Dallas Stars Confidence Could Go A Long Way

The Dallas Stars are in the tightest corner they have seen all season tonight. Facing elimination in game six, they will need to play with as much confidence as possible if they want to win.

“When the going gets tough, the tough get going.” It’s a saying you’ve probably heard, and even probably used once or twice in your life.

The beauty of this statement is that it can be applied in a variety of scenarios. Whatever the case may be, it always seems to fit the bill.

This quote also happens to perfectly fit the situation that the Dallas Stars find themselves stuck in on this dreary and overcast Monday morning in St. Louis.

As the Stars awaken from their slumber this morning in their team hotel in the belly of St. Louis, Missouri, they’ve got their minds focused on one thing and one thing only: staving off the St. Louis Blues on their home ice and avoid termination from the Stanley Cup Playoffs. It’s a simple goal to set, but an extremely difficult one to fulfill.

This Western Conference semifinals series between the Stars and Blues has definitely been an interesting one (if not the most interesting of the entire NHL postseason slate), but an exciting one nonetheless. There have been ups and downs faced by each club in different areas, and as a result they will face off in an intense game six tonight for the sole reason that one of them eventually had to reach three wins, though the other is close behind.

In game one, the Dallas Stars embraced the underdog title that they had been given by the media and general NHL audience as a whole and dominated the Blues on home ice for the series lead. St. Louis retaliated with a narrow overtime victory in Dallas two days later and a crushing 6-1 blow to the Stars in game three back in Missouri.

Game four presented a definitive challenge for the Stars who were trying to avoid a 3-1 hole that would almost certainly promise elimination from the postseason. So, as all quality hockey teams do, Dallas buckled down and defeated the Blues in a thrilling overtime bout.

That brought the Stars back to Dallas in front of their home crowd for a game five matchup that would finally give one team an obvious advantage in what had been a back-and-forth series up to that point. Dallas gave every ounce of effort they had in trying to close the deal, but the Blues would not be denied and eventually shut the Stars down 4-1 on home ice, reverting the series back to St. Louis for game six.

So here we are on the morning of game six, with the Blues trying to deliver a knockout punch in front of their home crowd to the Stars’ Cup hopes and advance to their first Western Conference finals since 2001. Meanwhile, the Dallas Stars are preparing to give everything they have to avoid the offseason.

“Our backs are against the wall, so I imagine we’re going to bring our best game,” Dallas Stars center Jason Spezza told Stars Inside Edge. “We still have a lot of confidence. You’re going to be in situations where you’re down in a series, and we are now. We just got to come out with our best effort tomorrow.”

If you have been keeping up with the Stars “magical” playoff run up to this point, you have probably heard the name of the 2000’s musical sensation Shania Twain being tossed around. That’s because after the morning skate that preceded the Stars’ critical game four victory last week, captain Jamie Benn took the auxiliary cord and turned on some of the country singer’s greatest hits.

After the victory, everyone labeled Twain as the motivation that propelled the Stars to victory. Heck, she even took to Twitter to congratulate the Stars on their win.

What an obscure yet awesome chapter to add to the storybook! Sadly, Twain’s enthralling tunes only hoisted the Dallas Stars to one win, considering they slumped over in a critical game five. Where can the Stars turn now if the sweet songs of Shania cannot help them hit the extra stride needed?

To be honest, Demi Lovato may be their best bet.

Whether you care for her music or not, her most recent single “Confident” has floated around the top of the charts for a while and spells out just what the Stars need. Honestly, they only need to read the title and listen to the chorus (which can be summed up to the repeated question of, “What’s wrong with being confident?”), unless they want to hear the rest of the song simply for additional hype.

The Dallas Stars need confidence, plain and simple. They have not played like their typical selves this series, mainly due to the unbelievable goaltending of Brian Elliott and the outstanding defensive pressure put on by the Blues’ squad. Together the group has only allowed Dallas, the NHL’s highest scoring team in the regular season, to notch 10 goals in five games this series.

The Stars have made some necessary adjustments to the Blues different style of play, but it is obvious that they have yet to fix all the kinks. So, in times of peril, it is best to just resort to playing with confidence.

“Once you get backed into a corner it brings out the best of you in a lot of ways,” defenseman Johnny Oduya told Stars Inside Edge. “It’s always talked about where if you are on the other side, winning that fourth game is the toughest. I think we felt that the last series too. For us, we are looking at winning one game. That’s the mindset we approach every game in the playoffs, but it becomes even more important now.”

The Stars will need a mix of confidence and desperation if they are looking to win. One of the greatest motivation factors that the Stars used to help them win game four was a humiliating kiss blown to their bench by Blues’ forward Ryan Reaves after a fight late in game three. The Stars carried the insult into game four and used it to spark a fire that helped them put the Blues away in shocking 3-2 upset on the road.

Well, there’s no more kisses to use. There’s no fights, no injuries, or no humiliation that Dallas can cling to when looking for their fuel tonight. They must resort to playing with confidence. They need to walk into the Scottrade Center and hit the ice acting like they own the place. They won’t be getting much support from the stands, so they need to embrace that and shut the crowd up as effectively as possible.

Things are far from over, and the Dallas Stars have now turned on their desperation switch. The team and fans have yet to see the do-or-die side of the Stars this season, so it will be interesting to see if it is enough to shut down the high-energy Blues.

More stars: One Insulting Kiss Can Go A Long Way For Stars

It’s the ultimate battle between desperation and momentum. Both sides will need confidence, but the Stars must find a way to pick up the advantage.

Bouncing back has not only been a consistent phrase in Lindy Ruff‘s speech this year when talking about the team, but it has also been a central theme in the Dallas Stars’ play. They have proven that they know how to get going when the going becomes tough. The question is if they still know how to do it now that they are facing elimination for the first time this playoffs.

The Stars are 8-8 in elimination games since winning the Cup. That’s as average as you can get, but this is an entirely different type of Dallas Stars team than we have ever seen before. These are the Central Division champions. This is a team that owns a coach nominated for coach of the year and captain nominated for both the most outstanding player as voted by the players and the overall league MVP. And both have expressed that these awards are meaningless when compared to winning game six and continuing their quest for the Cup.

This team is very special. But tonight they will hopefully leave it all out on the ice, and we’ll have to see if it’s enough to propel them back home for a deciding game seven or if they will hang up their skates tonight and say goodbye to their entertaining 2015-2016 campaign. If they can harness their inner determination and drive and ride confidence to the finish line, they’ve got as good a shot as anyone.

Next: Staring Elimination In The Face Could Be Just What Stars Need

Keep your heads up, Stars fans. Watch a little Braveheart if you need some extra motivation. Be confident, and continue to believe that these Stars can get the job done. This series is not over yet, and the Stars have proven all season that they know how to overcome even the severest of crises. Chin up and prepare for a war like you’ve never seen before tonight. After all, what is wrong with being confident?