saturday, St. Louis is just two points behind both those teams in the race for the top spot in the Central. The Jets and Blues have four games remaining, and the Predators have three.
That's a race to watch because it's most likely going to dictate whom the Stars face in the first round of the playoffs.

Magic number down to 1

The Stars' magic number is now just one. That means that one point gained by the Stars or lost by the team with the ninth-highest points potential in the West (right now Arizona) would put Dallas in the playoffs.
Arizona has a chance to lose one point when it hosts Minnesota today at 4 p.m. CT. If the Coyotes lose in any fashion -- regulation, overtime, or shootout -- the Stars are in the playoffs.
If the Coyotes win in any fashion, then the Stars will have to wait until Tuesday to try to clinch a playoff spot when they host Philadelphia.

Stars' playoff chances

The Stars' playoff chances ticked up slightly after they picked up one point Saturday night. Sportsclubstats.com has the Stars' chances at 99.9 percent, and hockeyreference.com and moneypuck.com both come in a little lower.

If the playoffs started today

Central Division
1-Winnipeg vs. WC1-Dallas
2-Nashville vs. 3-St. Louis
Pacific Division
1-Calgary vs. WC2-Colorado
2-San Jose vs. 3-Vegas
With the Stars likely to get somewhere between 92 and 93 points on the season, they have a 57 percent chance of playing Winnipeg in the first round, a 21 percent chance it will be Nashville, a 17 percent chance it will be St. Louis and a 6 percent chance it will be Calgary, according to sportsclubstats.com.
This story was not subject to the approval of the National Hockey League or Dallas Stars Hockey Club.
Mark Stepneski has covered the Stars for DallasStars.com since 2012. Follow him on Twitter @StarsInsideEdge.