DALLAS– The Dallas Stars are finally able to breathe a little after avoiding another Game 7 on the way to their second consecutive Western Conference Finals.
They eliminated the last two Stanley Cup champions in 13 games over 26 nights. The last one lasted from midnight until early Saturday morning, when Matt Duchene’s game-winning goal in double overtime ended Game 6 in Colorado. This came nearly an hour after Dallas thought it had won in the first extra period against the 2022 champions.
Dallas began these playoffs with a seven-game series over the Vegas Golden Knights, who last year defeated the Stars in a six-game West final and then went on to win the Stanley Cup.
“For the guys that were here last year, all we wanted was an opportunity to be in the position we were in last year, and snap our fingers and we’re back,” Stars goaltender Jake Oettinger said. “Now it’s up to us to change the ending. We couldn’t ask for more than just one more opportunity to try again.”
The top-seeded Stars will host the first two games of the West final next week against either Edmonton or Vancouver. The Canucks took a 3-2 lead in the Game 6 second-round series on Saturday night.
Although Stars coach Pete DeBoer has never lost a Game 7, including one already this postseason against Vegas, they didn’t particularly want to have to play another.
“I don’t know what it was, how many days, but it feels like a long time ago,” forward Mason Marchment said. “Routine is what leads to the playoffs, right? So keep going and get ready for the next round.”
Marchment put a puck in the net 12 1/2 minutes into the first overtime against the Avs, but the on-ice referees immediately ruled the goal out and the decision was upheld after replay review. The ruling was that Duchene, whose skates were outside the box as he jostled with defenseman Cale Makar, hampered goalkeeper Alexandar Georgiev’s ability to try and make a play.
“It’s indescribable. You get so happy and you see all the boys jumping on the bench and then I look over and he’s waving,” Marchment said of the quick change of emotions. “It doesn’t really matter now because we won. I thought it was a good goal, but…”
There was no debate about Duchene’s goal of winning at 11:42 of the second overtime. After he carried the puck deep and launched it into the front of the net, it was spinning around the sticks before Joe Pavelski, the nearly 40-year-old player still seeking his first Stanley Cup, pushed it to Duchene, to the left of Georgiev.
“Obviously, it can be a little difficult to restart after you think it’s over and you hope it’s over, and then it’s kind of a punch in the gut, but that’s what we do,” Duchene said. “We are a very balanced group. Everyone just restarted and continued.
After opening the playoffs by losing the first two home games against Vegas, the Stars are in the West finals for the third time in five seasons. They reached the Stanley Cup Final in the 2020 playoffs that took place in the Canadian bubble during the COVID-19 pandemic, but lost to Tampa Bay in six games.
This is the seventh conference final for DeBoer, although, like Pavelski, he is still looking for his first Cup title. This is DeBoer’s fifth final in six seasons with three different teams: both years in Dallas, after two with Vegas (2020 and 2021) and San Jose in 2019. He reached the Cup final with New Jersey in 2012 and San Jose in 2016.
“I never take making the playoffs for granted. It’s really difficult. It’s very difficult to win a round in this championship. And obviously it’s even harder to win two and get to the conference finals, and so on,” DeBoer said. “You never know how this journey will end. I think any of the remaining teams could win. You have to have a little luck. You have to have some health. You have to have some jumps. Hopefully the stars will align for us.”
So far, everything is looking good for Dallas and DeBoer this postseason.
___
AP NHL:
This story originally appeared on ABCNews.go.com read the full story
