The most underrated team in the NHL

You may be hearing a lot about the Dallas Stars right now, and don't expect the buzz to die down any time soon if the fledgling team defeats Vancouver in game 7 of their epic battle. The reason why people are so gung-ho over this series now is because many people had ignorantly labelled this the year of Luongo, and perhaps an easy path to the Stanley Cup Final with the Sedins busting out offensively. Everything in Canucks country seems strong right now to their fans. And I couldn't agree more. Dave Nonis has built himself a hell of a team. But one thing most 'Nucks fans hadn't been hoping for was a first round rollercoaster ride with the National Hockey League's most underappreciated squads, the Dallas Stars.

The Stars, riding a superb counter-Luongo performance of goalie Marty Turco (one that reminds me of Nikolai Khabibulin's exploits in the 2004 Playoffs), have indeed forced a game 7 in Vancouver. The reason why I believe the Stars to be so underrated is largely due to the fact that they have been one of the League's most consistent teams in their existance, also boasting a great financial history to boot. This year they face off with the League's most hyped team, and I can't say i'm surprised that they have played whipping boy to many fans and media personnel alike. It's funny that once your goalie posts three shutouts and you force a seventh game in a series that was once 3-1, people start to recant their earlier beliefs. This series has warped into one of the closest in recent history. And yet i'm not surprised.

Marty Turco is indeed one of the NHL's most underappreciated Goaltenders. Many forget who he took the reigns from in Dallas, being the Legendary Ed Belfour. I think he's done quite well for himself, don't you?

Turco isn't the only player on the Dallas Stars that gets overlooked until his team is making media headlines. Defenseman Philippe Boucher is one of the best two-way Dmen in the league. Don't believe me? Take a long study of this guy's stats and his reputation among the Stars' faithful. Boucher picked up 19 goals and 51 points this regular season, averaging just over 22 minutes per game. A quick glance at Boucher's leadership on the ice, combined with his statistics begs the question; "Why isn't he a household name?" Yes, it is likely because he plays for the Dallas Stars, who don't recieve very good media coverage in Canada and hockey hotbeds like New York. Perhaps it could be that Boucher doesn't play a flashy style. Fact is, that he gets the job done and should be ranked among the elite in the National Hockey League today. CBS Sportsline ranks him 39th among active Defensemen, behind players such as Brendan Witt, Kevin Bieksa and Christoph Schubert.

More underrated players on the Stars lineup include Jeff Halpern, Jere Lehtinen, Joel Lundqvist, and Ladislav Nagy. If you look at the Stars lineup right now, you should not be surprised that this team is a legitimate threat to the Canucks and the rest of the league.

In their typical fashion, the Stars finished two points ahead of the Canucks this season, and still have to endure Vancouver's home-ice advantage due to the fact that the Canucks won their division.

I mean no disrespect to the great Canucks lineup, but the Dallas Stars are a team that should not be taken lightly or overlooked by anybody. Did I forget to mention that many analysts predicted that the Stars wouldn't even make the Playoffs this year?