We were out at the Dr Pepper StarCenter in Frisco today for Dallas Stars practice. The mood of the team during practice was good -- several of the players were smiling during the workout, none more than Sergei Zubov. I think he's just happy to be nearly 100% healthy again.

The team's recent skid, losing 7 of 8, has put the Stars in a situation very similar to the Dallas Mavericks. Both teams spent time earlier in the season in the upper half of the Western Conference standings -- the Stars got as high as 2nd. Now, both are a short losing streak away from being out of the top 8 spots in the conference.

The Stars situation appears to be better. Two of their former all-stars - Zubov and Phillip Boucher - both practiced again today and might return this weekend. Zubov couldn't seem to get enough work in - during the times in practice where he and several teammates were standing along the boards waiting for their shifts, and the players on the ice were at the far end, Zubov would take a puck and go one-on-one with Marty Turco. If both he and Boucher can come back strong, and if the Stars can stay in the top 8, the team could go into the playoffs as a deeper and stronger club than the one we've seen the past few weeks. On the other hand, the Mavs just lost their best player, and the next few games are full of pitfalls.

This is a situation Dallas fans are not accustomed to - can you imagine if neither the Mavs nor Stars make the playoffs? How boring would the next couple of months be? For what it's worth, I think both will make it. How long they last is another question.

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