Man, that was a good game.
I mean yes, as a Dallas Stars fan, the result sucks. Instead of closing out the series in six like your roommates, the Dallas Mavericks, you instead have to head back home for Game 7 with your season on the line.
But man was that a good game.
That much was evident early on, where we had a five minute plus stretch without a single whistle. Where Dallas and the Vegas Golden Knights traded rush after rush, scoring chance after scoring chance. I was unbelievably tense the entire time, unsure if I was about to watch Vegas or Dallas take first blood. It was during this time that I became extremely envious of neutral fans, who wouldn’t have to deal with such tension — they could just sit back and watch the best hockey gets.
It was only the first period, yet I couldn’t help but feel like I was already watching an overtime game. That much like the Vancouver Canucks and Nashville Predators game, the next goal would be the only one, and the game would end 1-0. That feeling persisted into the second period, in which we had another long stretch with no whistle but multiple scoring chances — to put things into perspective, there wasn’t enough time before the next puckdrop to showcase a Miro Heiskanen breakaway out of the penalty box because there were too many other highlights to show.
And then, of course, came the third period, in which it felt like sudden death to everyone. Unfortunately for myself and Stars fans, that game-winner was scored by wrong ex-Calgary Flames player, as Noah Hanifin put Vegas on the board with just about ten minutes to go. And sure enough, the final score ended up being 1-0… minus the empty netter that sealed the deal for Vegas.
It was a sour end to what was fantastic eye candy for hockey fans in general, albeit a bit too stressful for Stars and Golden Knights fans alike. Sure, there are many things you could nitpick about the Stars’ performance — they’re still having issue finishing their scoring chances, and for the first time all series were outperformed by Vegas in xG — but I think most criticisms would stem more so from general frustration at Dallas being unable to knock out the Golden Knights, who are officially the worst possible matchup a No. 1 seed could ever draw.
But there’s a silver lining for Dallas: there’s still Game 7. Yes, the loss stung, but Dallas could afford it by virtue of winning Game 5, as opposed to Vegas who needed a win. And the reality was that beating Vegas four times in a row would have been a tall task for anyone — as I mentioned last time, this series was the first since Dallas vs. Vegas in 2020 that the Golden Knights had lost three playoff games in a row, let alone four.
Would it have been nice to close the series out on the road? Of course. But they still have another chance at home, and while a likely whistle-light free-for-all certainly favors Vegas, I still like Dallas to come out on top.
• Full credit to Adin Hill: after a shaky playoff debut in Game 5, he was able to bounce right back to doing what he’s done best the past calendar year: being an absolute pain in the Stars’ butt. He was lights out fantastic, and earned every single save he made as part of his shutout.
You know who else deserved a shutout? Jake Oettinger, who played just as well. As mentioned earlier, Vegas had the edge in xG for, not to mention several more extended offensive zone shifts compared to Dallas, and yet Oettinger stood tall. His sole goal against came as the result of a screen, meaning he never saw it coming — to say that he “lost” the goaltending battle because of that would be a disservice.
• After Oettinger, I’d have to say the MVP for the Stars was Chris Tanev. It’s a shame I haven’t highlighted him much if at all this postseason, because he has been absolutely fantastic all series long, with last night’s game being a feather in his cap. I honestly still can’t believe that the Stars managed to get him at the trade deadline — as soon as Calgary started spiraling to start the season, I highlighted him as the perfect trade target for Dallas, which meant naturally he would go somewhere else like Vegas.
But my pessimism lost out, and Tanev has been everything the Stars hoped and dreamed for. At 34 years old, you have to be wary of what kind of term he wants for his next contract, but Jim Nill should absolutely try and make a return happen, regardless of how this postseason ends.
• I would love to talk about several other players (both positively and negatively), but it’s currently 2:47 AM as of writing this, considering I didn’t get to even start watching until well after midnight and was interrupted multiple times. Yay fatherhood!