Sunday morning has arrived, and I found myself wondering, rather appropriately, why sometimes bad things happen. You can plan and plan, execute and execute, outwork, outmaneuver, and the thing you're going for might not go your way.
That's about the best way to explain what happened to the Stars on Saturday night in their 3-2 overtime loss to the Wild. Now, with the Western Conference first-round series tied at two games apiece, the series shifts back to Dallas for Tuesday night's puck drop, which is, at least thankfully, at 7 p.m.
See, I missed the game live last night. Most of it, anyway. I was getting into my car to head home and hoped to catch some overtime when I put on the audio broadcast. Well, technically, it was the video broadcast, but I was driving, so it was audio. About five minutes passed from the time I started the engine to the time Matt Boldy's goal crossed the line. I was annoyed, but lacking context, I had little else to go on.
I'd have just as soon not watched the game from the beginning when I got home.
Dallas did just about everything right Saturday. The Stars were aggressive offensively, actually shooting the puck. They won faceoffs in all three zones. They blocked shots. The power play was its usual stellar self. And a rare even-strength goal even went up on the board. Only, the Wild were just better.
It was, frankly, the best game of the series as far as skill on display. And I'm not talking about Connor McDavid's freakish skill when you go "HOW DOES HE DO THAT!?" No, just pure hockey. Grit, heart, energy. And I promise, I'm not one of those kinds of people who get all sentimental about how much better hockey is than other sports. It's the blend of finesse and power that makes it so wonderful. But, c'mon. Did you watch closely?
So I can't be mad this morning. Anxious about Tuesday and Game 6, yes, but not mad. Dallas hadn't lost since Game 1, but Saturday was no Game 1. Game 4 was the stuff they make those silly "NHL Playoffs" commercials about. And, honestly, I love it.
Let's just get a different result Tuesday, eh?
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