The Dallas Stars 2024 Playoffs Thread

[Pato del Muerto 52489]

5 minutes ago, ztejas said:

Nah man we're fucked. Didn't you see what @Vertuzzi had to say. Whoever the fuck that dickhead is. 

He’s a Boston fan in his feelings tonight 

[cactusflinthead 27598]

 

[cactusflinthead 27598]

 

Edited May 18 by cactusflinthead

[Skipper 6133]

Had to log on during victory beer.  Holy fucking shit what a game guys.  I don't think I've ever been as mad about a call outside of a handful of Texas football games.   Thank god Karma played out the right way tonight.    Great game by the entire fucking team.  Otter played out of his mind.  Benn - huge goal. Tanev, nails. Miro was Miro.  Marchment - won it the first time (was my #Bucciovertimechallenge pick for the record and first time I ever actually picked correctly), Johnston and Stank all over the ice, gritty 4th line was a gritty 4th line all damn game, then the Duchene winner and old man Pavelski digging it out for him.   

The low key play of the game might have been Robertson laying the fuck out to block the puck in the 3rd period (I think). It was a hell of play.

I love this fucking team.  So pumped for more games at the AAC!

LETS GO STARS!

[Pato del Muerto 52489]

Does the nhl schedule the conference finals on same day schedule, or every other?

East starts Wednesday even though both teams are set as of tonight. 
 

would they start the west a day earlier if van wins tomorrow, or is it wed or even Thurs?

[Skipper 6133]

3 minutes ago, Pato del Muerto said:

Does the nhl schedule the conference finals on same day schedule, or every other?

East starts Wednesday even though both teams are set as of tonight. 
 

would they start the west a day earlier if van wins tomorrow, or is it wed or even Thurs?

Every other.  I think if Van wins Sat we play Tues and if not then Thurs.

[Pato del Muerto 52489]

1 minute ago, Skipper said:

Every other.  I think if Van wins Sat we play Tues and if not then Thurs.

Nice to get at least 3 days off, but why should the west start a day before the east if the east teams finished Thurs/fri and the west teams fri/sat?

[Skipper 6133]

Just now, Pato del Muerto said:

Nice to get at least 3 days off, but why should the west start a day before the east if the east teams finished Thurs/fri and the west teams fri/sat?

Fair point.  It could start Thurs regardless.  I don't know definitively.  I'm just speculating given that the East schedule was announced as a Weds start before Florida clinched tonight.  Thought that may mean they were waiting to see how the West played out.

[Skipper 6133]

For anyone that missed it go back and listen to the Duchene post game interview on TNT tomorrow.  I heard it live but was still too amped up to listen to all of it.  Listened again and really damn good.  We're winning this fucking thing.

[Pato del Muerto 52489]

17 minutes ago, Skipper said:

Fair point.  It could start Thurs regardless.  I don't know definitively.  I'm just speculating given that the East schedule was announced as a Weds start before Florida clinched tonight.  Thought that may mean they were waiting to see how the West played out.

If it’s Thursday irrespective of the last series, you’d think they’d have it on the schedule. Which makes me think you are right about a possible Tuesday start, it’s just damn backwards if they do it that way.  East teams get 4 and 5 days off. But west would get 2 and 3?  When all 4 series would have gone 6?

Edited May 18 by Pato del Muerto

[C-Man 27217]

For anyone that missed it go back and listen to the Duchene post game interview on TNT tomorrow.  I heard it live but was still too amped up to listen to all of it.  Listened again and really damn good.  We're winning this fucking thing.

That was awesome. We have so many great stories on this team — DeBoer, Benn, Pavelski, Suter, Duchene. Mix in the kids like Wyatt and Stanky, the fact that we roll four lines and have so many guys who kick in, it’s an easy team to love.

[Skipper 6133]

I guess I have a slight bias if it's Tues since I'll be able to make games 1 and 2.  If it's Thurs start - I'll miss game 2.   I like our position regardless.  Even if Tues, we get 3 days off to recover and Vancouver has to fly from Edmonton to Dallas on a quicker turnaround effectively starting series off on a 3 game road trip.  If it's Thurs, we have a chance to really get healthy and watch them beat each other up with loser dealing with even quicker turnaround.  

It's odd at this point I don't even have an opinion of which scenario I think is preferable or which team I would like to face.  We should be solid favorites against either.  Edmonton has the star power that can win a game singlehandedly but we just beat the better version of that team.  Vancouver seems a bit more well rounded although could it be we can just shut down a team like that? Who knows. So maybe despite missing game 2 I'm rooting for Edmonton here to at least take it to game 7 and then let the chips fall.   Either way will be a fun series.

[Pato del Muerto 52489]

5-1 on the road is a great sign, too. Just need to tighten up home ice. 

[C-Man 27217]

Duchene was an animal tonight. Robo needs to wake the fuck up.

[shadow_operative2.0 15968]

Interesting bottom 3. Fortunately Pavs was up there to pick ‘em up. 

[BigDHornfan 6546]

Get your fucking shine box

[BigDHornfan 6546]

First team ever in the NHL to win 3-1 in OT

[Napoleon 8672]

 

[shadow_operative2.0 15968]

Pretty good ESPN write-up.

https://www.espn.com/nhl/story/_/id/40154334/nhl-playoffs-2024-stanley-cup-dallas-stars-takeaways-conference-finals-bracket

[Longboard Horn 40301]

Now we play the waiting game..... Canucks or Oilers

[Longboard Horn 40301]

 

[Mileslong 4727]

Any update on Hintz playing next series?

[C-Man 27217]

6 hours ago, shadow_operative2.0 said:

Pretty good ESPN write-up.

https://www.espn.com/nhl/story/_/id/40154334/nhl-playoffs-2024-stanley-cup-dallas-stars-takeaways-conference-finals-bracket

I mentioned it somewhere in this thread and it was discussed in that article. The Stars have, amazingly, lost Game 1 in six consecutive postseason series. The article says the Stars have won three of the last four of those series. It's actually four of the last five, I think. That's remarkable.

[C-Man 27217]

3 hours ago, Longboard Horn said:

Now we play the waiting game..... Canucks or Oilers

Not sure who I'd rather see but I do hope they have to play seven games. I think I'd prefer Edmonton is Skinner was in goal but he ain't coming back unless there's an injury.

[Longboard Horn 40301]

11 minutes ago, C-Man said:

Not sure who I'd rather see but I do hope they have to play seven games. I think I'd prefer Edmonton is Skinner was in goal but he ain't coming back unless there's an injury.

Yeah Calvin Pickard is doing just fine. He's the goalie for the rest of the series. 

[Vic Mackey 47025]

 

[texastroubadour 1210]

Can someone explain why the ot goal was overturned?

[Skipper 6133]

16 minutes ago, texastroubadour said:

Can someone explain why the ot goal was overturned?

There is no good reason other than "we didn't want the game to end that way".  The problem is the NHL has now fallen into the trap we've seen in CFP and NHL which is they flat out won't overturn the call on the ice in a big moment.  There is absolutely zero chance if they ruled it a goal it would have been overturned.  I put the blame on the jackass on the ice for calling the interference in the first place.  But that was beyond obvious enough to overturn and do the right thing.

[Skipper 6133]

8 hours ago, shadow_operative2.0 said:

Interesting bottom 3. Fortunately Pavs was up there to pick ‘em up. 

Robo didn't have much on O last night but his blocked shot in the 3rd may have very well saved the game.  Hard to tell for sure on the replay but it may have very well found the net if he didn't react quickly and lay out.

[Firemans4Horn 18046]

[C-Man 27217]

6 minutes ago, Skipper said:

There is no good reason other than "we didn't want the game to end that way".  The problem is the NHL has now fallen into the trap we've seen in CFP and NHL which is they flat out won't overturn the call on the ice in a big moment.  There is absolutely zero chance if they ruled it a goal it would have been overturned.  I put the blame on the jackass on the ice for calling the interference in the first place.  But that was beyond obvious enough to overturn and do the right thing.

Yeah, I mean don't you let the play happen and then just assume you're going to review it? I can't remember the last time I saw a goal that emphatically waived off the millisecond it crossed the goal line and went into the net. It wasn't nearly that obvious to warrant that call there. It should've been good goal on the ice and let Toronto take a look at it. I bet the NHL is breathing a big sigh of relief that the Stars ultimately went on and won on the Duchene goal.

[C-Man 27217]

6 minutes ago, Skipper said:

Robo didn't have much on O last night but his blocked shot in the 3rd may have very well saved the game.  Hard to tell for sure on the replay but it may have very well found the net if he didn't react quickly and lay out.

Great play but that's expected this time of year. He HAS to score goals for this team, though. That's what he's paid $8M/yr for.

[Skipper 6133]

3 minutes ago, C-Man said:

 I bet the NHL is breathing a big sigh of relief that the Stars ultimately went on and won on the Duchene goal.

Agree.  Not sure I've seen all of hockey twitter pretty much universally outrage like that.  Even most Avs media and fans that hate the Stars were saying the Stars got screwed.  It's still getting a lot of discussion but nothing like if Stars had lost.

[C-Man 27217]

https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/5502890/2024/05/18/dallas-stars-avalanche-nhl-playoffs/

Quote

DENVER, Colo. — “Rocky Mountain High” by John Denver could be heard blaring inside the visitors’ dressing room.

The Dallas Stars have a sense of humor — and why not after Friday night’s dramatic, double-overtime 2-1 win propelled them into the Western Conference final for the second year in a row?

But don’t kid yourself. The ice packs and physically drained bodies were plain to see in the room, too.

Seven games against the defending champion Golden Knights. Six tough games against the 2022 champion Avalanche. And their last 11 games have come in a 22-day span.

The Stars did not exactly back their way into Round 3.

“No, we just played two third-round matchups against two very good teams,” Stars GM Jim Nill told The Athletic following his team’s Game 6 victory Friday night. “All the credit to our players and coaches;  they did a heck of a job. They stuck with it. They had to win on the road. Two of the toughest rinks to win in. So, good for our guys. I’m proud of them.”

The man who assembled this roster can take a bow, too. Even if he’s too humble to do so. It was one of Nill’s moves from last summer who ended this series as Matt Duchene pounced on a rebound and beat Alexandar Georgiev at 11:42 of the fifth period of hockey.

“He came in and he really changed our team,” Nill said of Duchene, whom he scooped up after the Predators bought him out last summer. “Just a different dimension. Another element of offense for us. And he’s bought into how we’ve got to play, too. He had to change his game. So it’s been a good fit.”

Duchene wasted no time last July 1, signing a one-year, $3-million deal with the Stars, very much for the reason that he saw an opportunity to be part of big playoff games.

“When I had the opportunity to sign here (with Dallas), it was one I jumped at,” Duchene told reporters following Friday’s win.

“Obviously, I didn’t expect to be in that position, but God works in mysterious ways. From the time I signed here, I’ve just been grateful and I’ve been looking forward to these opportunities. My teammates and the coaches have been just amazing welcoming me in and helping me get acclimated early.

“This is only the second time I’ve been past the first round in my career,” Duchene added. “Now we’re going to the conference finals. At 33, I think there’s a certain level of appreciation that you have that you wouldn’t have had as a young player.”

One of the intriguing things about the construction of the  Stars’ roster is the way it folds together three generations. It adds up to one heck of a deep team that gets contributions from everywhere.

“Just an incredible mix and ages and different types of players,” Tyler Seguin said, catching his breath after the marathon affair. “I think every year there’s a couple of these teams and some things go your way, you need a little bit of luck, you need different guys stepping up. So far, so good.”

How about a 5-1 road record through two rounds? Including 3-0 in Denver against the team with the best home record in the regular season.

“Once we realized we were playing Vegas first round, we figured we probably had the hardest path to get there,” Seguin said. “But as you go along, you keep building up confidence. It’s something we’re building, going through adversity. Losing two games to Vegas early, winning in seven; coming here on the road against the best home team in the league and beating them three times.”

That’s championship stuff.

“Dallas is one of, if not, the deepest team in the league,” veteran Blues GM Doug Armstrong said via text message Friday night. “They have a great balance of experienced players and high-quality young players. Match that with a tested GM and coach, so I am not surprised they are pushing for a championship.”

What they are, arguably, is the deepest team in the league — certainly up front.

“I think they are,” Predators GM Barry Trotz said via phone Friday night.”I think they have the balance. Not only are they deep, they’re deep because they’re getting production right through their lineup. I mean, they’re getting production from their veterans when they need it, and their star players, and they’re getting contributions from what I’ll call their rookies or younger players.

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“Deep teams get contributions from all four lines. Their fourth line is scoring important goals.”

And they’re getting goaltending and solid defending, Trotz added. “They don’t give you a whole lot of room to work with, because they have a lot of structure. Their structure gives them really good confidence.”

The Stars finished atop the Western Conference in the regular season for good reason. They were the most consistent team in the West from start to finish. So, it’s hardly shocking to see them elevate their play come playoffs. Except finishing first in the regular season doesn’t always translate in the topsy-turvy, parity-filled NHL.

“I think back to a couple of my seasons in Washington, you know. We were best when we were challenged right to the end of the regular season,” said Trotz, head coach of the 2018 Stanley Cup-winning Capitals. “And I thought the Stars being in a race with Colorado and Winnipeg right to the end, that kept them sharp, you know?

“Boston last year, and we won the President’s Trophy twice in Washington … one year we had such a lead we didn’t play a meaningful game for two months,” continued Trotz. “You lose a little of that sharpness, you lose a little of that hunger and focus. I thought it was a really good primer, if you will, that you have to play meaningful games right to end. And then when the playoffs start, you’re playing great teams.”

It’s a Stars team that keeps having swings at it — making a Cup final appearance in 2020, and losing to the eventual champions in the Western Conference final a year ago.

At the root of this consistent product over the last several years is a team culture that starts with Nill, last season’s Jim Gregory GM of The Year Award winner.

“You’re not a good person probably if you don’t like Jim Nill,” Trotz said. “He’s so good. Such a good person. It’s like (former Stars GM) Bob Gainey. They’ve got a really good culture and I would say it started all the way back with Bob Gainey. That’s why they’ve been a really good organization.”

Do the Stars have what it takes to win it all? I asked Avalanche head coach Jared Bednar post-series Friday night.

“Yeah, no question they do,” Bednar said without hesitation. “I mean, it’s a tough road every round, but they’re a good team. I mean, they’re a really good team. They’re disciplined, they’re deep, they’ve got great goaltending, well coached. They’ve got everything you can ask for in a team. They’re a contender in my book.”

In a 32-team league, it’s about finishing those opportunities.

“For the guys that were here last year, all we wanted was an opportunity to be in the position we were in last year,” said Stars goalie Jake Oettinger following a terrific Game 6 performance. “You know, snap your fingers and we’re back. Now, it’s up to us to change the ending.”

He’s only 25. But the wisdom passed down from his veteran teammates has clearly rubbed off. Oettinger understands how big this opportunity is.

“You never know how many times you’re going to get this opportunity to win a Stanley Cup and to really feel like you have the team that can do it,” Oettinger said. “Not many teams can say that, and we feel like that in this room.

“Hockey is such a crazy business. The turnover is crazy and you’re never going to have the same team again,” he added. “To get to the Western Conference finals two years in a row is an accomplishment in itself.

“But, I mean, this whole run’s a waste unless you win the whole thing.”

Love the last line from Otter.

[C-Man 27217]

Oilers are going back to Skinner tonight for Game 6.

[Pato del Muerto 52489]

2 hours ago, texastroubadour said:

Can someone explain why the ot goal was overturned?

Because they didn’t want an overturned call to win a playoff series. No other reason. 
 

the bigger question in my mind is how the referee so quickly and emphatically made the no goal call on a play where even slow replays weren’t conclusive if he ever touched georgiev before makar pushed him, and did show that he wasn’t in the crease until pushed in. And also got out as soon as he could. 
 

is that lower ref watching the puck or other things?  I guess probably other things since the puck was up high closer to the other ref, but I don’t know their zone responsibilities. Why not talk with the other ref before deciding the on-ice call?

Edited May 18 by Pato del Muerto

[Jive Turkey 12594]

Duchene with the heartbreaker celly. What a moment. 

 

[Pato del Muerto 52489]

Heartbreaker, soul shaker

i been told about you 

Edited May 18 by Pato del Muerto

[markstanco 12574]

[/url]  

[Sweetnsourpoke 167]

Have ticket prices gone up considerably for Round 3 this year? I swear I bought tickets for Game 5 of the Vegas series last year for $75. Granted, we were looking at elimination. This year, cheapest tickets nosebleed are $140? Yikes. 

[Pato del Muerto 52489]

1 minute ago, Sweetnsourpoke said:

Have ticket prices gone up considerably for Round 3 this year? I swear I bought tickets for Game 5 of the Vegas series last year for $75. Granted, we were looking at elimination. This year, cheapest tickets nosebleed are $140? Yikes. 

Haven’t you heard about the runaway inflation, my guy?

[markstanco 12574]

Have ticket prices gone up considerably for Round 3 this year? I swear I bought tickets for Game 5 of the Vegas series last year for $75. Granted, we were looking at elimination. This year, cheapest tickets nosebleed are $140? Yikes. 

Each round they have went up. See you game 1!

[Pato del Muerto 52489]

15 hours ago, Pato del Muerto said:

That wild swing on a breakaway isn’t a slash?

Back to this play, duchie said in the postgame that it got all stick so was probably legal.  So there’s that. I still think a wild one handed chop from behind gets called a slash 10 times out of 10. 

Edited May 18 by Pato del Muerto

[Longhorn_Fan68 33869]

so I guess from a selfish standpoint I'd want EDM as they're only an hour behind us, so no 9:30 starts - maybe?

[Pato del Muerto 52489]

29 minutes ago, Longhorn_Fan68 said:

so I guess from a selfish standpoint I'd want EDM as they're only an hour behind us, so no 9:30 starts - maybe?

What time zone is Denver again?  
 

they’ll put the rangers on eastern prime time and Dallas on after that and you’ll like it.  And having Vancouver just means the late starts are great for their market. 

[tfoolry 8210]

 

 

[markstanco 12574]

so I guess from a selfish standpoint I'd want EDM as they're only an hour behind us, so no 9:30 starts - maybe?

Ha, as a fellow old I hear you.

I was supposed to go to the game tomorrow but got dayum I’m glad I’m not going. We need some rest for the D guys.

Skipper you have tix to the next round? If Tuesday I think I am going but Thursday I’m out, family stuff.

[AbeFroman 2156]

8 hours ago, texastroubadour said:

Can someone explain why the ot goal was overturned?

 

 

[AbeFroman 2156]

 

 

[AbeFroman 2156]