Rangers get nothing against Bishop, Stars

DALLAS — It wasn’t pretty. But it was effective. And that’s all that matters in the season’s final month.

The Stars beat the Rangers, 1-0, on Tuesday night, extending their win streak to three games while gaining two valuable points in the Western Conference standings ahead of a critical game Thursday night against the Av- alanche.

Ben Bishop was again solid for the Stars, making 28 saves in his fourth shutout of the sea- son. John Klingberg scored for the second straight game and Dallas gained a point on Minnesota for the top wild-card spot.

The Stars played to who they have become, a tight defensive team with limited offensive options, but that’s all they need to be with goaltending like they received from Bishop on Tuesday night. Add in Anton Khudobin, and it’s a formula that should lead the Stars back to the playoffs for the first time since 2015-16.

While each loss is magnified this time of year, it should be remembered that the Stars have survived the topsy-turvy Western Conference to hold a playoff position (or be tied for one) for 72 of the last 73 days. Since the end of October, the Stars have never been more than four points out of a playoff spot, and have only been more than two points out for four days. The Stars should be a playoff team, and Tuesday night’s two points helps get them there quicker.

Bishop made big saves when asked, like on Vladislav Namestnikov in the first period, or late during goal-mouth scrambles to preserve the victory. Jamie Benn was magnificent, looking refreshed after a few games missed due to injury, and Klingberg has again resembled the offensive force he typically is.

While wins like Tuesday’s are encouraging during a playoff race, the Stars may have suffered another loss with Radek Faksa’s exit in the third period after Mika Zibanejad’s boarding penalty. Faksa did not play the final 9:53 of the game.