Dallas had its Stanley Cup hopes dashed Sunday with a 2-1 loss in Edmonton.
The last time the Dallas Stars played a game in June was back in 2000, when they faced the New Jersey Devils in the Stanley Cup Final. The Devils won 3-2 in double overtime in Game 6 on June 10, raising the Cup on Dallas' home ice back when they played in Reunion Arena.
Sunday's Game 6 against the Edmonton Oilers on the road wasn't in a Stanley Cup Final, but the Western Conference Final. The Stars needed a win to keep from being eliminated and have a chance to get to another Cup Final.
The Oilers spoiled those plans with a 2-1 win at Rogers Place, winning the series in six games and punching a ticket to the Cup Final for the first time in 18 years. They will face the Florida Panthers, who are making their second consecutive Cup Final appearance after dispatching the New York Rangers in six games.
For the Stars, it was their second WCF appearance in as many seasons and third in the last five years. The difference in Sunday's game came down to two Edmonton power play goals. Dallas outplayed the Oilers in almost every other category, except the one that counts the most.
The first power play goal came at the 3:35 mark of the first period when Stars defenseman Chris Tanev was called for tripping Zach Hyman. Connor McDavid slipped around Miro Heiskanen and fired a tight backhander past goalie Jake Oettinger 38 seconds into the man advantage.
Later in the period, Ryan Suter picked up a slashing penalty at 14:22. Hyman scored from the slot 1:20 into the power play for a 2-0 lead.
The Stars had a 9-1 advantage on even strength shots in the period, a theme that would carry through the remainder of the game. But no goals were scored until the 9:18 mark of the third period, when Mason Marchment put a wrister past Stuart Skinner, who made numerous game-saving stops in the period.
The Stars tried every trick they knew to get the tying goal, but the puck refused to get in the net, and a season filled with hopes of another Stanley Cup Final appearance ended with a thud.
Here are three takeaways from the game.
One of the Stars' best weapons let them down in the end.
Coming into the Western Conference Final, the Stars prided themselves on being one of the least-penalized teams in the NHL, both in the regular season and the playoffs.
This post-season, Dallas' penalty-kill unit was 71.4%, 10th-best in the NHL. Their road percentage was much better at 92.9%, second-best in the league.
That all changed in the final two games of the Edmonton series. Through the first four games, the Oilers went 0-for-6 on the power play. In games 5 and 6, they were a combined 4-for-5, including 2-for-2 on Sunday.
The Stars' own power play completely failed them in the series. They went 0-for-14 over the six games, including two chances in the first period and one in the third, to no avail.
Special teams often make or break a playoff game or series, and such was the case in the Western Conference Final. A power play goal here, a penalty-kill there might have given the series a different outcome.
5-on-5 dominance wasn't enough.
The Oilers didn't run over the Stars in Game 6 by any means. Take away the two power play goals, and Dallas completely controlled the game at even strength.
The Stars outshot Edmonton 34-10 for the game. The 10 shots on goal by the Oilers ties an NHL record for fewest in a Stanley Cup playoff win. The Stars won the faceoff battle 56.6% to 43.4%. They had a whopping 74-24 advantage on shot attempts and 11-7 on high-danger scoring chances.
One of the biggest reasons the Stars fell short in their losses in games 4 and 5 was not getting enough shots at the net. Such was not the case Sunday. Skinner, who posted a 5-3 record through Edmonton's first eight playoff games with a 3.22 goals-against average and .877 save percentage, rebounded after sitting out two games to go 5-2 with a 1.92 GAA and .908 SV% over the next seven. He was money again in Game 6, withstanding an onslaught of volleys by a team desperate to keep from going home for the summer.
Stars veterans' Stanley Cup dreams fall short again.
Losing the Western Conference Finals was certainly a crushing blow to the entire team. But for four veterans in particular, it was an especially tough pill to swallow.
Joe Pavelski, Jamie Benn, Ryan Suter and Matt Duchene had all played over 1,000 NHL games without the chance to hoist a Stanley Cup. Once again, all four will walk away disappointed.
Pavelski and Suter are 39. Benn is 34 and Duchene 33.
Benn was the shining star of the four with 15 points (4-11-15). Pavelski, Suter and Duchene had a combined 14 points between them over the 19 games this post-season.
For Pavelski in particular, this may have been his last shot at glory. His one-year, $5.5 million contract expires at the end of this season. The Stars may want to move in a younger direction, with forward Mavrik Bourque, who made his NHL playoff debut in Game 6, waiting in the wings.
Losing one of the greatest leaders the Stars have ever had would be a shame, especially since he was once again denied a Cup. But Father Time doesn't pass over anyone, and a player only gets so many chances. The Stars face a number of questions in the coming months of the off-season, Pavelski's status being one of them.
The curtain has closed on the 2023-24 season. As disappointing as the ending was for the Stars and its loayl fans, one cannot deny there were many great moments that got them to where they were. Many thought they had the pieces in place to go all the way. The Hockey News picked Dallas to appear in the Stanley Cup Final in its 2023-24 Season Preview. They were close, but not close enough.