The Dallas Stars had the defending Stanley Cup champions on the ropes, with a glorious opportunity to knock out the Vegas Golden Knights on the road in Game 6 and book their ticket to Round 2 for the second straight year.
Instead, the Knights showed their championship mettle, beating the Stars 2-0 on the back of an Adin Hill shutout and sending the series back to Texas on Sunday night. And Dallas head coach Pete DeBoer is already preparing for the two best words in sports.
“There's nothing better than Game 7,” DeBoer remarked after the defeat, according to NHL.com's Paul Delos Santos. “I mean, that's what you grow up dreaming about — you know, playing, and the second-best thing is coaching in them. So yeah, just excited. I mean, I'm so excited for our group. I'm excited for our fans in Dallas.”
It makes sense that DeBoer is fired up for Game 7 — he is 7-0 in them.
But it's going to be a tall task against a Knights team with their backs against the wall once again. Vegas won the first two games of the series in Dallas, and the road team has been very successful through the first six games.
But that's all ancient history when puck drops on Sunday night at the American Airlines Center; it's a winner-take-all Game 7.
Stars have one last chance to avenge Western Conference Final loss to Knights
The Stars are desperate to avenge last year's six-game loss in the Western Conference Final. Dallas was down 3-0 in that series before making it close with back-to-back wins in Games 4 and 5.
This time around, the Stars overcame a 2-0 deficit, turning the series on its head with three straight triumphs. But unable to close out the series on the road in Game 6, it'll be the first elimination game of the 2024 Stanley Cup Playoffs for the top seed in the Western Conference.
A big reason for that is Hill, who was a perfect 23-for-23 to help the defending champions stay alive in Game 6.
I always have confidence in myself,” the netminder said afterwards, per Santos. “My game had a little stretch there where I struggled and let some goals in that I should haven’t, but in practice, I never really lost it. It’s a mental thing, more than anything. When I got my number called in Game 5, I just went out and tried to be positive and have a good game. I felt like I played decent that game, though a couple of things I could have cleaned up. I felt like it came together a little better tonight, but it's a team effort out there.”
Jake Oettinger played well again for the Stars, making 28 saves and allowing just a single goal to Noah Hanifin. Mark Stone scored into an empty net late in regulation to seal it.
It's been a tight series between the two elite defensive teams, with not a lot of room at all out there. You got the feeling the first goal might be all it took, and that's exactly how it played out when Hanifin beat Oettinger midway through the final frame.
“What a game for goaltenders,” said Knights coach Bruce Cassidy. “It's a 0-0 game in the third. Sometimes those are snooze fests, right? But it wasn't tonight. I think it was one of those games that the goalies were just the two dominant players in the game. Eventually something had to give and went our way.”
The Stars had two chances to eliminate the Golden Knights. One of them is gone, but they'll get one more chance to advance — and they'll have the home crowd on their side as they look to set up a date with the Colorado Avalanche in Round 2.
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