Dallas Stars: Ability To Avoid Panic Paying Dividends In Playoff Run
The Dallas Stars have been presented with plenty of opportunities to panic throughout their 2019 Stanley Cup Playoffs journey. But instead of crumbling under the pressure, they continue to thrive on it. That’s paying dividends as they continue moving forward in the race.
Saturday afternoon seemed like a perfect time for the Dallas Stars to panic.
After closing out their first-round series against the Nashville Predators in Game 6 on Monday night, the Stars set out on their round two journey on Thursday in St. Louis. But the first step in the journey didn’t go according to plan as they dropped a 3-2 contest to the Blues in Game 1.
The Stars had played well and created a handful of solid opportunities, but were outdone by a St. Louis team that simply executed the Stars’ style on a more precise note. And when they needed rookie goaltender and Calder finalist Jordan Binnington to shut the door in the crease, he stopped 16/17 in the final period to secure the win.
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For the first time since Game 2 of the opening round, it seemed as though the Stars had been outdone. Their first-round domination of the Predators was a thing of the past and it seemed as though they had finally met their match in St. Louis. The loss pinned them behind for just the second time in a series throughout the 2019 Stanley Cup Playoffs and left them in need of a win.
So, the challenge was obvious. Dallas needed to steal a game on the road in order to tie things up before heading back to the American Airlines Center for the next two contests. The Stars had lost five of the past six playoff series where they started down 0-2. If they fell into an 0-2 hole in the series, their home ice session would come with some serious pressure. After all, the Stars hadn’t faced a multi-game deficit in the playoffs going into Saturday.
The Dallas Stars could have panicked as they entered Game 2. Heck, most teams in their shoes would be expected to panic. Coming up big in critical moments isn’t necessarily a prevalent trait for the franchise over the past decade or so and the Blues had shown that they could outmatch the Stars in Game 1.
But Dallas didn’t panic. They stuck to their game plan, met the pressure head-on, and rallied to pick up a big 4-2 win.
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Roope Hintz and Miro Heiskanen produced stellar outings, Ben Bishop provided a strong bounce back performance after a shaky Game 1, and Dallas mixed a quick attack in the first period with their defensive supremacy to even the series up at 1-1.
The Dallas Stars didn’t panic when they fell behind early in the series. They didn’t crumble under the pressure. They didn’t let St. Louis take the upper hand. Instead, they remained calm and collected and trusted their process and execution. It all paid off in a big win.
Adversity has become a common theme for the Stars throughout their 2018-19 campaign. And through it all, they never buckled.
They didn’t buckle when they were just three wins above .500 at the end of November. They didn’t buckle when four of their starting six defensemen were injured at the same time. They didn’t buckle when they were outside of the playoff picture at Christmas. They didn’t buckle when CEO Jim Lites publicly ripped Jamie Benn and Tyler Seguin near the end of December.
And they didn’t buckle when the Western Conference playoff race became airtight over the final two months of the regular season. That can be difficult to do when you’re using a first-year head coach and a relatively new lineup filled with rookies and free agent signings.
“We’ve got no panic in this room.” – Jason Dickinson postgame on March 7
But the Dallas Stars have made it work. They don’t panic, keep their cool, and trust their process to vindicate them when it’s all said and done.
That adversity resurfaced in the first round when the Stars dropped Games 2-3 to the Nashville Predators and were behind 2-1 in the series going into Game 4 at the American Airlines Center. The Predators had their first lead of the series and seemed to have a manageable path to the second round.
Dallas responded with a 5-1 victory in Game 4 and rattled off three wins in a row to finish the series. They sent the two-time Central division champions home on a surprisingly abrupt note and pushed their way into round two against the awaiting St. Louis Blues. And though the Blues found a way to outdo the Stars in Game 1 and pick up some early momentum, the Stars didn’t panic.
“I thought our process was good and I thought our execution was good,” Montgomery said after Game 1. “I think our effort can be better.”
On Saturday, their effort, energy, and execution were all better. They jumped out of the gate, scored three goals in the opening period, and played their defensive game for the final 40 minutes on their way to a win.
“We stay patient with it and we stay calm. We’re really a composed group here and we’ve learned that over time this year. We’ve faced lots of adversity and lots of ups and downs.” – Tyler Seguin during the Nashville series
Handling pressure and avoiding panic in the Stanley Cup Playoffs can be a difficult task for any team; but for a relatively young team that hasn’t been in the postseason in three years, it can seem almost impossible.
Not for the Dallas Stars. They continue balancing out their pressure with proper execution, energy, and a strong will and determination to bounce back in tough times.
That determination paid off in a big way during the regular season and helped the Stars clinch a playoff spot. But now, that determination is paying off in monumental fashion as the team forges ahead in their postseason run.
“Playoffs are hard and that’s why we love it,” said Stars forward Tyler Seguin during the Nashville series. “It’s a hard game out there. You don’t get too high, don’t get too low, and move on here.”
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And if they can continue handling pressure and avoiding panic, they could become the toughest out of the teams remaining in the race. After all, how do you knock out a team that keeps finding ways to get back up?