Walk around with a smile upon my face
In my mind you have taken up permanent space
I am feeling what I can’t explain
And if what you’re feeling is the same
***
Going into Game 3 last round was a unique experience, even for the playoffs. The narrative of redeeming last year’s trash-polluted debacle against Vegas combined with the disappointment of losing two games at home made for a sober sort of acceptance: after that game, we would either have a series, or we would have finality.
Dallas toyed with us in that Game 3, coming out with an overwhelming effort (led by an all-timer of a game from Johnston) that culminated in relief, exuberance, hope, and finally, redemption. And I think we all know exactly where credit should go for that series:
This Game 3 is very different. In some ways, it’s a much more stressful game because there isn’t that resignation that comes with a serious deficit. Things are very much teetering on a knife’s edge, and the lack of a 2-0 series lead despite two wonderful starts that should have gotten one feels like the beginnings of a serious regret.
But it’s all in how you look at it, right? After the Avs demolished the supposedly stalwart Winnipeg Jets, either Dallas has shown that Colorado can’t dominate the Stars at home (in a series where Dallas has home-ice advantage), or else Dallas has betrayed the fact that their very best efforts are only just enough to hold off a furious Colorado for one or two periods. Given the nature of playoff dread, you’re probably in the latter mindset.
They say that a series doesn’t really start until you lose at home. I have another sort of aphorism I cling to in the playoffs, which is that you always have a great chance once you win two games. If you can do that before the other team gets three, however it happens, you’re in great shape to do something special. And Dallas very nearly did that, coming one furious set of overtime saves by Georgiev away from being up 2-0 and guaranteeing themselves a six-game series, at worst. Now, they’ll have to grab one of those second wins in Colorado if they want to avoid having to reel off three straight victories with no margin for error.
That’s where the final game against these two in the regular season is so instructive. After losing in Chicago the previous night, Dallas flew to Colorado, playing the Avs on the second night of a back-to-back yet again. But despite the blown leads against Colorado earlier in the year, and despite the fact that Colorado had won six of their last seven games against the Stars, many of them handily, Dallas promptly absorbed an early Sean Walker goal, scored three power play goals (of which two came on the back of a Sean Walker double-minor high-sticking penalty), and ran the Avs out of their own building.
Or at least, that’s how you might remember it. But what actually happened is that Dallas went up 5-2 after absorbing some Colorado pressure and capitalizing on the power play, then Colorado nearly came back from yet another 3-goal lead by Dallas to make it 5-4, before Wyatt Johnston finally put the game out of reach.
In order words, this is just how it is against the Avs. They’re too potent to be stifled in the third period when they’re coming with the 4-1 forecheck, unlike Vegas was. But they’re also not robust enough to prevent Dallas from counterattacking effectively. This series was billed as a punch-out rather than a game of Stratego, and it’s lived up to the billing so far.
Dallas has shown some good things, but they’ve also validated some of your deepest fears. (This also describes my experience since moving back to Dallas last decade.) They aren’t going to do to Colorado what Colorado did to Winnipeg, and that’s just the nature of these playoffs. The Stars, by virtue of their excellence, have the hardest road to the Stanley Cup of any team in the league. Some of that difficulty may be of their own making, but then again, we’re all our own worst enemy when push comes to shove. The biggest battles always come down to which competitor is able to dig the deepest. Dallas probably won’t get the power play advantage they’ve gotten thus far, but their penalty kill proved that it can hang with the elite talent on the Avs’ top unit. If Dallas can continue to punch back from up and down their extremely deep lineup, there’s every chance Colorado won’t be able to go the distance.
Chris Tanev won’t be able to hard-match against MacKinnon quite as much without last change, so expect a few more head-shaking moments and uttered oaths. Mason Marchment appears to remain dedicated to the proposition that all games deserve some bad penalties, and he’s going to continue trying to toe that line. But Tyler Seguin may be starting to roll again, and Roope Hintz, more importantly, looks like he’s found a way to fight through (or with) whatever ails him. Jason Robertson and Wyatt Johnston remain Extremely Good, and Jamie Benn is solidly embedded within the hearts and minds of every Josh Manson type on the opposing bench.
The Stars have, once again, the better goaltender of the two teams. They also have a deeper roster, which is one of the biggest reasons for their road success this season. Dallas’s depth is going to have to outwit the Avalanche’s ferocious attack if this series is to remain in good shape, but there’s every chance Colorado could end up being the team scrambling for answers if Dallas once again jumps out to a big lead. You can’t imagine Colorado want to chase down a three-goal lead every game, although their disconcerting ability to just mash the Val Nichushkin button repeatedly is something I could do without. But every playoff win is a story we’ll remember, and there’s every reason to believe that Dallas is going to write another chapter tonight, for those who can stay awake long enough to read it.
Stars Thoughts: Robert Tiffin's attempt to understand the Dallas Stars and everything else 
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