From an entertainment point of view, you have to give credit to the Dallas Stars. Win or lose, and over the course of a month or a single game, you will always be entertained, even if it’s an unwanted rollercoaster at times. That’s been true all season, and it’s been especially true in Round 1 of the Stanley Cup Playoffs.
Related: Stars Dominate Avalanche 6-2 in Game 5, Take 3-2 Series Lead
The Stars took care of their business on home ice and defeated the Colorado Avalanche 6-2 in Game 5 on Monday night, 48 hours after putting up their most disappointing performance of the postseason, losing 4-0 on Saturday night. Monday night felt like a summary of their season. They were up 3-0, then 3-2, suddenly the buzzer sounds, and they are home and cool with a decisive 6-2 victory and a 3-2 series lead in Round 1.
There’s a lot to get into, so let’s dive into our three takeaways from the Stars’ 6-2 Game 5 win over the Avalanche.
Dream Start for the Dallas Stars
I suppose it is possible to have a better start than the Stars did on Monday, but it would be very difficult. So difficult, in fact, that Wyatt Johnston scored the quickest opening goal in the franchise’s playoff history. Before all the butts hit the seats and the beverages were sipped, nine seconds had passed, and the Stars had the 1-0 lead. 45 seconds before the opening period ended, Thomas Harley doubled the lead for the Stars. There was quite a bit that happened before that, though.
The Avalanche outshot the Stars 9-7 in the first period, which included some massive saves by Jake Oettinger to keep the Stars on top. Oettinger had a terrific night on Saturday, despite being pulled after 40 minutes, and was one of the few Stars you could really say that about. On Monday, he picked up right where he left off, having a perfect start to the evening.
After a hard-fought 19 minutes, Harley threw a puck on net that Mackenzie Blackwood originally stopped, but it went straight up in the air, landed on the goaltender’s back, then fell directly behind him and into the net. That was just the sort of night it was for the Stars. Hard work and sound decision-making were repaid by a few lucky bounces and good fortune.
In Game 3, the Stars got the lead and promptly gave it up 62 seconds later. Just as a side note, this is something that this team did way too often during the regular season. Despite being up in the series 2-1 at one point, those 62 seconds were the only time the Stars had the lead in the entire series until Monday. After the first period, they had the lead for 19:51, almost 20 times more than the previous 62 seconds. That start carried into them never giving up that lead, and having the most complete 60-minute performance that they have had in close to two months.
Big Boys Finally Produce for the Stars
Right before the puck dropped on Monday, thanks to two goals by the Tampa Bay Lightning earlier in the evening, the Stars were tied with the New Jersey Devils for dead last among the 16 playoff teams with seven goals in Round 1. After their six-goal performance in Game 5, the Stars are now ninth with 13 goals, and only three behind the St. Louis Blues, who are third with 16.
Through four games, Johnston and Mikko Rantanen were two Stars in particular who were incredibly quiet on the scoresheet, with zero goals and three assists combined. Having goals by Tyler Seguin, Roope Hintz, and Thomas Harley is all well and good, and necessary, but if the Stars are going to do any damage in the playoffs, Johnston and Rantanen have to step up and produce, especially without Jason Robertson for the foreseeable future.
Well, in Game 5, they finally delivered. Johnston had two goals and three points, and Rantanen had a goal and three points of his own. Hintz added his second of the playoffs, and Mason Marchment finally got on the scoresheet as well. It’s not that Johnston and Rantanen have been terrible, but they had yet to rise to the occasion and take over a game. On Monday night, they finally did.
Stars Relishing the Underdog Role
We knew that this matchup was coming for quite a while before the playoffs started. Sure, there was the faint hope of the Stars winning the Central Division, but deep down, I think we all knew that this was inevitable. Originally, predictions for this series were probably split down the middle, maybe even the Stars getting over 50% of the love. Whether it was the losing streak or the fact that they were missing two of their best players, that completely flipped before this series started in favor of the Avalanche.
Vegas had the Avalanche as heavy favorites, and media and fans alike were right there with them. As this series has gone on, the Stars proved that they were being underrated, but two overtime wins and a blowout loss on Saturday were enough for Colorado supporters to stand pat. This series isn’t over yet, but the Stars are one win away from silencing the doubters, at least for one round.
“I’m not surprised by our response. We’ve got a proud group. I think they feed off people doubting them,” Stars coach Pete DeBoer said of his team. “There were a lot of people before the series started and then after last game (doubting them). We know what was kind of the feeling in the hockey world about where we were at, and I think our guys wanted to prove that there’s a lot of pride in our group, and there’s a lot of playoff experience, and I think they showed all those things tonight.”
Resiliency the Key Heading Into Game 6
This entire season has been a testament to the resiliency of the Stars, and like I mentioned earlier, this series has encapsulated all of that. Even Monday night showed that a little bit. After being up 3-0, the Stars had a chance to go up 4-0, but just couldn’t put the puck in the net. Directly after that, the Avalanche cut the lead to 3-1, then 3-2. After Saturday night’s performance, it would have been easy to crumble beneath the pressure and let the game get away from them, but they did the opposite. Before the second period was over, it was 5-2, and the Stars’ stranglehold on the game was restored.
Whatever momentum the Avalanche had heading into Monday night is completely wiped out and has swung in favor, once again, of the Stars. Game 6 on Thursday night in Denver is the Stars’ opportunity to finish the job. If this does go to Game 7, it will be at home, and the Stars could absolutely win that game. But why tempt fate? The Avalanche are right where you want them, so get the job done.
