Six of the eight rounds in the 2025 Stanley Cup Playoffs are in the books, with two remaining that will be decided this weekend. One of which is the Dallas Stars against the Colorado Avalanche, who will play Game 7 in Dallas on Saturday night.
Related: 2025 Stanley Cup Playoffs Round 1 Hub
Before the playoffs started, if you had to pick only one series to go seven games, I am willing to wager that you would have picked this one. It’s been a close, hard-fought series since Game 1, and it is reasonable to expect that Saturday night won’t be any different. These teams are as even as it gets, and it really is anyone’s game. But, the Stars are at home, and they have past success against the Avalanche and in Game 7s in general. Does any of that matter? Let’s dive in.
Pete DeBoer: The Game 7 Whisperer
Ultimately, this game will be decided on the ice. However, it’s hard to ignore the magnificent success that the Stars’ head coach, Pete DeBoer, has had in Game 7s throughout his career. DeBoer is currently 8-0 in Game 7s, and if you’re looking for an edge in this game in particular, Jared Bednar, the head coach of the Avalanche, is 0-3.
DeBoer won his first career playoff series in seven games, beating the Florida Panthers as the coach of the New Jersey Devils in 2011-12, on his way to the Stanley Cup Final. Later, while coaching the San Jose Sharks, DeBoer won three more Game 7s, and two more as the coach for the Vegas Golden Knights. With the Stars, he’s won two and is hoping for a third on Saturday night, pushing his record to 9-0.
“It’s crazy, and I’m sure when I’m done and looking back, it’s going to be one of the things I’m really proud of, and I’m going to tell my grandkids about it, hopefully,” DeBoer said while speaking to ESPN about his Game 7 record. “I feel fortunate because I know how hard those players have played in those situations for me and how much work has gone into winning those. Also, how hard the staffs I’ve had have worked, because they don’t get enough credit for that.”
“It’s not just Pete,” Jason Robertson said, echoing DeBoer’s sentiment about his coaching staff. “It’s the rest of the coaching staff doing their jobs. It’s the leaders in the room. It’s everything.”
“His track record helps,” Stars captain Jamie Benn added about this coach. “In the end, he wants us to go out there, have fun, and play. Just play our system the right way with details. He boosts his players up for those moments, and we’ve succeeded.”
“Through seven games, we try to present a really clear picture to our group over and over again of what’s working and what isn’t,” DeBoer added. “I’d like to think that by Game 7 of a series, that our guys have a really clear picture of how we want to execute or what we want to do.”
We’ll see what this Game 7 brings, but it’s clear that he has the belief of his coaching staff, his players, and himself.
Past Success Something to Lean on for Dallas
They say the regular season means nothing once the playoffs start. They also say that seasons and postseasons of the past don’t matter at all. The Stars are hoping that the former is true, but not the latter, ahead of Game 7.
In the regular season, the Stars were 1-1-1 against the Avalanche, scoring 11 goals and allowing 13. That same record from the Avalanche’s perspective is 2-0-1. The Stars were 44.4% on the power play, 76.9% on the penalty kill, and allowed 34.33 shots per game. Comparing that to the playoffs, the Stars are 3-3, with a 26.3% power play, an 84.2% penalty kill, and have scored 17 goals while allowing 22, and have allowed 35.7 shots per game. The regular season might not matter, but while the special teams percentages are different, the stat line reads very similar, comparing the regular season and the playoffs against the Avalanche in 2024-25.
Does all of that matter? Only the players know. Does past playoff success matter? The Stars sure hope so. The Stars beat the Avalanche 4-2 in the second round last postseason. Both of these teams look different, but the Stars have the most similar roster between the two, and hope to lean on that experience in Game 7. The Stars won Game 6 in double overtime in Colorado. This time, they are at home. We’ll know how much that matters by Sunday morning.
Combining Games 5 and 6 Key for Stars in Game 7
The last two games saw the Stars winning Game 5, 6-2, and losing Game 6, 7-4. There are parts of both games that the Stars need to carry into Game 7, and parts of Game 6 that they need to avoid.
In Game 5, the Stars jumped on the scoreboard early and never let their foot off the gas. Wyatt Johnston and Mikko Rantanen finally put the puck in the net, and when the Avalanche cut a 3-0 lead to 3-2, the Stars said enough is enough, restored the 3-goal lead, and finished the night with the win. In Game 6, the Finnish representatives on the Stars took over the second period, and gave the Stars a 4-3 lead with a chance to end the series in the third period.
Game 6 wasn’t all roses, however. The hockey gods were not favorable to the Stars with the fluky nature of Colorado’s go-ahead goal in the third period. Sure, there were two empty-net goals in the third. But, the Stars were down 2-0 after the first period, and allowed four goals in the third period. Needless to say, that cannot happen again in Game 7.
Game 5 was their strongest game of the series, and Game 6 had some really good moments. The Stars need to put it together on Saturday night.
Everything Lines Up for the Stars on Saturday
There is zero surprise that this series went seven games. Even with the public favoring the Avalanche at the beginning of Round 1, the majority of us thought this would go the distance. So here you are, Dallas. Game 7 on home ice. The last time you were at American Airlines Center, you ran the Avalanche out of the building. So what do you got?
Not everyone thinks home ice, court, or field matters. DeBoer is one of those people, except in a situation like this.
“I always say home ice isn’t important until a Game 7, and I really believe that. I think Game 7 is an important advantage.”
