Stars-Red Wings: Dallas Faces a Make-or-Break Game in Detroit

It's tough to say in any sport that one game can make or break a team. Yes, there are those games a player will find himself circling for personal reasons. Some might circle games against teams they adored as kids, or teams near their home town so family and friends can watch.  Against the Red Wings, however, it's all business for the Dallas Stars.

Send the kids to bed early—tonight is gonna be a rough one, sports fans. The Stars are looking to climb out of the gutter in the Pacific and salvage a playoff spot, and the rival Wings are looking to continue success towards another Stanley Cup. With veterans Niklas Lidstrom and Pavel Datsyuk returning, the Wings look like a body building version of Arnold "the Governator."

Need not worry to the lone star—the Stars are not the team we saw in the beginning of the season. Gone are a few beloved faces, and gone are others with a swift kick to the curb. Regardless, the Stars are still the team fans came to love during their amazing playoff run last season.

Since Nov. 30, Detroit has posted a 16-5-3 record for 35 points. Compare the Red Wings record to the Stars, with a 14-7-3 for 31 points. Suddenly, these two heavyweights look more comparable.

The bottom line is the Wings are still more dangerous to Dallas than Dallas is to Detroit. So how can one, such as myself, be so positive in spirit?

Of late, the Stars have looked focused, strong defensively, and have stretched together three full periods worth of smart hockey. The game tonight is everything—it could very well show edgy Stars fans either the light, or the exit to an early spring of golf.

The Dallas Stars face the Detroit Red Wings tonight at 6:30 central from Joe Louis Arena. The game can be found in Texas on Fox Sports Net Southwest and WBAP-AM 820.

Ken Armer is the NHL Community Coordinator for Bleacher Report and also serves as the Community Leader for the Dallas Stars. He can be contacted on his profile or by e-mail at [e-mail].