Stars bring determined mindset to Game 5 in Vegas

Learning something new can oftentimes be an anxious endeavor.

Whether it's riding a bike, driving a car, cooking for a date or even playing a sport for the first time, the fear of what could happen can often outweigh the excitement of what is actually being accomplished.

It takes a certain vigor to accept the bumps along the way so long as the ultimate goal is in sight. Sure, you may skin your knee on the bike or slam the brakes every five seconds the first time behind the wheel. But putting yourself out there and learning along the way is what matters.

It's as simple as putting one foot in front of the other, a lesson the Dallas Stars find themselves learning at the moment.

Through the first three games of the 2023 Western Conference Final, they couldn't avoid falling. Whether it was poor decision-making, defensive breakdowns, or the vile aura of overtime, the Stars couldn't seem to help themselves.

They fell into a 0-3 series hole for the first time since 2008 and all of the progress and potential built up over the previous seven months seemed to quickly evaporate.

But in Game 4 on Thursday night, they got back on the bike in a confident 3-2 overtime win.

"It's huge," Stars forward Roope Hintz said. "This team will not quit. We're going to bounce back and show that we have a good group here. We're not done yet. It was great for us to get the OT winner."

In a game with everything to gain and nothing to lose, the Stars bounced back. It was a promising response to what was one of their worst performances of the postseason just two nights prior and helped them live to fight another day.

"You can't win four straight without winning the first," Stars goaltender Jake Oettinger said. "We did a lot of good things, and we did a lot of good things in those two games we lost in Vegas, too. If we build on what we did tonight, we should be confident going into the next game."

The Stars seemed to get their swagger back and exorcised a lot of demons along the way.

They were 0-5 in the postseason when allowing the first goal, but didn't balk when William Karlsson opened the scoring for the Golden Knights. They trailed twice in the game, but it only seemed to raise their intensity level. They were 0-4 in overtime, but didn't flinch as the third period ticked away in a 2-2 tie.

In the end, the mental resolve was strong enough as the top line potted all three goals (two from Jason Robertson and the winner from Joe Pavelski) and Hintz had two assists. The power play was a perfect 2-for-2 and after allowing 10 goals in the first 3 games and being pulled early in Game 3, Oettinger rebounded to the tune of 37 saves on 39 shots.

To top it all off, the Stars won an elimination game without 2 of their top 7 scorers in the lineup. With captain Jamie Benn serving a two-game suspension and Evgenii Dadonov out with a lower-body injury, the Stars hit the shuffle button on their bottom three lines.

And yet, the obstacles didn't matter. Dallas simply found a way to win through desperation and resilience.

"It's such a fine line this time of year," Pavelski said. "You're going good and, all of a sudden, you're in a 3-0 hole. A couple of overtime losses and you're playing some good hockey along the way. You just have to keep putting your game out there and have the belief that you can buy more time."

But at the end of the day, it's only the first step in a steep uphill climb. And so, the series shifts back to Vegas for a potentially gargantuan Game 5.

A loss sends the Stars home for the summer. Meanwhile, a win puts them at two straight for the first time in over two weeks and on the doorstep of making things interesting. Or, as Pavelski said after Game 4, "trying to put a little doubt in their minds."

They'll have to do it without the services of Benn and Dadonov for another game. As a result, they will once again need their heavy hitters to lead the way. And if it's anything like Game 4, that group seems to be more than up for the challenge.

Oettinger turned a corner in Game 4 after a rough start to the series. He now heads back to T-Mobile Arena, where he's 2-2 with a .931 save percentage and 2.21 GAA this year. But he's still looking for his first playoff win in Vegas.

"We were right there in both games," Oettinger said about Games 1-2. "I feel like I played really well in that building all season. I'm super confident going into next game and I know what I can do. It's on me to go out there and show it."

Up front, the trio of Robertson, Hintz and Pavelski will need to provide another offensive spark. Robertson has four goals this series, Hintz has five points and Pavelski has three points. As the top line goes, so does the Stars. That's how it's been all season.

But at the same time, the Stars need another full effort from all four lines, however jumbled they may be at game time. Game 4 was a firm test of depth, and Dallas passed with flying colors. Every forward registered at least one shot on goal, including Fredrik Olofsson, who had five in his first career Stanley Cup Playoffs game.

"I thought everyone picked up the slack," Stars coach Pete DeBoer said. "I think we got some great contributions from everybody that jumped into the lineup, including Olofsson. That's part of depth this time of year."

It's all part of the historic challenge facing the Stars. Only 4 of the 205 total teams in their position have completed a comeback from down 0-3 in NHL history. It's a massive undertaking and a hefty ask, but it's not impossible. And if the Stars can bring the same focus and relentlessness that helped them to a Game 4 win, who's to say they can't tack on another win and apply another layer of pressure?

"We don't have much choice but to believe in it, right?" DeBoer said on momentum. "That's where we're at. I do believe in it. There's always a team that puts themselves in this spot and climbs out of it. It doesn't happen all the time, but it happens enough that . . . why not us?"

Three of the Stars' four games in Vegas have gone to overtime this year, including the first two in this series. All three involved a game-tying goal within the final three minutes of regulation. These games tend to be close and highly-contested, and that's what the Stars will bank on once again.

The key is finding a way to be more desperate. They proved it in Game 4. The next challenge is replicating it in a hostile environment with a team on the verge of punching their ticket.

"If we don't, we're done," Oettinger said about responding. "Our backs are against the wall. Sometimes, there's a beauty in playing with nothing to lose. We've got nothing to lose. If everyone goes out there and plays as hard as they can, I think we'll be fine."

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