Disney on Ice, take a seat, because the Stars and the Avalanche have dethroned you.
Before the Stars got ready to play the Avalanche last night in Game 3 of the Western Conference Quarterfinals, I like to imagine that the hockey powers that be asked the Stars what they’d like to deliver to their fanbase. I then like to think that this is what they responded with:
“Yes, I’d like to order one more stressful hockey experience for my fanbase, please. Preferably one where their hearts skip multiple beats and they almost tear their hair out because they’re so nervous.”
At least that’s what I was feeling. Anybody else?
Entering Game 3 with a split in the first two contests was a welcome sight, especially given how poorly Dallas had played over the last month of the season and how awful Game 1’s outing was. The euphoria of Colin Blackwell’s OT winner on Monday evening that delivered the Stars the 4-3 victory quickly faded away once the puck was dropped on Wednesday evening. It was time to settle in for another potentially gut-wrenching experience. Luckily for me and Stars fans everywhere, it was once again an experience that ended up proving extremely rewarding.
Robert Tiffin put it best: last night was the Mason Marchment experience turned up to 100.
Marchment continually made his presence known, for better and for worse. With the third period winding down tied at one (and everybody’s heart rate entering the stratosphere), Marchment took a disastrous high-sticking double minor that forced his teammates to kill off four minutes — 3:20 of which would be in do-or-die overtime — of a terrible penalty. After Dallas killed off the first 40 seconds of it to end regulation, Marchment and the rest of the team walked into the locker room for what would be a pivotal 15 or so minutes of strategizing and resting. For Marchment, however, it was probably agony. Imagine sitting there pondering a potential game-losing mistake for what probably felt like forever. Everything was taken out of Marchment’s hands, at least until the Stars could rise to the occasion and stymie the Avalanche power play.
It was a task that on its face appeared untenable. How in the world could the Stars stop Nathan MacKinnon and company from finding the back of the net for over three minutes while being a man down? As overtime commenced, I was asking myself that same question. What I forgot, though, was that the Stars’ penalty kill had suffocated the Avalanche all series (Dallas had already killed off four other Colorado minors in the game prior to Marchment’s high-sticking penalty), and that wasn’t going to stop anytime soon.
For the first two or so minutes of overtime, Colorado couldn’t get their power play unit set up to do any damage. Some excellent work from Esa Lindell, alongside some unusual carelessness with the puck by MacKinnon, aided the Stars in getting through the first couple of minutes of danger. But with the power play winding down, the Avalanche turned up the pressure, and it almost worked out. Had it not been for some excellent work by Jake Oettinger — who was spectacular last night and deserves a lot of credit for where the Stars are so far in this series — and the left leg of Lindell, Dallas would’ve lost the game.
Just look at this play by Lindell. Oettinger couldn’t smother a rebound after MacKinnon put one on net, allowing Artturi Lehkonen to pounce on the puck and shoot it toward the wide-open goal. If Lindell hadn’t been standing in the way, that puck crosses the line, and the Denver crowd erupts with happiness as the Avalanche take a 2-1 series lead. But Lindell blocked it with his left leg, sending the puck careening harmlessly outside the post to keep the game alive.
And then, just two minutes later, Mikko Rantanen (he was also so, so good last night) fought for the puck in the Stars’ zone and sent it down the ice to Marchment, who furiously fought off Devon Toews to keep control of the puck. Once he won that battle, he passed it to a charging Tyler Seguin, who kicked the puck off his blade to his stick and sent it past Colorado keeper Mackenzie Blackwood to win the game.
There he was again. Yes, it was Rantanen who had to wrestle the puck away from the Avalanche first, and it was Seguin who buried the game-winner, but it was Marchment who acted as the middleman and kept the play alive. A couple of minutes before that heroic effort, Marchment was shamefully sitting in the penalty box, biding his time. Now he was part of the jubilation, jumping up and down with Seguin and the rest of the squad as they celebrated winning Game 3. Sports are crazy, man.
Winning back-to-back games via overtime scores is improbable enough, but what’s even crazier is that the Stars find themselves up 2-1 in the series and in control despite having led for only 70 seconds throughout the first three games. Meanwhile, the Avalanche have led for over 90 minutes of game action but have only one win to show for it. To steal a quip from Ron Washington, the longtime manager of the Texas Rangers and now the head man for the Los Angeles Angels who always had a knack for an awesome phrase, “That’s the way hockey go.”
The Stars now find themselves in control with a 2-1 series advantage. With two days off before Game 4, there will be plenty of time to celebrate back-to-back overtime thrillers and winners. But the job is not finished. Colorado is still a formidable force, and there’s no doubt that they’ll give it all they’ve got on Saturday night in Denver.
Before the Stars touch the ice again, two more days of Stanley Cup Playoff action will pass them by.
Tonight, the reigning champion Florida Panthers look to go up 2-0 against the Tampa Bay Lightning. With Matthew Tkachuk returning for Florida, the Panthers are poised to continue to be in the conversation for another run at a championship.
Up north, the Toronto Maple Leafs and the Ottawa Senators will play Game 3 of the battle for Ontario. The Leafs took both games in Toronto, but the Senators are feisty, and I wouldn’t count them out if I were you. Plus, this is the Maple Leafs we’re talking about. You think the notorious chokers are just going to win this series nice and easy? No way.
Late at night is when the Western Conference matchups kick into gear. The Vegas Golden Knights and the Minnesota Wild are tied at 1-1 heading into Game 3 in St. Paul. Matt Boldy has been exceptional for the Wild; he has three goals through the first two games, including the opening score in Game 2 back on Tuesday night. However, the Golden Knights are not a team that should be taken lightly (as a Stars fan, I know this all too well). That team is so talented and so deep that seeing them in the conference finals and potentially in the Stanley Cup would not be a surprising outcome.
The Winnipeg Jets — the winner of the President’s Trophy this season — and the St. Louis Blues round out Thursday night in what’s essentially a win-or-go-home game for St. Louis. Winnipeg won both games up in Manitoba in fairly dominant fashion and could take a stranglehold of this series if it wins tonight. Personally, I don’t know who to root for in this one. Both teams are fairly large rivals of Dallas — St. Louis especially. How about everybody loses? Sounds good to me.
On Friday, the Washington Capitals, Carolina Hurricanes, and Los Angeles Kings seek to go up 3-0 in their series against the Montreal Canadiens, New Jersey Devils, and Edmonton Oilers, respectively. That latter matchup between the Kings and Oilers has been very surprising, with Los Angeles outscoring Edmonton 12-7 so far.
The Stanley Cup Playoffs are magical, what can I say? It’s the best postseason tournament in all of sports.