Before Sunday's game, Stars forward Radek Faksa made a promise to his son, and delivered in a big way.
Before Sunday's game, Stars forward Radek Faksa made a promise to his son, and delivered in a big way.
A seven-game playoff series usually has no shortage of storylines, from unlikely heroes to clutch performances that can change the momentum of a game or even the entire series.
The Stanley Cup First Round matchup between the Dallas Stars and Vegas Golden Knights contained more than its share of plot twists. It had more of a conference or Stanley Cup final atmosphere to it than a first-round series.
Amid all the suspense, one moment rose above the rest not just for its series-clinching impact, but a promise made and fulfilled.
Stars forward Radek Faksa and his 2-1/2-year-old son Elliot have a tradition of playing mini sticks after every pregame skate. After finishing their ritual before Sunday's Game 7, Faksa made a promise to Elliot, whom he shares with partner Dominika: He would score a goal for him that night.
A bold declaration, to be sure. Faksa, who suffered an injury in the third period of Game 2, sat out the next four games before head coach Pete DeBoer inserted him on the fourth line for Game 7, replacing Ty Dellandrea.
Faksa hadn't scored a point in the series and had an up-and-down regular season. After tallying just three goals in his first 54 games, he came back to finish with 19 points (7-12-19) in 74 games, with four goals coming over the final 20.
But Game 7's are made for big moments coming from unexpected places. Just 44 seconds into the third period with the score tied 1-1, Faksa kicked a Craig Smith pass onto his stick and sent a backhander from the right circle that deflected off Vegas defenseman Alec Martinez and past goalie Adin Hill.
At the time, it was too early to tell if Faksa's goal would be the game-winner. But once the final horn sounded and the crowd at American Airlines Center celebrated a gutsy series win, it became official. Faksa not only came through for his team, but his son.
"We were actually watching video right before warmups on their two-man cycle they play," Faksa said after the game. "That style of defense is hard to beat, so I tried to cut the middle and (Craig Smith) passed the puck back to me, and I received it on my skate. I just put it on the net. You never know, and luckily I got a lucky bounce. It was a big relief."
What would have made it even better is if Elliot had been there to see his dad's heroics in person. But 2-year-olds typically have early bedtimes, so he and Dominika left American Airlines Center before the third period began.
"I can show him the video in the morning and we can watch it together, so I'm excited and he'll be happy," Faksa said. "He's still 2-1/2 and cannot last the whole game... I'm happy he was here for at least a couple periods."
Faksa's goal punctuated the great play from the Stars' fourth line all series. Dellandrea, a healthy scratch in games 1, 2 and 7, scored the game-winner in Dallas' Game 4 win that tied the series at 2-2. Faksa's goal Sunday was his first point in a Game 7 and proved to be the difference.
"They stepped up huge," Stars captain Jamie Benn said of the fourth line rotation. "They were great tonight. I thought they were great all seven games, even Ty Dellandrea stepping in when he needed to. It was really next-man-up mentality."
The Stars will need that depth more than ever as they start their second-round series Tuesday against the Colorado Avalanche. There's always a chance Faksa could be a factor once again. But his Game 7 goal will be one that he and his son will always share.
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