The more things change, the more they stay the same. As betting on March Madness starts to heat up and the 2011 NHL trade deadline passes us by, the Phoenix Coyotes are giving us an exact duplicate season as we saw from them in 2009-2010. A late-season surge has pushed the Coyotes up in the NHL standings and, once again, puts the Coyotes within striking distance of a top seed in the Western Conference. The Coyotes made significant moves at last year’s trade deadline. But this year they are expected to stand pat with their roster and try to drive deeper into the playoffs.
The Dallas Stars made a couple of changes in the off-season that they very well may be regretting at this point. While goaltender Marty Turco was not the best goaltender in the league, he was more consistent for the Stars than Kari Lehtonen is turning out to be this season. The Stars are falling and fading fast in the NHL standings.
Another big component to the decline of the Dallas Stars is the loss of long-time captain Mike Modano. Without solid goaltending and veteran leadership, the Stars are starting to drift out of playoff contention.
Phoenix Coyotes
After the first half of the 2010-2011 season, the Phoenix Coyotes were firmly out of a playoff spot and looking like they would never make it to the big dance. With 20 games left in the season, the Coyotes are in fourth place in the conference with only a two-point gap between themselves and third place San Jose. In the last 10 games, the Coyotes are 7-2-1. Phoenix also has 18 home wins which is second best in the Western Conference. The Coyotes seem to be on the same calendar the last two years. The difference is that this year they have the components they feel they need to make a serious move in the playoffs.
Dallas Stars
The Dallas Stars made some very ill-advised moves that are costing them wins right now. They let starting goaltender Marty Turco go without a real starting goaltender to replace him. Then the Stars allowed Mike Modano to leave without doing anything to fill the huge gap in production and leadership that Modano provided. The Stars have been inconsistent all season long, and the simple fact is that the team lacks the roster needed to put together a late-season push. Acquisitions such as Jamie Langenbrunner from the Devils are proving to not be sufficient enough to patch up the holes in what used to be a championship roster.
The Bottom Line
The only thing that can be said for sure about these two teams is that the Phoenix Coyotes are making the playoffs this season. The Stars are in some form of transition, but they are not able to put a team on the ice that can compete right now. Dallas will more than likely be rolled over by the freight train that is the Phoenix Coyotes.
Pick: Phoenix Coyotes
