Dallas has been a good team for years. This isn't even a little surprising. When a guy like Klingberg is flying completely under the radar despite providing 16 points in 20 games, you know your blueline is in good shape. Adding Miro to that group was the finishing stroke required.
And as I said before early in this thread, if Benn and Seguin are playing to their potential - they can beat anyone. Benn can simply dominate games, physically, in a fashion similar to Malkin. He can be that good. And when Seguin is rolling, you're hard pressed to find a player with more dynamic playmaking at full speed. They are elite pieces, no doubt.
It's no secret both the aforementioned forward drive me absolutely insane as a fan. When you see their play at full potential, the many games off (sometimes feeling like a full season) in between become unbearable. And it's not dry spells or lack of production, it's been effort in the past. Now that both these guys see the finish line in front of them, I don't think that will be an issue. They can actually taste a chance at greatness here, so I expect both to show up again Tampa (or those plucky Islanders if they sneak another two games).
The real surprise right now is that Bishop hasn't been needed. But with 34-year-old Khudobin playing the best hockey of his entire career, that's been OK.
As a fan of the Stars, it's great to see this team finally get over the hump and win the West. It's been a long road. The last time they really threatened anything was the run they had in 2008 and the subsequent beatdown they got from the Wings that year. A reminder how difficult the process could be for the Wings to get back on top.
