The Dallas Stars go to their second consecutive Western Conference Final and, finally, receive a little respite after escaping another Game 7.
They played 13 games in 26 nights, eliminating the previous two Stanley Cup winners. The final one finished Game 6 against Colorado with Matt Duchene’s game-winning goal in double overtime, lasting into midnight until early Saturday. That occurred about an hour after Dallas believed it had defeated the 2022 champions in the first overtime period.
Dallas Stars defeated the Vegas Golden Knights in a seven-game series to start these playoffs. The Knights defeated the Stars in a six-game West final the previous season and went on to win the Stanley Cup.
Goalie Jake Oettinger of the Stars stated, “For the guys that were here last year, all we wanted was an opportunity to be in the position that we were last year, and snap your fingers and we’re back.” It is now up to us to alter the conclusion. Not much more could we hope for than another chance to try again.
Next week, the top-seeded Stars will host Edmonton or Vancouver for the first two games of the West final. In that second-round series, the Canucks led 3-2 going into Game 6 on Saturday night.
They didn’t really want to have to play another Game 7, even though Stars coach Pete DeBoer has never lost one and they had already played one in the playoffs against Vegas.
Forward Mason Marchment remarked, “I don’t know what it is or in how many days, but it seems like it’s been a lot.” “You do realize that the playoffs are made of the grind? Thus, simply continue and prepare for the subsequent round.
Twelve and a half minutes into the first overtime period against the Avs, Marchment placed a puck in the net, but the on-ice referees waived it out right away, and the call stood upon replay examination. Duchene’s skates, which were outside the crease when he jostled defenseman Cale Makar, were deemed to have hindered goalkeeper Alexandar Georgiev’s attempt to make a play.
It cannot be described. Marchment commented on the abrupt shift in mood, saying, “You’re so happy and see all the boys hopping over the bench and then I look over and he’s kind of waving it off.” It’s not really important now that we’ve prevailed. I felt that the objective was worthwhile, yet
Duchene’s goal to win it at 11:42 of the second overtime was uncontested. The ball was pinging around sticks after he took it deep and flicked it to the front of the net. Joe Pavelski, who is still searching for his first Stanley Cup, then pushed it to Duchene to Georgiev’s left.
“Undoubtedly, it can be difficult to start over after you believe it is finished and hope it won’t happen again, but that’s precisely what we do,” Duchene remarked. We’re a rather level-headed group. Everyone simply restarted and carried on.
The Stars are in the Western Conference final for the third time in five seasons after dropping their opening two playoff games at home against Vegas. In the 2020 playoffs, which were played in the Canadian bubble during the COVID-19 epidemic, they advanced to the Stanley Cup Final but fell short against Tampa Bay in six games.
DeBoer is in his sixth conference final, yet, similar to Pavelski, he has yet to win a Cup. DeBoer has appeared in five finals in six seasons with three different teams: Dallas in each of these instances, Vegas in the previous two seasons (2020 and 2021), and San Jose in 2019. With New Jersey in 2012 and San Jose in 2016, he made it to the Cup finals.
“I never consider winning the playoffs to be a given. It’s rather challenging. In this league, winning a round is incredibly difficult. Furthermore, DeBoer noted, “Winning two games and making it to a conference final is obviously even harder, so on, so on.” “You never know how the trip will turn out.
Whichever teams are left, I believe they can win. It must be your lucky day. You must be somewhat well. You must have a few springs. I hope everything works out for us.
Everything has been going really well for Dallas Stars and DeBoer thus far in the postseason.
