Subj : Stars Advance to 5th Cup Final in Franchise History After Game 5 OT Win
To : All
From : The Hockey Writers - Main
Date : Wed Sep 16 2020 04:40 am
If we told you back in March that the Dallas Stars would be playing for the
2020 Stanley Cup you'd probably have told us to delete our account. But this
has been a year and a season unlike any other.�
The Stars entered Game 5 of the West Finals up three games to one and then
entered the final 19:45 of the third period trailing 2-0. For any other team
that might have been impossible to overcome against a quality opponent such as
the Vegas Golden Knights.�
"THEY WIN THE SERIES, THEY WIN THE WEST AND THE DALLAS STARS ARE HEADED TO THE
STANLEY CUP FINAL!"@ChoctawCasinos | #GoStars pic.twitter.com/WJwmr3o8qR-
Dallas Stars (@DallasStars) September 15, 2020
But Jamie Benn's rebound goal (10:06 left) and Joel Kiviranta's tying goal with
less than four minutes left (3:47) in regulation set the stage for yet another
thrilling Stars overtime win. Dallas found themselves on a gift power play
(puck over the glass by Zach Whitecloud) 2:15 into the extra session.
During the ensuing man-advantage, one of the Golden Knights lost their stick
and the Stars pounced on the opportunity and in the process punched their
ticket to the Stanley Cup Final. Denis Gurianov wired a shot past Robin Lehner
and in an instant Dallas won 3-2 and had advanced to the final round of their
two-month odyssey in the Edmonton Bubble.Interim Head Coach Rick Bowness has
guided the Dallas Stars to the 2020 Stanley Cup Final. (Amy Irvin / The Hockey
Writers)
Quite the rollercoaster ride it has been for the Stars and their fans since the
NHL unpressed pause on the 2020 Season. To all those who think an asterisk
should be next to whoever wins the Cup this year - yeah, maybe you are right.
They should have one for how much more difficult it has been to play hockey
than in a normal year when the entire planet isn't battling a global pandemic.�
Here are our three takeaways from the Game 5 win that propelled Dallas to
become Western Conference Champs.1. By the Numbers
With the win, the Stars improved to 5-0 this postseason during overtime.
Gurianov joins Alexander Radulov (2x), Kiviranta, and Jamie Oleksiak with
overtime goals since August.
🧀 Western Conference Champs. #StanleyCup pic.twitter.com/VJZPJ8FFHR- NHLPA
(@NHLPA) September 15, 2020
The Stars franchise has advanced to the Cup Final for the third time since
relocating to Dallas from Minnesota. At some point in each of those three
instances, they had to eliminate the Colorado Avalanche in a Game 7.�
In these playoffs, the Stars have three wins after trailing entering the third
period, which is the most in the NHL. During the regular season, the Stars had
nine wins when trailing at the start of the third period, which also was the
most in the NHL. In one-goal games this postseason they are 10-1.Denis Gurianov
has had quite the playoff run with the Dallas Stars. (Jess Starr/The Hockey
Writers)
Gurianov is the fifth rookie in NHL history to score a series-clinching goal
that sent his team to the Cup Final. He joins Adam Henrique (2012), Darren Helm
(2009), Jacques Lemaire (1968), and Pep Kelly (1935). He currently leads all
rookies in goals (9) and points (17) and is five goals away from tying Dino
Ciccarelli's record (1981) for most goals by a rookie in one postseason.
Gurianov has eight points (5g-3a) in the Stars' three series-clinching wins.
Kiviranta is just the second NHLer in the history of the league to record his
first five career postseason points in series clinchers, joining Peter Zezel
(1985). If we'd have told you that he'd factor into the game-tying goal and
game-winning goal in the game that sent the Stars to their first Cup Final in
20 years, you'd probably think we were crazy. Unless we told you that was after
his hat trick propelled Dallas past Game 7 in the previous round that is. Then
it would have seemed like an okay statement. 2020, right?2. Love For Lindell
We get that in the hoopla of clinching a berth in the Cup Final some details
might get lost in the sauce. But we're here to give some love to one of the
Stars' unsung heroes, defenseman Esa Lindell. Yes, he had an assist on Benn's
goal that got the comeback started. But his play in the defensive end,
particularly on the penalty kill deserves some DAP.Dallas Stars'; Esa Lindell
celebrates with John Klingberg. (AP Photo/Tony Gutierrez)
The 26-year-old Finnish defenseman has been a tower of power for the Stars
during this run and now in his fourth full season as an NHLer he had really
been a key cog in the Dallas engine on the backend.
During Game 5 he blocked three shots and had four hits. Vegas was 0-3 on the
power-play in Game 5, and for the series, they went 3-for-22.�
In 21 playoff games, Lindell (1g-5a) has dished out 59 hits and blocked 46
shots with some part of his body. But what's most impressive to us - over those
21 games he's taken just one measly minor penalty, and that came back on
August 5 (feels like a lifetime ago) in the second of three round-robin
games.Vegas Golden Knights right wing Alex Tuch and Dallas Stars defenseman Esa
Lindell. (AP Photo/John Locher)
When you think of the Stars defense you think of Miro Heiskanen and John
Klingberg, but right behind them is Lindell who is making quite the name for
himself this summer. His pairing with Andrej Sekera has been a humongous big
part of the Stars'; success through three rounds.3. Khudobin For Conn Smythe
How many NHL teams out there would be able to withstand the loss of their
number one goalie and advance to the Stanley Cup Final? Not a whole lot of them
is the answer. But that's just what Anton Khudobin has done with his
goaltending partner Ben Bishop unfit to play in all but two games and 13:43 of
another.�Anton Khudobin is our choice for Conn Smythe through three rounds.
(Jess Starr/The Hockey Writers)
The lovable goalie from Kazakstan improved to 12-6 in these playoffs with one
shutout, a .920 save percentage, and a 2.62 goals-against average. Before this
postseason he had played a total of 38 minutes over the past two playoffs with
Dallas and Boston. The 34-year-old has paid his dues during his 11-year career
spanning 218 regular-season games and 198 wins, and now he is reaping the
rewards of hard work.
If he wins four more games and the Stars win the Cup, Khudobin would tie his
regular season win total from each of the past three seasons; his career-high
in a single season is 19 wins with the Carolina Hurricanes (2013-14).Anton
Khudobin and the Stars will play the Islanders or Lightning in the 2020 Stanley
Cup Final. (AP Photo/LM Otero)
Of the remaining players left in the tournament, Khudobin has to be in the mix
for the Conn Smythe Trophy. Nikita Kucherov and Brayden Point from Tampa Bay
are also in that discussion, no doubt. If the New York Islanders somehow
advance we can probably add Josh Bailey's name to the list, as well as Brock
Nelson and Anthony Beauvillier. Gurianov and Heiskanen also deserve to be
included.�Dallas Stars goaltender Anton Khudobin. (AP Photo/Mark Humphrey)
The Conn Smythe Trophy is given "to the most valuable player for his team in
the playoffs." He just eliminated the two best teams in the West. If there's no
Khudobin in Dallas, and Bishop is still hurt, where would the Stars be?
Eliminated in the first round likely.Up Next
The Stars may or may not have some rest before their next game. If Tampa Bay
wins Game 5 against New York, Game 1 of the 2020 Stanley Cup Final could take
place on Thursday night in the Edmonton Bubble. If New York can stave off
elimination, the Stars will get some more rest and relaxation time, maybe watch
a movie, who knows.
The post Stars Advance to 5th Cup Final in Franchise History After Game 5 OT
Win appeared first on The Hockey Writers.
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