Jumping from regular-season hockey action into the Stanley Cup Playoffs is always a major leap for me in terms of adrenaline. Sure, watching the Stars play the Sharks in the middle of January is exciting and comes with plenty of thrills (even despite the Sharks being absolute bottom feeders). But the playoffs are just different, and last night was a testament to how exciting — or paralyzing — postseason hockey can be.
Four absolute bangers of games emerged from the rubble of what was a chaotic and exhilarating Monday evening of hockey. Every contest was a one-goal affair, with two going to overtime and another reaching its climax in the final minutes of regulation. The superstars played like the superstars they are, and surprising depth pieces emerged as heroes. It was everything one could’ve asked for in a hockey night, and as it crescendoed around midnight, my heart was racing and I couldn’t stop smiling.
The Stars desperately needed to pull out the win last night. Coming into Game 2 against the Colorado Avalanche, Dallas had lost eight consecutive games and hadn’t won since April 2.
That pitiful streak had taken the wind out of the sails of a team that had appeared to be soaring into the playoffs once again. Perhaps this would be the year the squad finally breaks through the conference finals barrier and returns to the promised land. Is it finally time to avenge the losses to Vegas and Edmonton in 2023 and 2024, respectively? Are we going to be partying like it’s 1999? That’s what the fanbase had been pondering prior to the abysmal lapse in play over the last several weeks. After it, the cries were the exact opposite (in fact, there might’ve actually been some tears). It was starting to look like the dream season that was promised was going to come crashing down sooner rather than later.
Losing 5-1 in Game 1 of the first round to the Colorado Avalanche last Saturday certainly didn’t help quell the frustration inside or outside the locker room. As such, it was imperative to come out in Game 2 and deliver a win. If the Stars couldn’t do it, their season might have been toast.
Fortunately, they got it done via a 4-3 overtime victory, thanks to some fantastic effort by the fourth line and Colin Blackwell, who buried the game-winning goal.
Blackwell was an unlikely hero, all things considered. In a series that features heavyweights like Nathan MacKinnon, Mikko Rantanen, Cale Maker, and Wyatt Johnston, having Blackwell deliver the OT winner was a surprise. But the playoffs are all about the unexpected — and last night was certainly that, on all fronts.
There’s no telling if the Stars will now bulldoze their way into the next round or if yesterday was just a blip on the radar and the Avalanche will roll on instead. In a sport that features a puck on ice, who knows what’s going to happen in any given game? Compound that with two teams that seem to be playing really good hockey at the moment, and the uncertainty doubles. Maybe even triples.
It certainly didn’t hurt the Stars’ chances of advancing, though. In fact, without the win yesterday, Dallas was probably a sitting duck. Yes, they managed to claw their way out of a 2-0 series hole last year against the Golden Knights, but many Stars players have gone on record about how much that series drained them. To win the Stanley Cup, your season has to extend all the way into June. Having a first-round series that completely sucks the life out of a team isn’t a recipe for winning the ultimate prize — and if I’m the Stars, I’m doing everything in my power to get out of this as quickly as possible, while still picking up victories, of course.
For my money, the Stars are in a good spot. As last night’s game progressed, it was clear they were skating better than Colorado — a welcome sight. Through the first two games of the series, Dallas has steadily played a more well-tuned game. That’s the exact opposite of what they’d been doing during the last two weeks of the regular season. It appears the team has finally taken its medicine and learned its lesson.
Seeing the Stars win the Stanley Cup is something I’ve yearned for a long time. After the Rangers — it’s well documented that they are my first and most loved sports franchise — the Stars are the team I want to see win it all the most. With how much success they’ve had over the last decade or so, it’s kind of unfathomable that they haven’t yet. They’ve gotten oh-so-close so many times that I have to think the fantastical end of the journey is coming soon.
The regular season didn’t end the way I — or the team — wanted it to. After trading for Rantanen at the deadline, Dallas treaded water until the wheels fell off in early April. It was obvious to me that chemistry issues, as well as injuries to key defensive pieces, helped make the stretch run of the season the disaster that it was.
Now that the monkey is off their back and the team has finally won a game, I hope the floodgates open and they start performing the way they’re capable of on Wednesday night in Game 3 against Colorado. I need it. This fanbase needs it. Most importantly, this city needs it.