Another great Game 6 opportunity for the Stars

"Great moments are born from great opportunity."

If you're a hockey fan, you've likely heard the quote. It was the opening line of head coach Herb Brooks' speech to the 1980 U.S. Men's Olympic hockey team. They were moments away from taking the ice to face a Soviet Union juggernaut squad who had dominated the Olympic stage for over a decade, raking in multiple gold medals during their reign.

While the Soviets seemed to be bigger and stronger in just about every regard, the U.S. team had used an underdog mentality to get to the doorstep of the gold medal game. All that stood in their way was one of the greatest hockey teams ever assembled.

Whether you experienced it in real-time, read one of the many stories on it, or have seen the movie adaptation, we all know how the story ended.

43 years after making hockey history and defying the odds, the quote lives on as a rallying cry across the sports landscape and brings us to the morning of Game 6 between the Dallas Stars and Seattle Kraken.

It's another chance at a great moment for the Stars, and it comes on the heels of an opportunity seized in Game 5.

After a gritty and resilient effort in a Game 4 win, the series shifted back to Dallas. Both teams had split their home games (including a pair of lopsided games in Seattle) and were in an identical situation to the First Round, even at 2-2.

It truly seemed to be anyone's series, but it didn't take the Stars long to grab the upper hand.

During Game 5 they stormed out of the gate and took control on a Wyatt Johnston rush goal 3:57 into play. Less than two minutes later, Roope Hintz snapped home his first of two on the night to double the lead. While the Stars feasted, the Kraken scrambled for answers.

By the time the first period ended, the Kraken were down 2-0 despite a 14-5 shots on goal advantage. In addition to capitalizing on their opportunities, the Stars also kept to their stifling structure, minimizing Seattle's scoring chances.

By the end, the Stars had a 5-2 win. They scored the first three goals of the game, the top line of Hintz, Joe Pavelski and Jason Robertson combined for 8 points and Jake Oettinger stopped 29 of 31.

"Your best players have to be your best players if you're going to move through the playoffs," Stars coach Pete DeBoer said. "We're getting contributions from a lot of people. It hasn't been easy. We've had guys in and out of the lineup."

The word "opportunistic" comes to mind when describing the win.

When Seattle turned the puck over, the Stars took advantage in the best way. They were outshot 31-21, including a 10-4 deficit in the third period, but the goals were 2-0 in favor of Dallas. And though Seattle had their second most shots in a game this series, the Stars limited their high-danger opportunities through a trusted defensive structure.

"We bent, but didn't break," DeBoer said. "You have to win all kinds of different ways on a playoff run. I was proud of our group."

For the second consecutive series, the Stars have a 3-2 lead and an opportunity to close out an opponent on the road. It will take another "all-in" effort against a Kraken team who has proven time and again to be a resilient bunch.

After a horrendous 60-point debut season with a -69 goal differential, Seattle flipped the script with 100 points and a goal differential of +33 this year. And after fumbling a 3-2 series lead in the First Round against the Avalanche, they outdueled the defending champions on the road in Game 7.

They display a similar level of confidence to the Stars, and that can't be taken lightly.

"We have been playing good hockey, and I'm confident we can come back in this series," Kraken defenseman Adam Larsson said. "It's far from over. We're going to regroup and keep pushing forward."

And as any athlete or coach in professional sports will tell you, the fourth win is always the hardest. Squaring off against a team with nothing to lose and everything to give can be an intimidating premise.

"It's definitely going to be the hardest game of the series," Stars defenseman Joel Hanley said. "We'll look at the tape, and see what we can do better. That's definitely the plan. We're going to put our best foot forward.

And aside from tape, the Stars have history to learn from.

In 2019, Dallas had a 3-2 series lead in the Second Round against the Blues but couldn't clinch on home ice. They eventually lost in double overtime of Game 7. St. Louis went on to win the Stanley Cup, leaving the Stars wondering what could have happened had they forced a different result.

One year later, the Stars held a commanding 3-1 lead over the Avalanche in the Second Round. Colorado clawed back to even it up, and the series once again required Game 7 overtime. That time around, however, the Stars prevailed and advanced to the conference finals for the first time since 2008.

Six players on the Stars active roster were on both of those teams, so they know the emotions involved on both ends.

A similar spot arose just two weeks ago in Saint Paul. With a 3-2 series lead over the Wild, the Stars headed north looking to close the series. Minnesota came out of the gate quickly, logging the first four shots of the game, but Hintz scored in transition on the first Stars shot to take an early lead, and Dallas never looked back.

"We had an opportunity to grab control of the series again in Game 5 like we did in the Minnesota series and we did that, "DeBoer said. "Now it's on us to go there and end this on the road, which we did in the Minnesota series. Hopefully we have the same result."

While the first goal is important (Dallas is 7-1 when scoring first in these playoffs), weathering the storm may be even more crucial. The Kraken can use their depth and create consistent offensive pressure. They can score in bunches and catch teams off-guard with their quick attack.

And that's where the Stars have to hold fast to their structure and keep a narrow focus as they approach yet another golden opportunity on the road.

"Stick with what we're doing," Stars forward Ty Dellandrea said. "Those are two big wins. We stuck to our game plan and it worked. When we play our game the way we can, it's usually a good outcome."

A second trip to the Western Conference Final in the past four years just might depend on it.

This story was not subject to the approval of the National Hockey League or Dallas Stars Hockey Club.