Heika's Take: Stars advance in style

It wasn't quite a clinic, but the Stars did hold a pretty good hockey seminar in Game 7 on Monday at American Airlines Center.

Playing one of its most complete games of the postseason, Dallas controlled the puck, controlled the pace, and eventually grabbed a 2-1 win over the Seattle Kraken.

"It was our best team game of the playoffs," Stars coach Pete DeBoer said. "I knew our group would respond, they have all year, individually and collectively as a team . . . and they didn't disappoint."

The Stars had one of their worst games in a 6-3 loss in Game 6 on Saturday at Seattle, so there was pressure to respond. DeBoer swapped in veteran Luke Glendening for Ty Dellandrea and defenseman Jani Hakanpää had a lower body injury that kept him out, creating a rare scenario where both Joel Hanley and Colin Miller played in the same game. But everyone stepped up, and the team was a force from the drop of the puck.

Dallas had a 29-14 advantage in shot attempts in the first period and had twice the scoring chances as Seattle. The game was tied 0-0 as Dallas couldn't convert. However, the team stayed patient and Roope Hintz scored 15:59 into the second period for the all-important first goal. Dallas has gone 8-1 when scoring first in these playoffs. The top line was on the ice with Esa Lindell and Miller, and Hintz took off like a rocket to get a loose puck. He quickly controlled the play and snapped his ninth goal of the playoffs past Philipp Grubauer.

"He's been unreal the whole playoffs," defenseman Miro Heiskanen said. "He's just so fast and strong with the puck and can play defense as well. It's been fun to watch, for sure, and I think he can still play better."

DeBoer said scoring first was huge. The coach said his team was playing well but still needed tangible results from that. Hintz is second in playoff scoring with 19 points in 13 games.

"The first goal is critical," DeBoer said. "If you don't get that first goal, the momentum can shift pretty quickly, despite all of the good things you're doing. It was a big-time goal by the guy who has been clutch for us the entire playoffs. He was a beast out there today. He could have had two or three."

The second goal was also impressive. Rookie Wyatt Johnston, who just turned 20 on Sunday, made a spectacular play, getting to a long pass in the offensive zone and then charging the net from a hard angle while flipping in a backhand top shelf.

"What a goal," DeBoer said. "It's not just a goal . . . it's hard to explain. I don't know how many players would think of doing that, never mind pull it off and score like that on that play. It's an elite, world class play by one of the youngest players in the league. I can't say enough about him. It seems the deeper we get, the more we rely on him and the more responsibility he wants."

It was just one of the many examples of players stepping up. Evgenii Dadonov had an assist and helped create several scoring chances on a line with Johnston and captain Jamie Benn. The line of Tyler Seguin with Max Domi and Mason Marchment was gritty and creative. Hintz finished with 13 shot attempts. On defense, Heiskanen played 31:56 to help make up for the loss of Hakanpää. Meanwhile, Lindell bounced back from one of his worst games with a solid 22:15 and four blocked shots.

The game was an impressive display of team defense, as Dallas not only controlled pace and puck, but kept the front of the net very clean.

"I thought we had a great box out today," Heiskanen said. "They didn't have any chances in front, so that was huge for us. We have to be strong in front of our net, and I thought we did a good job tonight."

Oettinger allowed one goal late but was stingy the rest of the way. He had a challenging series, as he was pulled twice, but DeBoer said the 24-year-old is one of the best "response" goalies he's had, commenting on Oettinger's ability to rebound after a loss.

"It's playoff hockey," Oettinger said. "I don't think I had the best series of my career, but it shows how good a team we have. It's ups and downs. You think you might be out of it, and the next thing you know you're going to the conference finals. I'm sure there's more ups and downs ahead of us and ahead of me. I just want to take what I learned in this series and use it to my advantage."

The young goalie said he is able to keep calm in large part because the coaching staff is calm. DeBoer is now 7-0 in Game 7s, and the players said there's a reason for it.

"He believes in this group of guys, and if we do what he's teaching us, and we do what we do as a group well, I think he believes we can win the Cup," Oettinger said. "The belief starts and ends with him, and his demeanor trickles down through the group. It's a pretty cool stat, and it's not shocking he has had this success."

DeBoer deflected much of the praise and was able to sidestep the very important fact that he will now be meeting the team who fired him last year. The Dallas Stars must now battle the Vegas Golden Knights for the title of Western Conference champions.

"Vegas, yes," DeBoer said with a laugh. "There's a lot to unpack there. I think we'll just enjoy tonight and talk about that as we go forward."

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

Video: DeBoer on the teams impact on the Dallas market is a Senior Staff Writer for DallasStars.com and has covered the Stars since 1994. Follow him on Twitter Video: DeBoer on the teams impact on the Dallas market