Stars’ fans have known Game 7 elation of the best kind, a pair of victories over the Colorado Avalanche back in cozy, noisy Reunion Arena that launched Dallas to the Stanley Cup Final. They have known Game 7 relief as recently as last May when the Stars barely survived the upstart Seattle Kraken, 2-1, to move on to play in the conference finals.
But they have known despair as well against the Blues, taking a 6-1 thrashing at home in 2016, falling in double overtime at St. Louis on the Blues’ trip to the Cup in 2019. To say I know exactly what to expect Sunday night can be boiled down to one word.
Stress. Lots of stress. For the players, for the coaches, mostly for the fans because of the breakneck pace at which the game is played, one that allows a failed scoring chance at one end to be answered by a shocking goal at the other in a handful of seconds.
The Dallas Stars have never played a tighter postseason series than the one in which the defending Cup champs have engaged them. Essentially, these teams have played six one-goal games. It’s just that three of them saw the team that was leading deposit an empty net goal — Jack Eichel in Game 2, Roope Hintz in Game 4, the dreaded Mark Stone from the length of the Vegas rink in Game 6 — to make the final scores 3-1 or 4-2 or 2-0. Against goaltenders, each team has scored 13 times in six games, which suggests Sunday night will not, in all likelihood, be a high-scoring affair.
”This is exactly the game you want to be in,” Stars coach Pete DeBoer said late Friday night. “Playing at home to advance. Let it fly.”
Both teams will. If you’re looking for things to like about Dallas, here are a few.
They are, of course, playing at home and, historically, that has meant something. This postseason it has meant mostly nothing. Home clubs are 20-22. You’d rather have the fans screaming their support for you than the opposite. You’d rather have the officials hearing those screams and perhaps, at least once, being impacted by them. Weirdly, this is the sport where home teams are actually given a meaningful advantage by making line changes after the visitors during every stoppage, and there are endless stoppages in hockey games. But it still doesn’t mean a heck of a lot as 20-22 indicates.
Jake Oettinger surrendered his first third-period goal Friday night. I think this can be a good thing. It doesn’t change the fact that Otter, who had shaky moments in the first two defeats at home and even on a wraparound in a Game 5 win, has been great in the third period with games on the line. It might even relieve just a bit of pressure, allowing him to think, “OK, I’ve given up one goal I couldn’t see to Noah Hanifin, big deal, let’s go.”
Even Vegas coach Bruce Cassidy said, “That’s what it took to beat Oettinger — one that I don’t think he could see.”
DeBoer relishes the Game 7 pressure because he has never known failure in these games. It’s kind of surprising that a man who took New Jersey and San Jose to Stanley Cup finals and guided the Stars to last year’s six-game conference finals against Vegas is a perfect 7-0 in seventh games. I don’t know that there’s any real carryover from that or that the Golden Knights are shaking in their skates because of that record. But it can’t be a bad thing to have a bit of history on your side.
On the other hand, since moving from Minnesota, the Stars are 0-9 in series that begin with two losses as this one did. So they’re going to have to create a new history on that front if you’re going to see the Colorado Avalanche skate into town next week.
I think, in perhaps a more relevant sense, they have done a substantially better job on the Eichel-Jonathan Marchessault line the last two games. Even snapped the Eichel scoring streak Friday. Doesn’t mean that Vegas’ best pair won’t produce some magic Sunday night but it’s a favorable sign. Dallas has been a slightly better team for six games in producing shots and scoring chances, but it’s taking ”slight” to its extreme. Not enough to outscore Vegas and, clearly, not enough to have an advantage in games won.
Seventh games bring out the best in the best, but they also produce unlikely stars who benefit historically. Does anyone remember Mike Keane‘s two goals in 1999? Did some wise sportswriter actually predict his heroics? Quarter of a century later it’s hard to recall.
Sunday night will be about winning the moment. No one is going to dominate. There will be adversity and setbacks and at least one occasion that causes fans to chant improper things about the referee (although, on icing, fans need to learn to direct their disapproval at the linesmen, technically). And there surely will be highlights for the home team Sunday night, too.
I just can’t tell you if Logan Stankoven’s roof-raising moment will come in the final period or overtime when the Stars desperately need it most.
