Stars lose to Sharks

The Dallas Stars playoff hopes look dim as they lost to the San Jose Sharks 6-0 on Thursday night.  Though the Stars have led the Pacific Division much of the season, they have now fallen to 9th place in the West, 3 points behind Chicago for the final playoff spot.  Dallas has six games remaining.

San Jose, who clinched a playoff berth with the win, was aggressive from the beginning, ultimately having 52 shots on goal.  Dallas goalie Kari Lehtonen saved 29 of 33 before being replaced by Andrew Raycroft, who saved 17 of 19. 

Dallas coach Marc Crawford reflected on the loss, “That was a bad game for us, especially the last two periods.  Give the Sharks credit. We’ve played 16 games where we’ve been in every game. They’ve all been dogfights. This is one we can throw in the garbage can — and you just have to move forward from it.”

The Dallas road trip continues Saturday in Los Angeles.