The Dallas Stars never stopped believing, rallying from a 2-0 third period deficit in a 4-2 Game 7 win against the Colorado Avalanche at American Airlines Center on Saturday.

Kill!

The story of the first period was pretty simple: take bad penalties, and then kill them.

Colorado was up first, with a completely unnecessary holding penalty by Parker Kelly, who grabbed onto Ilya Lyubshkin as the defenseman chased down a loose puck going back into the corner in the Dallas zone. Basically as far away from your own net as it gets.

Dallas had a few looks but couldn’t convert… which is often the case with early power plays before teams are really into the game and have yet to have their touches.

Then it was the Stars turn, and this one was worse. We all know Jamie Benn can get overzealous in big games — just ask Mark Stone. And this was one of those moments.

Benn was likely not trying to do this, but he essentially cross-checked Valeri Nichushkin in the jibbs. I don’t know why I said essentially, because that is exactly what he did. The cross-check drew blood, Nichushkin stayed down, and Colorado went on an early and very important four-minute power play.

Like Dallas, Colorado had a few chances — the best one being a point shot from Cale Makar with Jake Oettinger moving way to his right and the shot going to his left… something Oettinger told me Makar does all the time, as he watches the eyes an head of goaltenders and releases the shot just as they peer around traffic the other way. Incredibly smart. Luckily for the Stars, Makar missed and the shot hit the end boards.

Dallas made a few really nice stick plays — Wyatt Johnston’s on Gabriel Landeskog probably saved a goal on the backdoor — and killed off both sides of the Benn penalty.

We’re through 20. The tension in the AAC is very high. I am even nervous up in the press box, as we all talk at a million words a minute with the adrenaline flowing.

And the game remains tied 0-0.

The message

I think this could be a fun little segment to start doing on these… of course I thought of it in Game 7… but who cares? Let’s do it anyway — I will write what I believe the message is in the Dallas dressing room after 40 minutes.

This one is pretty simple for me: SHOOT THE PUCK.

Dallas has just 10 shots through two periods. That is not nearly enough in general, but especially when they understand Mackenzie Blackwood has not been great throughout most of this series. And if you watch him closely again tonight — which I am sure Stars goalie coach Jeff Reese and the Dallas staff are — you can see some of those nervous tendencies that the Stars took advantage of in Game 5.

Blackwood looks jumpy, he has whiffed when trying to poke four or five pucks around his crease, and about half the shots he has faced have resulted in juicy rebounds.

I think Dallas will come out in the third shooting the puck from everywhere. Sure, the game is tight defensively. But the Stars have had opportunities to fire the puck on net from angles and the point. So far, they have opted for extra passes or cycles, and it hasn’t worked. I would not be surprised if Dallas ties the game in the third on a simple puck thrown at the net.

You already know, it’s Mikko

Mikko Rantanen nearly singlehandedly knocked off the Avs in game 7. But according to Stars coach Pete DeBoer, it goes beyond that.

“Let’s be honest, he took over the series,” DeBoer said.

After just a single assist through four games, Rantanen racked up 11 points in Games 5,6, and 7.

Just as we all predicted after he was quiet to start the series, Rantanen leads all skaters with 12 points in the Stanley Cup Playoffs… so far.

Oh, and in case you forgot, he did it against his former team who traded him to save a bit of cash on the salary cap…

“Obviously, the feeling is incredible,” Rantanen said. “To win a series, first of all, against a really good team. The series was exactly what I expected, I expected a seven-game series even before Game 1. Ups and downs in the series, a couple of games we didn’t play well at all. Even tonight, a little bit flat first two periods, gave up a goal on our power play and they score first shift of the third, kind of takes the air out of the building. But I think belief was there with the group the whole time. I was able to make a play to get the first one, then the crowd started to roll, we got a couple of looks after that. The crowd really helped us there at the end.’’

Just enjoy the highlights:

All of a sudden, this team — who already looked deep and impressive by playing Colorado so tight without Miro Heiskanen and Jason Robertson — looks like one very capable of taking this run deeper and deeper…

Side note: DeBoer said we should see both Heiskanen and Robertson in round two, just not sure exactly when. The expectation is that Game 1 will be in either Dallas or Winnipeg on Wednesday.

Quotable

Stars coach Pete DeBoer on the AAC crowd:

“I don’t believe we win that game if we’re not playing at American Airlines in front of the Dallas fans.”