Advanced with win against Avalanche in Game 7 on Saturday
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The Dallas Stars will play the Winnipeg Jets or St. Louis Blues in the Western Conference Second Round.
The Stars advanced by defeating the Colorado Avalanche 4-2 in Game 7 at American Airlines Center on Saturday.
The Stars, the No. 2 seed from the Central Division, would have home ice-advantage in the best-of-7 series against the Blues, the second wild card from the West, but would begin on the road against the Jets, the No. 1 seed in the Western Conference. That series is tied with Game 7 on Sunday (7 p.m. ET; SN, CBC, TVAS, TBS, MAX, FDSNMW).
“I have a hard time believing that there’s any team that’s that much better than Colorado out there left, so we’ve got to play the right way,” Dallas goalie Jake Oettinger said. “I think if we do that, focus on one game at a time, not get ahead of ourself and maybe try to win Game 1, we can go from there.”
Mikko Rantanen (five goals, seven assists) led the Stars in the first round with 12 points, including a hat trick in Game 7. Roope Hintz (four goals, three assists) and Wyatt Johnston (three goals, four assists) each had seven points. Tyler Seguin and Thomas Harley each had two goals.
Jake Oettinger was 4-3 with a 2.85 goals-against average and .910 save percentage in seven games. Backup Casey DeSmith made 13 saves on 14 shots in one relief appearance.
The Stars went 1-3-0 against the Jets this season, scoring a total of five goals. Mason Marchment and Hintz each had two goals, and Harley had three assists. Oettinger started all four games (1-3-0) with a 3.73 GAA and .869 save percentage. DeSmith made 10 saves in one relief appearance.
Kyle Connor led the Jets against the Stars this season with five points (four goals, one assist) in four games. Mark Scheifele, who is a game-time decision for Game 7 because of an undisclosed injury, had five assists. Connor Hellebuyck was 3-1-0 with a 1.01 GAA, .965 save percentage and one shutout.
Dallas and Winnipeg have never played in the playoffs.
The Stars were 3-0-0 against the Blues during the regular season, outscoring them 10-4. Hintz had six points (one goal, five assists) and Jason Robertson, who hasn’t played in the postseason due to injury, had four points (one goal, three assists). Johnston had a hat trick in a 6-3 win on March 2.
Oettinger was 2-0-0 with a 1.96 GAA and .931 save percentage in two games. DeSmith had a 33-save shutout in his only appearance, a 2-0 win on Jan. 25.
Jordan Kyrou (one goal, one assist) and Robert Thomas (two assists) were the only Blues players with more than one point against the Stars. Dylan Holloway and Zack Bolduc each had a goal. Jordan Binnington was 0-2-1 with a 2.76 GAA and .897 save percentage, and Joel Hofer allowed three goals on nine shots in his only appearance in relief.
Dallas and St. Louis have played five times in the playoffs, with the Blues winning the past three after the Stars won the first two. The most recent was the 2019 second round won by St. Louis in seven games.
The Stars lost to the Edmonton Oilers in six games in the Western Conference Final last season and have advanced to the conference final each of the past two seasons.
🔹Ottawa Senators vs. Toronto Maple Leafs
🔹Florida Panthers vs. Tampa Bay Lightning
🔹Montreal Canadiens vs. Washington Capitals
🔹New Jersey Devils vs. Carolina Hurricanes
🔹St. Louis Blues vs. Winnipeg Jets
🔹Colorado Avalanche vs. Dallas Stars
🔹Minnesota Wild vs. Vegas Golden Knights
🔹Edmonton Oilers vs. Los Angeles Kings
