Stars know what's on the line entering Game 7 against Avalanche

Game 7 is one of the most mystic phrases in sports, especially in hockey.
Because as you try to look back on past performances and try to predict what might happen Friday when the Stars and Avalanche line up for a chance to move onto the Western Conference finals, any scenario is believable.

• Want to say the team whose top players show up will win? Well, you've got plenty of evidence for that.
• Want to say this will come down to a fourth-line role player? Can I interest you in a few volumes of lore on Mike Keane or Patrick Maroon?
• Want to say it's all about goaltending? The Stars would like to call your Michael Hutchinson and raise you one Anton Khudobin.
• Want to say the team who wants it the most moves on? You've got a point there, but effort is such an elusive measuring stick in games like this.

Bottom line, the Stars need this. They blew a 3-2 lead to the Blues last year and lost Game 7 in double overtime in the second round. They have squandered a 3-1 lead in this series.
"We all know what happened last year, and here we are again in a Game 7," said Stars captain Jamie Benn. "What a great opportunity to break through tomorrow and get a win and move on."
They are getting older and facing some big decisions in the offseason, and they all understand just what will be on the ice Friday.
"We hope we stay in the moment, we hope we don't look too far ahead," Stars interim coach Rick Bowness said. "It's been ongoing for a long time, and now we're at that moment and it's up to us to handle the situation that's in front of us. Stay in the moment, and be excited about the challenge and want the challenge that's facing us."
For players like Benn and Tyler Seguin, this is the intersection of several years of hard work. The dynamic duo has been through four coaches in the past four seasons, and now have to find a way to step up. Their line has struggled the past two games, and Game 7 would be a great chance for them to change that storyline.
"Their top players are producing, and our top players are not," Bowness said. "Don't sugarcoat it, it's what it is."

Benn said he is looking for more from himself and his linemates after the trio combined for one point in the past two games.
"We've been a little stale as of late," Benn said. "We've got to find ways to create more. It comes down to little things like details and battles, winning all of the small parts of the game."
And that really goes for the entire team. Dallas got off to a great start in Game 6, outshooting Colorado 6-2 and winning the first 10 faceoffs. However, Blake Comeau took a double-minor for high-sticking and the Stars lost all of their momentum. Then, even after taking a 1-0 lead on a Miro Heiskanen goal, Dallas simply couldn't find its groove.
So now the Stars have to find a way to be aggressive, but not too aggressive. They have to find a way to be patient, but not too patient. They have to find a way to wrestle momentum back from an Avalanche team that has won the past two games despite battling multiple injuries and starting No. 3 goalie Michael Hutchinson.
"Game 7s are special," said veteran forward Joe Pavelski. "It's a great opportunity for us. It's about raising our game to another level. They've done some good things in the series, and we've done some really good things in the series. Now, we've got to put our best game out there. This group wants to move on. We believe there's a lot of hockey left for us."
Pavelski, 36, was signed to a three-year contract last summer because he has a history of stepping up big in the playoffs. Can he be the key player Friday? Corey Perry also signed on as a free agent. He's won the Stanley Cup and been named league MVP in his time with the Anaheim Ducks. Is he a candidate to be a hero?

Maybe this is a game where one of the Stars younger players like Miro Heiskanen, Denis Gurianov or Roope Hintz will step up. Maybe a role player like Radek Faksa or Mattias Janmark or Jason Dickinson could score the key goal.
That's the beauty of Game 7. The hockey world will be watching, and the possibilities are endless.
"These are the opportunities where you can step up and push your career to another level," Bowness said. "You get into these Game 7s and you come up big and your team moves on, it enhances your career. You need to want to be on the ice and want to be a factor in the outcome of the game in a positive way. Don't shy away from it, don't be nervous. It's when you have to face yourself as a man and as a professional."
After relying on the secrecy of the Edmonton bubble to protect his goaltending decisions throughout the playoffs, Bowness on Thursday offered up the announcement that Khudobin will start for the Stars and that Ben Bishop is "unfit to play." Maybe he's tired of playing mental games. Maybe he knows now is the time to simply lay his cards on the table.
Maybe, in the end, there's no mystery to it at all.
"This is what hockey is all about," Benn said. "One game, winner take all, a really exciting time for our team."
This story was not subject to the approval of the National Hockey League or Dallas Stars Hockey Club.
Mike Heikais a Senior Staff Writer for DallasStars.com and has covered the Stars since 1994. Follow him on Twitter @MikeHeika, and listen to his podcast.