Just to update on that last post, the Stars won last night and Calgary lost, so it is now official: the Dallas Stars and the Anaheim Ducks will match up in the first round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs beginning Thursday, April 10th.
It is still possible for the Stars to catch the Ducks and get home ice, but it's tricky. With two games left, we would have to win both and have help from the Ducks. I'm assuming we own the tie-breaker with Anaheim because of the head-to-head advantage. In that case, they would have to lose outright one of their last two and either lose in overtime or in regulation in the other game (in hockey, you receive a point in the standings just for making it to overtime). It probably won't happen, but we'll see.
Home ice in hockey is a huge advantage. In my opinion, it's the biggest home advantage of any sport because it actually affects the rules of the game. The home team gets to make every shift change last, effectively allowing them to see what the visiting team is throwing out there which gives them the chance to match up player to player the way they want to. It'll be tough, but man, is it going to be exciting!
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