DALLAS (AP) — The Dallas Stars avoided another Game 7, and are again headed to the Western Conference final after having an advantage in overtime.
Defenseman Thomas Harley scored from the top of the slot on a pass from Tyler Seguin for a power-play goal 1:33 into overtime, and the Stars beat the top-seeded Winnipeg Jets 2-1 in Game 6 on Saturday night.
“Obviously, it’s a huge advantage. Clean sheet of ice and a chance to win a series. The guys did just that,” said Sam Steel, who had the other Dallas goal and drew the game-changing penalty. "Tom does what he does all year long, put it in the back of the net. It’s a big one.”
Mark Scheifele scored for the Jets hours after the unexpected death of his father, but also had the tripping penalty with 14.8 seconds left in regulation that set up Dallas to start overtime with a man advantage.
Steel was on a break when Scheifele lunged forward desperately trying to make a play when he tripped up the forward at the blue line — an infraction that could have resulted in a penalty shot. The Stars called a timeout, but missed a shot and had another one blocked before the end of regulation.
“Heartbreaking. ... Felt like we had a team that could go on a run. For it to end the way it did and everything else surrounding the day, it’s just a lot of emotion," Jets captain Adam Lowry said. “It’s tough to put into words what Mark went through today. Gets a huge goal for us, plays a heck of a game, and it ends the way it does. Just emotional, heavy.”
The Stars, who have already played Game 7s in three consecutive postseasons after beating Colorado in a full first-round series, move on to face Edmonton in the West final for the second year in a row. They host Game 1 on Wednesday night.
Connor McDavid and the Oilers, who won the West in six games last year, ending their second-round series with a 1-0 overtime win over Vegas on Wednesday night in Game 5.
Dallas goalie Jake Oettinger made 22 saves to wrap up his sixth playoff series win over the past three seasons. He made an incredible diving save with 8 1/2 minutes left in regulation, leaning to the right before having to lunge back across his body toward the left post to knock down a shot by Mason Appleton.
Hellebuyck, the two-time Vezina Trophy who is the odds-on favorite to win that top goalie award again this season, stopped 18 shots.
Dallas has won all three of its overtime games this postseason. It was only the second OT game for the Jets, who scored twice in the final two minutes of regulation in Game 7 of the first round and then beat St. Louis.
Steel got his first goal of the playoffs midway through the second period. He shot a long rebound from the top of the right circle, sending the puck into the upper right corner of the net just above Hellebuyck’s glove.
Scheifele got his fifth goal of the playoffs when he gathered the rebound of Kyle Connor’s shot and scored from just outside the crease 5 1/2 minutes into the second period. That score came before a whistle blew for a delayed penalty, a high stick by Oettinger into the face of Gabriel Vilardi, who got the secondary assist for his pass to Connor.
That was all set up after Nikolja Ehlers had a breakaway shot that was knocked away by Oettinger and retrieved by Scheifele.
Hellebuyck withstood a 46-second flurry late in the first period when the Stars had eight shots — three that were on goal, along with four misses and one that was blocked.
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AP NHL playoffs: https://apnews.com/hub/stanley-cup and https://apnews.com/hub/nhl
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