In a thrilling finish, the Dallas Stars secured their place in the Western Conference Final for the second consecutive year. Matt Duchene’s goal, 11:42 into double overtime, clinched a 2-1 victory against the Colorado Avalanche on Friday night at Ball Arena, closing out the series 4-2.
Dallas, who fell to the eventual champions, the Vegas Golden Knights, in the 2023 Western Conference Final, will now face either the Vancouver Canucks or the Edmonton Oilers. The Canucks currently lead their series 3-2, with Game 6 scheduled for Saturday night.
Duchene’s game-winner came from a loose puck near Avalanche goalie Alexandar Georgiev. Earlier in the game, Duchene appeared to have scored the winning goal in the first overtime, but it was disallowed due to goalie interference. Mason Marchment had initially scored, but the goal was called off because of Duchene’s contact with Georgiev while battling Colorado defenseman Cale Makar.
Despite the setback, Duchene kept pushing. He was denied on a breakaway early in the second overtime but remained undeterred. Meanwhile, Stars goalie Jake Oettinger delivered an outstanding performance with 29 saves, keeping Dallas in the game.
Dallas coach Pete DeBoer made strategic line adjustments after the second intermission, which paid off when Jamie Benn tied the game 1-1 just under two minutes into the third period. Benn received a backhand pass from Evgenii Dadonov and maneuvered the puck past Georgiev, assisted by Tyler Seguin.
The Avalanche initially took the lead with Mikko Rantanen’s power-play goal in the second period. Rantanen’s snap shot from the right circle beat Oettinger on the short side, marking his fourth goal of the playoffs.
Now, the Stars await their next opponent, riding high on the momentum from their hard-fought series against the Avalanche. Duchene’s resilience and the team’s collective effort have set the stage for what promises to be an exciting Western Conference Final.