Gut check time: With challenges abounding, Stars can look to history to find inspiration

The chaotic, violent swings of emotion that come with the Stanley Cup Playoffs never cease to amaze me.

In seemingly no other situation can you rapidly hurdle between “it’s so over” and “we’re so back” at a moment’s notice. From game to game, period to period, and even shift to shift, feelings change at a frenetic pace. They can just as easily vault you over the highest cloud as they can pull you through the floor.

Sports are just cool (and cruel) like that.

Perhaps you have found yourself in the middle of that wacky exchange at some point during the Stars’ 2025 postseason run. There’s a good chance you’re wandering through the thick of it right now.

Which is why the current state of the Western Conference Final between Dallas and Edmonton is so confounding.

After a furious third period comeback in Game 1 led the Stars to an early series lead, the Oilers struck back with a shutout win in Game 2. And while Dallas had chances to rally in the second game, it wasn’t in the cards.

“I liked our game better tonight than I did Game 1, and we won Game 1,” Stars coach Pete DeBoer said after Game 2. “We give up the power play goal, and the first goal is important in this series. We take a penalty, they score on the first power play and we’re playing from behind. Then it’s a pretty even game for a big chunk of the game. Their second goal, we block a shot, it bounces right on their stick and they stick it in the net. The third goal is a tip in front of the net. We had some looks, too, and [their goalie] made some saves.”

And so, the series sits 1-1. However that may look or feel based on recent events, it’s an even score that turns a best-of-seven into a best-of-five.

What’s the old mantra? When you win, it feels like you’re never going to lose again. When you lose, it feels like you’re never going to win again.

Such is life in the Stanley Cup Playoffs. And that life is nothing new to the Stars.

Neither is the concept of potentially navigating a high-stakes playoff series without one of their top players. Or the need to find a bounce-back effort after getting shut out in a playoff game. Or the pressure of heading into a hostile road environment in need of at least one win to reset home ice advantage.

But even with all of the familiar doses of adversity, this very much feels like a gut check moment for Dallas. That could be a cause for optimism, though.

Through six periods of play in the 2025 Western Conference Final, you could make an argument that the Stars have been outplayed in four of them. Though Dallas hung five unanswered goals on Edmonton in the third period of Game 1, they’ve been outscored 6-1 in the other five periods. They’ve also allowed the first goal in both games. And while they are an even 6-6 when trailing first in the playoffs, they are an undefeated 3-0 with the first goal.

There’s also a lingering issue with scoring. In the past five games, the Stars have four goals at 5-on-5 and been shut out twice. In 15 playoff games, they have scored 40 goals (22 at 5-on-5, 15 power play, 3 empty net) and been shut out four times.

But again, the solution seems to be getting more pucks through traffic and winning battles at the front of the net. When facing a goalie that has given up 4+ goals in 4 games and 0 goals in 3 games this postseason, the math seems to support that breaking through once could lead to a fruitful evening.

“We haven’t had a lot of 5-on-5 scoring,” DeBoer said. “Situationally, we played the Colorado Avalanche without two of our best players and defending a lot of that series in order to win. Then we played the best defensive team in the NHL and you’re not going to put up numbers against that team. I think a little of it is situational, but there’s no doubt the numbers say we aren’t scoring at 5-on-5. But I think you have to look a little deeper than that.”

And then there’s the uncertain status of Roope Hintz. The 28-year-old was helped off the ice while in serious pain after getting slashed by Darnell Nurse in the third period of Game 2. DeBoer said he is getting more tests done on Saturday and they still don’t know if he will be able to travel to Edmonton or not.

Losing a player like Hintz even for one game could be a critical blow to a team’s playoff hopes. The center ranks second on the team in goals (5), points (11) and shots (36) in the 2025 playoffs and contributes both on the power play and shorthanded.

But this is the same team that knocked off Colorado in the First Round without both its leading goal scorer in Jason Robertson and its top defenseman in Miro Heiskanen. That seemed like a titanic task at the forefront of the series, but Dallas persevered through the adversity and found a recipe for success. There’s no reason they can’t continue the trend.

“We wouldn’t be sitting here if we weren’t able to deal with that or prepared to deal with that,” DeBoer said of Hintz’s potential absence.

If anything, it’s an opportunity for others to step up. Wyatt Johnston has one goal since the start of the Second Round after finishing the First Round with three goals and five points in three games. Mikko Rantanen has no goals in the past five games after potting nine in the six prior. Even Robertson is still looking for his first goal of the playoffs after posting two assists and 10 shots through his first eight games. With two hat tricks in his last five games at Rogers Place, could Game 3 provide the perfect stage for a breakout?

In the past 15 games alone, the Stars’ top scorers have found a way to step up in the most crucial moments. The belief that they can do it again is still quite strong.

Finally, there’s the challenging dynamic of going on the road. Though they’ve put together a dominant 7-2 record on home ice, Dallas is a meager 2-4 on the road this postseason. Three of those four losses were via shutout. Needless to say, it’s a strange trend for a team that has been the NHL’s best road squad over the past three seasons.

But that seems to offer a dose of confidence that they can ultimately find a way to win in enemy territory. In the First Round, it was a confident OT victory in Game 3 to gain the series lead. In the Second Round, it was a Game 1 win on the back of a Rantanen hat trick to open the series.

“We’ve got to go on the road and win,” DeBoer said. “We went on the road and won in the Colorado series and went on the road and won in the Winnipeg series or we wouldn’t be sitting here. We’ll load up the plane and go to work.”

“I love playing there,” added forward Mason Marchment about playing in Edmonton. “It’s a great building, good atmosphere. It’s fun and we had a couple of good games there last year. If we stay out of the box and keep their power play off the ice, we’re going to have a good chance.”

And a good chance seems to be all this team needs.

The Stars have been in a 1-1 tie through two games in six of their last eight series and gone on to win five of them. It’s nothing new for this team. All that matters now is finding a way to draw from past successes and use them to propel forward.

“We’re a veteran group and we’ve been here before,” captain Jamie Benn said. “There’s no panic. We’re going to regroup, refocus, re-energize and get ready for the next one.”

“It’s nothing new,” added defenseman Esa Lindell. “We’ve played a lot of playoff hockey the last three years and we know we have to be able to match it in those situations. Obviously not the game we wanted, but it’s a long series and the most important one is the next one.”

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

Josh Clark is a writer for DallasStars.com. Follow him on X @Josh_Clark02.