In a game that has mirrored the entire series, Dallas squeaked out a 2-1 victory to advance to the second round of the Stanley Cup playoffs.
In a game that has mirrored the entire series, Dallas squeaked out a 2-1 victory to advance to the second round of the Stanley Cup playoffs.
Victory in a Game 7 often comes down to which team makes the biggest adjustment from the previous game. Pushing the right buttons can often be the difference between moving to the next round and going home.
Dallas Stars head coach Pete DeBoer decided to switch up his forward lines, something he had done several times in the First Round Playoff series against the Vegas Golden Knights. Joe Pavelski went to the line with Jamie Benn and Wyatt Johnston, while Logan Stankoven moved to the Jason Robertson-Roope Hintz line.
Radek Faksa, who hadn't played since Game 2 after suffering an injury, was put back on the fourth line in place of Ty Dellandrea. That one move turned out to be the most pivotal one of the series.
Faksa scored the game-winner just 44 seconds into the third period to lead the Stars to a 2-1 victory, advancing to the second round and eliminating the defending Stanley Cup champions.
"It's tough to watch the games (in the stands)," Faksa said after the game. "To be honest, you're more nervous watching from the seats than you are on the bench playing. It was a big relief you know, a big goal for us. I'm so happy I could help."
Dallas set the physical tone early in the first period after Stankoven and Benn each delivered a couple of good licks. Vegas tried to strike first after catching the Stars on a 2-on-1 rush, but Golden Knights center Ivan Barbashev missed the net wide.
Vegas got the first penalty of the game when Keegan Kolesar was called for hooking. It was a golden opportunity for the Stars' power play, which was 4-for-13 coming into Game 7.
But Vegas's penalty-kill smothered the Dallas attack, limiting them to no shots on goal.
After the Golden Knights nearly scored on a shot that hit the post, Wyatt Johnston finally got Dallas on the board. He stole the puck from Vegas defenseman Shea Theodore and sent a missile to the glove side of goalie Adin Hill for a 1-0 Dallas lead at 14:34 of the first period.
It was the fourth goal of the series for Johnston, who led the team with four goals and three assists (3-4-7) in the series.
Dallas held the Golden Knights off the scoreboard and went into the dressing room with a first-period lead for the first time at home this series.
The pace slowed a bit as the second period began. Dallas turned up the pressure on defense, keeping Vegas behind their blueline. The Stars had several quality chances. Stankoven fed Roope Hintz with a beautiful centering pass, but Hintz missed wide on a wrister. Benn also had a couple of great chances from the left circle, missing wide on one and having the other stopped by Hill.
It was forward Brett Howden who finally broke through for Vegas at 15:55 after getting behind Nils Lundkvist and put a back-door tip-in off a pass from Michael Amadio. The goal was Howden's first of the series.
Eichel had a wide open chance late in the period for Vegas but missed on a backhand, and the two teams skated into the second intermission all even.
Coming into the game, the two teams were tied 13-13 in goals scored against the goalies (not counting empty-net goals). The team who scored first in the third period had won two games in the series, so one goal in the third frame of this game could be the difference between one team advancing and the other going home for the summer.
It was Faksa, in his first game back, who played the hero. Just 44 seconds into the period, he bounced a backhander past a startled Hill from the right dot for a 2-1 Dallas lead.
The goal was especially emotional for Faksa, who promised his son before the game that he would score a goal.
"I'm happy I (promised him) so I can show him the video in the morning," Faksa said, getting a little choked up. "We can watch it together, so I'm excited."
The Stars had multiple quality chances to add some insurance, but Hill kept his team in the game.
Jake Oettinger was called for tripping Barbashev, putting the Golden Knights on a crucial power play. But just as Vegas did on their penalty-kill opportunity in the first period, Dallas killed the penalty without allowing the Golden Knights to get a shot on goal.
With less than a minute to go, Vegas put on a last-ditch effort to tie the game, but Oettinger made several crucial saves to halt the furious rally and preserve the victory for Dallas, sending the American Airlines Center crowd into a frenzy.
"These are the best games to be part of," Benn said. "Game 7's are what you dream about when you're young and playing in the backyard. What an atmosphere, playing in front of our fans and get a big win."
The Stars narrowly won the shots-on-goal battle, 24-23. They controlled the physical game with a 49-37 advantage in hits, although they didn't allow their emotions to reach the boiling point.
As they had done in their other three victories in the series, they locked it down defensively in the third period.
"We take a lot of pride in our defense," Benn said. "We know we can score goals, but we gotta play 200-foot hockey and take care of your own net first. I thought our goalie was our best player."
He certainly came up big when the team needed him most. Oettinger, after giving up four goals in the Game 1 loss, went 4-2 in the next six with a 1.61 goals-against average and .942 save percentage.
The victory was DeBoer's eighth career Game 7 win in as many tries as a head coach, tying Darryl Sutter (8-3) for the NHL record for Game 7 victories.
"(There are) so many emotions going back to last year, losing, that team winning," DeBoer said. "We wanted our turn. We felt we did all the right things all year to get the first seed and then we draw a team like Vegas, which I honestly think they've got a deeper team than they had last year. To plow through the adversity of being down 2-0... There's a lot there to unpack."
It was also the first time in franchise history that the Stars/North Stars have won a playoff series after dropping the first two games. Since 2019, each of the club's last five Game 7's have been decided by one goal, with Dallas now 3-2 during that span.
DeBoer has said on numerous occasions that home-ice advantage means little in the post-season until Game 7. He was proved right on Sunday, as the Stars worked hard all season to put themselves in just such a position.
Their next challenge will be the high-scoring Colorado Avalanche in the second round, which gets underway Tuesday at American Airlines Center. The Avs disposed of the Winnipeg Jets in five games, outscoring them 27-15 in the series.
The question now is whether Dallas can re-focus so quickly after an emotional, physical series with just one day in between. The good news is, we won't have to wait long to find out.
Make sure you bookmark THN's Dallas Stars site for the latest news, exclusive interviews, breakdowns, and so much more.
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