STARS ENJOYING UNDERDOG ROLE
The Dallas Stars have been counted out many times this postseason, and each time they have managed to claw their way back. They did it again Saturday night with a depleted lineup, gutting out a double-overtime win in the second game ofaback-to-back in the Stanleycupfinal.
Instead of the Stanley Cup being brought out onto the ice as the Tampa Bay Lightning celebrated their season’s redemption arc at Edmonton’s Rogers Place, the Cup went back into its case and will once again be in the building tonight for Game 6. With Dallas playing the role of the spoiler, the series is still 3-2, in favor of Tampa.
“I think we enjoy being called underdogs,” Tyler Seguin said after Game 5 in the team’s 3-2 win. “Every person this whole timewe’ve beeninthebubbleseemingto choose the other team we’re playing; werelish that. Webelieveineachother, we’vegota confident group, and we don’t want to leave the bubble. We’rehaving fun.”
With Corey Perry’s twogoal night — including the game-winner in double overtime in front of the net —
Game 5 was Dallas’ ninth comeback win of the playoffs, which tied its franchise recordinasingle postseason. Therecordwaspreviouslyset in 1999 when the Stars claimed the only Stanleycup in their history. Only one NHL team has collected more comeback wins than the Stars in a single postseason: the Pittsburghpenguins in 2009 (10).
“We came here with 51 people, and all those guys in that dressing room believe that we can go out there and get this done,” Perry said. “That’s all that really matters.”
While the Stars will try to tietheseriesupduringgame 6, teamsthatholda3-2leadin a best-of-seven finals hold an all-time recordof 33-8 (.805).
Tampa Bay will have to try to win today without its captain, Steven Stamkos. Coach Jon Cooper ruled Stamkos out for the rest of the series while talking to reporters Sunday. Stamkos has missed all but one game this postseason— Game3 of this series, when he played 2:47 and scored on his first shot before going to the bench with an undisclosed injury and sitting out the rest of the game.
“Hopefully the next time we see him on the ice is for a trophy presentation,” Coopersaid.
What has the needle shifting Dallas’ way, besides the momentum carrying from the win, is the play of its experienced leaders in Perry, 35, and Joe Pavelski, 36. The past six goals in the postseason scored by the Stars this postseason have been scored by Perry and Pavelski, the two oldest players on the Stars’ roster. Both were signedthis offseason.
Pavelski, who matched Tampa Bay’s Brayden Point for the league lead with 13 goals this postseason, also scored his 61st career playoff goal Saturday night, giving him the record for the most playoff goals by a U.s.-born player. Pavelski has 13 goals in 26 postseason games this year. During the regular season, Pavelski had 14 goals total. Perry, who has five goals this postseason including three in his past two games, alsohadfive.