It’s been nearly three years since the Dallas Stars last had an opportunity to advance to the Western Conference Final. But on Sunday afternoon, they will once again have that chance. It’s an opportunity to knock out the St. Louis Blues and move the franchise forward in a significant way.
1,089 days have passed since the Dallas Stars and St. Louis Blues last competed against each other in a playoff game that had the potential to decide the series. And for many Stars fans, the memory of that night still stings to the core.
Fresh off of winning their first Central division regular season title with a 50-win season and entering the playoffs as the top seed in the Western Conference, the Stars had their hands full in the second round. After working their way to a round one victory over the Wild, Dallas was stuck in a 3-2 hole against the Blues in round two.
But the Stars weren’t going away easily. They stole Game 6 on the road thanks to an early jump on the scoresheet and a strong performance from Kari Lehtonen and shifted the series back to Dallas for a deciding Game 7.
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It seemed as though everything was working in their favor. The Dallas Stars were heading back home to play in front of a rowdy, sold-out crowd, had built momentum from a gritty win in Game 6, and seemed to be in a good position to advance to their first Western Conference Final since 2008.
Everything seemed to be in place. And then, it all unraveled.
With the series on the line on May 11, 2016, the Blues blasted the Stars 6-1 at the American Airlines Center to punch their ticket to the WCF while also forcing Dallas into the offseason. It was an unfit and unexpected ending to the most promising season of the past decade for the Dallas Stars. And just like that, their magical run was over.
It ended up being pretty difficult to get over as well. The Stars spent the next two seasons falling short of the playoffs, enduring various coaching changes, and trying to find a new lineup and organizational makeup that would work. And by the 2018 offseason, the dreams of being a Stanley Cup contender that had seemed so close just two years prior seemed so far away.
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But on this Sunday afternoon, the Dallas Stars are back. They find themselves in a similar position, sitting just one win away from the Western Conference Final with a home game on tap against the St. Louis Blues. Funny how things can go full-circle so quickly, right?
The Stars and Blues will drop the puck this afternoon in Game 6 of their second-round series, and there’s no telling where it might go. The series has already provided plenty of unexpected turns and fireworks through the first five games. And with a chance for the Stars to advance and the Blues to avoid elimination and force a Game 7, the emotions should be on full display at the American Airlines Center in what should be another raucous Dallas crowd.
That can be a bit intimidating for both teams. For the Blues, their historic season is in danger of being cut short. At the turn of the New Year, St. Louis sat in last place in the NHL and looked to be dead in the water. But, after a strong resurgence that included an 11-game win streak and an incredible showing from rookie goaltender Jordan Binnington, they worked their way into the top three in the Central division and clinched a spot in the Stanley Cup Playoffs.
But now, their hopes are on the line. They are in a corner and will need their desperation levels to be at a maximum if they want to survive.
For the Stars, winning the fourth game of a series always provides the toughest challenge. Not only is the opponent bringing everything they can to the table, but it can also be easy for the team with three wins to sink into a state of confidence that ends up contributing to their downfall in the critical game.
The Dallas Stars almost fell into that trap in their first-round series against the Nashville Predators. After dominating in Game 5 at Bridgestone Arena, the Stars returned home with a chance to close out the series. But after Nashville controlled the first 20 minutes of play and took the early 1-0 lead, it looked as though the Stars could be in trouble. That was until Ben Bishop locked down the crease and the Stars secured a 2-1 win in overtime to wrap up the series.
And so, Game 6 provides the Dallas Stars another chance to do something great on this Sunday afternoon in May. They can clinch a spot in the Western Conference Final for the first time in 11 years and solidify their position as one of the final four teams in the race. It’s a chance to redeem their shortcoming in 2016 and place another sturdy cornerstone in what should be a promising future for the franchise. But it isn’t going to come easy.
Let’s see how it all pans out on NBC at 2 p.m. from the American Airlines Center. Buckle up.