Radek Faksa was the unlikely hero the Dallas Stars needed, scoring the game-winning goal in Game 7 to knock out the defending champion Vegas Golden Knights and set up a second-round date with the Colorado Avalanche.
The 30-year-old, who hadn't played since Game 2 before re-entering the lineup on Sunday night, sent a wicked backhand wrist shot past Knights goaltender Adin Hill just 44 seconds into the third period. That stood up as the series clincher in the razor-thin 2-1 victory.
Although the fourth line forward isn't known to score goals — especially not in the postseason — Faksa admitted that he told his son he would hit the scoresheet in the winner-take-all contest.
“After every pre-game skate I play mini-stick hockey with my son, and I promised him I would score a goal tonight,” the veteran told the NHL on TNT panel after the monumental victory. “I'm glad I did. I'm so excited to show him the video of the goal in the morning. I'm so happy.”
Faksa also admitted to the TNT crew that the tally was “the biggest goal of my career so far,” which goes without saying. The forward scored one playoff goal in 19 tries in the 2023 postseason, helping the Stars get to Game 6 of the Western Conference Final.
It took him just three games in the 2024 Stanley Cup Playoffs to replicate that production, and the goal will not soon be forgotten by the Dallas faithful. Whether or not the Stars are able to get to back-to-back WCF's, they at least won't have to worry about the team that beat them in that series. They've exorcised their demons and achieved revenge.
And there will be a new Stanley Cup champion in 2024 because of Faksa's series-clinching tally.
“Really wanted to win this series. We wanted our turn,” said Stars coach Pete DeBoer, who improved to a perfect 8-0 in Game 7's. “We felt we did all the right things all year to get the first seed, and then you draw a team like Vegas. 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 to unpack.”
Revenge is oh-so-sweet for Stars
It was an incredible playoff turnaround for the 2023-24 Stars after winning the Central Division. Despite a terrific regular-season, drawing the defending Stanley Cup champions in Round 1 was probably worst-case scenario for this club.
And the Stars looked to be going quietly after losing the first two games of the series on home ice. But after flipping the script with three straight wins — and despite failing to close in Game 6 — the squad finally got the job done in front of a raucous crowd at the American Airlines Center.
“I'm so proud of the guys for how we responded going down 0-2,” said goaltender Jake Oettinger, who stopped 22 of the 23 shots he faced in the triumph. “H**l of a win.”
For the Golden Knights, it's only the third time in seven years of existence that the team has failed to win a playoff series. Even with the additions of Noah Hanifin, Tomas Hertl and Anthony Mantha, they were unable to get the job done.
It goes to show how good of a hockey team the Stars are in 2024. They proved it all regular-season, and have now dispatched last year's champion and proved they are for real in the playoffs.
Next up is a heavyweight battle for the Central Division crown, with Radek Faksa and co. getting ready to welcome the high-flying Avalanche in Game 1 on Tuesday night.
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