The Dallas Stars have been one of the best road teams over the past two seasons, and once again look to eliminate the Colorado Avalanche in Denver for the second season in a row.
After struggling mightily away from Dallas under previous head coach Rick Bowness, Dallas has thrived under Pete DeBoer.
And with Dallas losing as many games as they have at home during the last two playoff runs, winning on the road is a must if they expect to advance deep in the playoffs. The Stars have lost every Game 1 of a playoff series dating back to their win in the Edmonton bubble during the COVID-affected Stanley Cup Final against the Tampa Bay Lightning.
Six of the last seven Game 1 losses have come at home, putting the team behind the eight-ball immediately, ramping up the pressure on Dallas and giving their opponent brief control of home-ice advantage. But no opponent under Pete DeBoer's tenure has been able to win every game against Dallas at their home building.
Last season, the Stars lost both games of the opening round against Vegas at home, and then went to T-Mobile Arena and leveled the series against all odds by winning both road games. Then, Dallas swept the three games in Colorado last year, losing the only two of the series at the American Airlines Center. Even in the Western Conference Final loss to Edmonton, Dallas took hold of the series 2-1 with a road win in Game 3 before rattling off three straight losses.
While the Stars surely want to improve their record at home during the playoffs, winning multiple series almost always requires some gritty road wins to go along with being able to defend home ice.
Dallas is 4-1 at Ball Arena over the past two postseasons, and now will try once again to be the road killer in Game 6 to eliminate the Avalanche and advance to the second round.
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