At 11:42, Duchene scores, and Oettinger saves 29 for Dallas(Avalanche).
Denver — In Game 6 of the Western Conference Second Round on Friday at Ball Arena, Matt Duchene’s goal at 11:42 of the second overtime period put the Dallas Stars ahead 2-1 over the Colorado Avalanche.
About his reaction, Duchene remarked, “I don’t even know what [I] did.” I have no idea, to be honest with you, but I know that last time I got one in overtime, I ended up on my knees. Is this simply excitement?
In a brawl in front of the net, Joe Pavelski found the lost puck and threw a backhand feed to Duchene, who scored from just below the right face-off circle over a diving Alexandar Georgiev.
It was kind of a give-and-take, from what I recall. In my opinion, “Dutchy” was a good play. Pavelski stated, “I have a stick on it.” Simply said, it’s a war. I tried to use the term “Dutch,” which I kind of noticed out of the corner of my eye. I’m watching the internet, and it seems like you’re fighting him. You know it reaches him. Seeing it enter was enjoyable.
In the Western Conference Final, the Stars will play the Vancouver Canucks or the Edmonton Oilers. As of Saturday’s Game 6, Vancouver leads that series 3-2.
Dallas has advanced to the conference final the last two times. In 2023, the Vegas Golden Knights, who won the Stanley Cup in the end, defeated the Stars in six games.
Mason Marchment had a wrist shot from the slot that appeared to have won it for Dallas at 12:31 of the first overtime, but goalie interference against Duchene caused it to be instantly disregarded. After a review of the footage, the call was maintained.
It’s hard to describe. Marchment remarked, “I look over and he’s kind of waving it off and you’re so happy and see all the boys hopping over the bench.” “Dutchy’s” [rear side] was across the line, was the reason I was given. He had crossed the line, but his [rear side] was outside. That was the response I received.
That’s challenging. A swing in momentum is that. For them, it might occasionally be a big break. After then, they might have pushed a little bit, in my opinion. We had a fortunate break there at the end, as “Dutch” just manages to score.
The No. 1 seed in the Central Division Stars had 29 saves from Jake Oettinger until Jamie Benn scored the game-tying goal early in the third quarter.
“Our team wins three games on the road against the NHL’s top home team,” stated Pete DeBoer, the coach of Dallas. Being able to accomplish it against that squad in this building just shows amazing character. What a swinegut. After their first round, Colorado was a more rested squad.
I simply couldn’t be more pleased with our team. I believed that everyone dug deep, and our depth was what got us through.
We had a mix of older and younger people, so that was the spark that got us going, but they were amazing.
The Avalanche, the No. 3 seed from the Central, were led by Mikko Rantanen’s goal and Georgiev’s 36 saves.
Coach Jared Bednar of Colorado stated, “There’s no question it was tiring.” Although our lads played hard, you could notice a decline in our intensity as the periods went on. Every shift, they gave their all on the field and in defense.
“It’s an excellent squad. They possess discipline. They delve deeply. Their goalie is excellent, and their coaching is excellent. Their squad possesses all the qualities one might desire. I consider them to be a contender. It [stinks]. As a group, you invest a lot of energy into a season, yet you stumble. Never is it a pleasant sensation.
At 5:48 of the second period, Rantanen gave the Avalanche a 1-0 lead on a power play when he roofed a wrist shot from below the right circle, short side over Oettinger’s shoulder.
“It was one of those games where you thought you played well enough to win and set up a seventh game, but it didn’t work out,” Zach Parise remarked. “A small amount of shock when it stops abruptly like that. It’s a difficult way to end, but it takes some time to comprehend everything.
At 1:56 of the third, Benn tied the game 1-1. Evgenii Dadonov found him in stride as he passed the ball behind his back, and he stick-handled past a leaping Georgiev to score with his back to the open net.
The lead has been used a lot this series, and Pavelski stated, “We were tested here a little bit being down.” “In my opinion, during the second period, we performed poorly and exhibited a certain amount of stubbornness when it came to inserting pucks and figuring out how to create.
” We were determined to do things the correct way, and I believe it showed in the third and extra sessions. Through the creation of some O-zone time, we were able to tie this game via our forecheck.
“Wow, that one was really well done by [Tyler Seguin, Dadonov, and Benn].” Driven the middle, it was a basic chip. Benn finishes off a fantastic play over by [Dadonov]. For us, it was a bit of a paradigm shift.
