There's no denying that Tuesday night's 5-2 San Jose win in Dallas dealt a huge blow to the Stars' playoff chances, but they're not officially eliminated (yet).
Dallas now trails the Sharks by three points, meaning they'd need to win out with only two games remaining, and hope the Sharks lose in regulation twice. Dallas' final two games are rough - they'll travel to Nashville on Thursday, where the Predators are still fighting to clinch the No. 4 seed and home ice in the first round. After that they'll host No. 2 seed St. Louis, who has wrapped up the Central Division but are still one of the best and most agressive teams in the league.
San Jose will close their season with a Thursday/Saturday two-game series with the L.A. Kings, who they could still leap over for a No. 3 overall seed with the Pacific Division title.
The worst situation for Dallas would be a split of the series - if either team loses both games in regulation, Dallas could still sneak into the playoffs.
For more on the Dallas Stars, be sure to check out Defending Big D and SB Nation's NHL page.