A lackluster postseason

Stars fail to shine in playoffs despite 106-point season

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A rink full of brooms is all the Stars had to show after being swept by the Blues. AP

By Jacob Luft, CNNSI.com

When the regular season ended, Dallas looked at its 106 points as a source of pride. Now it looks more like a symbol of wasted potential.

Since the NHL expanded from the Original Six in 1967-68, 114 teams have reached the 100-point mark. By falling in four games to the Blues, the Stars became the 19th 100-point club to be swept out of the playoffs.

This year's Ottawa Senators were victim No. 18, falling 4-0 to the Maple Leafs in the first round after a 111-point regular season.

Dallas is the seventh team to be swept out of the playoffs after losing the previous year's Stanley Cup finals, joining Vancouver (1995), Chicago ('93, '72), Philadelphia ('77) and St. Louis ('70, '69). The St. Louis Blues suffered sweeps in three consecutive Stanley Cup finals from 1968-70.

One defending Stanley Cup champion has been swept the following postseason -- 1976 Philadelphia, which lost 4-0 to Montreal in the finals.

Four Stanley Cup finalists did not even qualify for the playoffs the following season -- Washington (1999), New Jersey ('96), Los Angeles ('94) and Montreal ('70).

Century Mark Sweeps
Teams with at least 100 points in the regular season to be swept out of the playoffs (since 1967-68):
Year	Team (Pts)	Swept by	Result	Round
2001	Dallas (106)	St. Louis (103)	4-0	Second
2001	Ottawa (111)	Toronto (92)	4-0	First
1999	Ottawa (103)	Buffalo (91)	4-0	First
1997	Philadelphia (103)	Detroit (94)	4-0	Finals
1993	Boston (109)	Buffalo (86)	4-0	First
1993	Chicago (106)	St. Louis (85)	4-0	First
1988	Calgary (105)	Edmonton (99)	4-0	Second
1984	Boston (104)	Montreal (75)	3-0	First
1984	Buffalo (103)	Quebec (94)	3-0	First
1983	Philadelphia (106)	N.Y. Rangers (80)	3-0	First
1983	Chicago (104)	Edmonton (106)	4-0	Conf. Finals
1983	Edmonton (106)	N.Y. Islanders (96)	4-0	Finals
1981	Montreal (103)	Edmonton (74)	3-0	First
1978	Philadelphia (105)	Colorado (59)	2-0	First
1977	Buffalo (104)	N.Y. Islanders (106)	4-0	Second
1977	Philadelphia (112)	Boston (106)	4-0	Semifinals
1977	Boston (106)	Montreal (132)	4-0	Finals
1976	Philadelphia (118)	Montreal (127)	4-0	Finals
1972	Chicago (107)	N.Y. Rangers (109)	4-0	Semifinals

 

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