Three Thoughts - Harley Ends Gm 6 Thriller

Dallas had to treat Game 6 as their own Game 7 – And they did, escaping with series.

There is truly nothing like it.

Playoff hockey is its own thrill ride that is largely unmatched in all of sports.

Then, there is a moment when you transition to something even more threatening to your blood pressure and wellness – that moment when you realize the next goal is going to claim every spoil. In this particular affair, it felt like just about any goal scored in the third period from midway on was essentially overtime.

If either goalie allowed anything, that would be that.

Of course, that raised the stakes considerably and they seemed already maxed out. Chances in both directions that cause an entire arena collective panic. It was just an incredible game in both directions. Connor Hellebuyck and Jake Oettinger were doing everything they could – and more - to keep their teams tied under enormous pressure. Both teams traded chances and each one came closer than the one before it.

But, there was that moment in time – with roughly 8:40 to play – where Mason Appleton has the net for himself and Jake Oettinger appears too far to recover. This save will go on his résumé as the greatest save he has ever made. Maybe it is, maybe it isn’t. But, there has never been a save like that with so much being decided either way.

The game is on the stick of Appleton and he has Oetter dead to rights. What happens next must go down as one of the best saves in Dallas Stars history.

Somehow, the puck stays out. Did Tyler Seguin get a piece of the shot? Did Appleton miss the entire near side in an effort to play it too safe, but it doing so allow Oettinger back into the play? Did Oettinger get the knob of his stick on it almost accidentally?

Breaking it down in too great of detail may be missing the biggest point. Somehow, the puck stayed out. Somehow, Oettinger stood tall when his team needed him to make a save that he clearly had little chance to make. He just had to figure it out and not deflect it into his own net (as Hellebuyck did in Game 3).

These are the moments that define legacies. More importantly, these are the moments that carry a team on to the next round or send one side home with a player like Appleton shaking his head for days wondering how he didn’t cash in that one moment in time.

Would Dallas have rallied? We will never know.

Their hero kept them alive. From there, Dallas would do what they have repeatedly done in this run – figure out a path to victory when these games have been on the line in the final moments. They just get it done – even if it causes health problems for those that hang on every moment inside the arena or around the world.

Dallas beat Winnipeg on another unforgettable night of playoff hockey, 2-1, in Game 6 of the Western Conference SemiFinals. They win the series, 4-2, and they survive the gauntlet of the Central Division by knocking out the team right below them in the standings and the team right above them. They are the last team standing from the most impressive division in the league. And, in doing so, they have returned to the Western Finals against those Edmonton Oilers again.

And these are My Three Thoughts: