Dallas Stars Making Sure Rest Of Playoff Run Is Interesting
By Josh Clark
Every NHL team has a distinct calling card that they are known by. After one round of playoffs, it is clear that the Dallas Stars’ may be constantly instilling anxiety in the hearts of their fan base.
If you have not done so already, take this time to exhale.
The Dallas Stars took this past Sunday afternoon, a day traditionally reserved for rest and subsided tempers, and turned it into their own personal nerve festival that ended up affecting their entire fan base.
The Stars entered St. Paul, Minnesota yesterday with a 3-2 series lead but on a one game losing streak. After an intimidating and exhilarating game five back home that saw Dallas come up just short against the Minnesota Wild in overtime, this game was yet another opportunity to close out the series. Only this time, it would have to come in front of a raucous visitor’s crowd.
Well, they once again found a way to severely stretch the emotional boundaries of their fans.
It seems as though multiple times throughout this series, the Dallas Stars had two avenues that they could take: a relatively easy one where they would swiftly assert their dominance over a struggling Wild team and win the series quickly, or one that involved game after game of unnecessary anxiety and fear for their fan base as they slowly shifted themselves into the driver seat of the series and eventually pushed themselves to the second round.
Guess who thought it would be funny to take the latter? That’s right, those gosh darned Dallas Stars.
The Stars coasted through the first two games at home, beating the Wild handily by scores of 4-0 and 2-1. There seemed to be no sense of worry or despair as the team loaded up on the plane and headed for the muggy embrace of Minnesota. Dallas had the Wild on the ropes in a do-or-die situation and, as it looked up to that point, would more than likely close them out in a quick four-game stint.
But once the Wild got under their home roof, they molded into a new team. This new team was not only capable of putting up a fight, but also proved to be capable of coming back from multiple-goal leads and winning against the best team in the Western Conference.
The Wild snapped back from an early 0-2 deficit in game three to win 5-3 and pick up their first victory of the series. The Stars countered with a strong and decisive effort two days later to take a 3-1 lead and make it a one-win contest.
Game five rolled around, and things got awry quick. With the Wild facing elimination for good, they brought out their desperate side and thrived off of it. Minnesota took a 2-0 lead, which was quickly challenged by Dallas. The two teams traded goals until overtime, when the Wild would score a fifth goal that proved to be the game winner in a 5-4 decision.
As game six rotated into view, there were plenty of questions to be answered. Would the Dallas Stars, a team relatively new to the playoffs, be able to capture a crucial fourth victory on the road? How would the Wild match the gritty game five fight they put up?
Through 40 minutes, there seemed to be only one answer, and it was that the Stars were moving on to the Western Conference semifinals. After the second period ended, Dallas had goals from John Klingberg, Jason Spezza, Patrick Sharp, and Jamie Benn. The Wild, on the other hand, had nothing.
Entering the final 20 minutes of play with a solidified four goal deficit, it was pretty clear that the Dallas Stars had everything but the handshakes checked off.
But the Wild had different plans. Minnesota rattled off three goals, including two on the power play, in the first 8:39 of the final period and once again had the Stars in reach. Dallas, having hopefully learned somewhat from their game three meltdown, put the pressure back on for a few moments more at that point and found a way to tack on a fifth goal from Alex Goligoski.
With 4:47 to go, Minnesota was back on the attack, making it a 5-4 game with a Jason Pominville goal. The final four and whatever minutes may very well have been the longest four and whatever minutes in Stars’ fans lives, at least within the past half decade (it is difficult to beat a 4OT clinching game).
Filled with physical checking, desperate clearing attempts, and a couple of controversial calls, it was everything that a Stanley Cup Playoffs game is built up to be. But I don’t think any Dallas Stars’ fans signed up for this.
Why did the Stars have to do this on multiple occasions and send their fan base into a downward panic? It all comes down to the fact that Dallas is still trying to become a playoff-weathered club. With these attempts come lessons, and those lessons can sting sometimes. Today was another obviously another difficult schooling session.
It’s just how these things go. The Stars coughed up big time leads twice in this series and looked a lot like their 2014-2015 selves. But what happened to the Central Division champions? They are still present and making plenty of noise. It’s just that an alternate ego seems to have taken over temporarily, causing the Stars to sift a little.
That’s okay though. Playoff games are supposed to be high intensity. Otherwise, how would you decipher them from the regular season games?
The Dallas Stars reassured that though they were new to this level of game, they can still figure out ways to close these things out. They can still work their magic that has been so well-acclaimed this season. This little track record of keeping things close until the very end no matter what the scoreboard says early on does not look like it will be going away anytime soon, either.
More stars: Do Not Neglect To Take In Every Moment, Stars Fans
The Stars will now go onto the semifinals and meet up with the winner of the Chicago Blackhawks – St. Louis Blues series. Both teams have an interesting track record against the Stars this past year, and both have their strengths and weaknesses against Dallas.
But either way, make sure to never fall into the trap of early hype. The Stars proved in the quarterfinals that not only can they blow a multi-goal lead, but they can also come back from a multi-goal deficit. It’s all a part of the whimsical game that is the Stanley Cup Playoffs. That’s what makes it fun. That’s what has you tuning back in each night for more. These Stars are special in more ways than one, and they are proving it.
Next: Cody Eakin Shining Brightly Under The Radar
When it’s all said and done, it was encouraging to see the Dallas Stars finally put their skeletons back in the closet and close out the series yesterday afternoon. Hat tip to the club for getting it done and leaving all of us with five years less on our life spans. But that’s what it takes to be a hockey fan. Keep the faith, Stars fans. They are four wins down. Now come the even more deceptive 12.