Dallas Stars are a team of destiny as they try to win the Stanley Cup

The Dallas Stars appear to have destiny on their side as they attempt to win the franchise’s first Stanley Cup since 1999.

When the novel coronavirus pandemic struck the nation and halted the 2019-20 NHL season, the Dallas Stars were in the midst of a six-game losing streak. Due to the point percentage exception, they managed to leap over the Edmonton Oilers and land a spot in the round-robin tournament, automatically securing a birth in the first round of the playoffs.

Since then, Dallas has become a team of destiny, overcoming hurdles, and doing the unimaginable throughout this postseason. They started the round-robin play losing their first two games and scoring just three goals, replicating the offensive output that led to them finishing 29th in the league, with 178 goals.

Ben Bishop, the man who had been a rock for them all season, would be deemed ‘unfit to play’ after the first game, putting their playoff hopes in the hands of Anton Khudobin.

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After a 20-week hiatus from the win column, the Dallas Stars would defeat the defending Stanley Cup Champion St. Louis Blues in their final round-robin game 2-1, snapping their losing streak and securing the third seed in the first round. Khudobin, who had never started a playoff game before the second round-robin tilt, would record 21 saves in the win.

That moment was just the beginning of a storybook postseason run that started to form against Calgary in round one.

Down 1-0 in the series, Dallas took a two-goal lead into the third period to see it evaporate with just under three minutes to go. Things seemed bleak until defenseman Jamie Oleksiak deposited a puck into the back of Calgary’s goal with 40 seconds to go, to even the series up at one.

On the verge of going down 3-1 in the series, offseason acquisition Joe Pavelski tied the game up at four with 12-seconds remaining, paving the way for Alexander Radulov to win the game in overtime.

In Game 6, Calgary looked to stave off elimination by jumping out to a 3-0 lead just seven minutes into the first period. Dallas, who appeared to be dead in the water, stormed back with seven unanswered goals to eliminate the Flames.

Onto The Mighty Avalanche

The onslaught in Game 6 of the Flames matchup carried over to the first two tilts against the Avalanche as the Dallas Stars put up five goals in each of the first two games. The feel of destiny that surrounded this squad only intensified when both Erik Johnson and Philipp Grubauer exited Game 1 with injuries that would keep them out of the remainder of the postseason.

In Game 3, the series would take a slight turn, as Nathan MacKinnon would shoulder the load for the Avs and bring them back to within a game of Dallas. But Dallas demonstrated their mental fortitude in Game 4, going up 3-0 after period one, and going up 5-2 in the ti=hird after Colorado had scored two in the second.

At that moment, it appeared Dallas would be onto the Western Conference Finals in no time, but back to back crushing defeats pinned them in a do-or-die Game 7 against a hazardous Colorado team. Their impressive run-up to this point appeared to be faltering for a second straight year in the second round, as Vladislav Namestnikov scored with 3:40 remaining in regulation to take the lead.

With a sinking feeling entering the hearts of Dallas Stars players and fans alike, rookie Joel Kiviranta would pot the equalizer ten-seconds later, equalizing the score for his second of the game. It was miraculous, and from then on, it was all Dallas, with the same Kiviranta finishing off the Hat-Trick for the overtime and series winner.

Fallen Knights

If you thought I forgot about Anton Khudobin, think again. He has been brilliant all postseason, despite his numbers being a little inflated due to the seven games against the high-octane Avalanche. Yet his play against Vegas was the sole reason why the Stars were able to advance to the Stanley Cup Final.

Replacing Bishop and taking over the starting role in the postseason for the first time in his career, Khudobin posted a 4-1 record with a 1.69 GAA, .950 SV%, and 1 SO. He stymied every chance that Vegas had, and by series end, he had stopped all but 8 of the 161 shots thrown his way in five games.

In Game 1, a Jamie Benn goal 2:36 in would be all Khudobin needed, as the Stars jumped out to a 1-0 series lead. Game 2 would see Dallas fail their netminder offensively, as they would suffer a shutout of their own, and the series was all tied up at one.

Khudobin decided that after Game 2, Vegas would never score three in a game again, holding the Knights to two goals or fewer in the remaining three contests, two of which went into overtime. Game 3, which was one of those overtime games, saw Khudobin stop 38 shots, including 16 in the third, allowing Radulov to score the overtime winner just 31 seconds in.

More of the same came in Game 4, with Khudobin stopping 32 as the Stars moved one win away from a birth in the Stanley Cup Final. Similarly to their last round against Colorado, Sallas sat pretty with a 3-1 cushion, but they were careful not to take their foot off the gas pedal here.

After Vegas went up 2-0 just 15-seconds into the third period, goals from Benn and, of course, Kiviranta would push the game into overtime. Yet again, Dallas would come back from against a wall, as fellow rookie Denis Gurianov would blast home the series winner in overtime. For Khudobin, it was a more relaxing night, just 34 saves.

Destiny Awaits

The Stars have not won a Stanley Cup since 1999 but now sit just four wins away from accomplishing the always eluding prize. By no means have they been dominant; in fact, they are the first team since the 1968 St. Louis Blues to enter the Cup Final being outscored in the postseason (64-62). Still, they appear to be riding a wave unlike any we have seen in a while.

Everything that Dallas touches right now turns to gold. In hockey, the team that has more puck luck tends to win more games. The Stars seem to be getting all of it in every contest. Their opponent in the Stanley Cup Final has yet to be determined. But whoever winds up coming out of the East better know one thing; do not underestimate how right the Dallas Stars are.