The Dallas Stars are in a very familiar hole.
This is their sixth consecutive playoff series after three seasons, the fourth at home, as they go to Game 2 after losing the opener.
“It’s not ideal, we know that. And that’s definitely not the plan,” Stars coach Pete DeBoer said Wednesday.
“When you put yourself in that situation, you’re kind of playing with fire,” forward Joe Pavelski said.
The Stars will look to avoid a repeat of the opening round when they play Game 2 of their second-round Western Conference series against Colorado on Thursday night (9:30 p.m. ET/TNT). Two weeks earlier, they had lost the first two games at home to last year’s Stanley Cup champion Vegas, although they had battled back to win in seven games.
In the only other NHL playoff game Thursday, the Carolina Hurricanes fell to the Rangers in their own 0-2 hole. New York has won all six of its games this postseason after Tuesday night’s 4-3 double-overtime win.
Dallas lost the first game at home twice last year, but won the second game of each series on the way to rebounding to advance: six games against Minnesota and seven games against Seattle.
The 2022 Cup champion Avalanche have won five straight games since opening these playoffs with a blowout 7-6 loss in Winnipeg. After a full week between games, Colorado won 4–3 in overtime in Dallas after falling behind 3–0 in the first period.
“I definitely feel better when I’m in a rhythm,” said Avalanche center Nathan MacKinnon, who scored the game-tying goal in the first minute of the third period. “I don’t like taking time off. But I think as we play (the game) 2-3-4, we’ll feel better.”
Colorado has four players who have scored a point in every game this postseason: league MVP finalist MacKinnon, defenseman Cale Makar, former Stars first-round draft pick Valery Nichushkin and Mikko Rantanen. Everyone has many goals.
The Stars are still waiting for some of their top scorers to move on after this season.
Pavelski, whose 73 career playoff goals are the most for a US-born player and the most among active players, still does not have one this postseason and got his first assist in Game 1 against the Avs. Matt Duchene only has one goal, and Roope Hintz’s only score without an assist was an empty-net goal against Vegas. Rookie Logan Stankoven had six goals in his first 12 games after making his NHL debut in late February, but has not found a goal since – the last 12 regular season games and eight playoff games.
“The strength of our team all year has been that if Rupe Hintz’s line doesn’t score, Matt Duchene’s line does. If Matt Duchene’s line doesn’t score, Wyatt Johnston’s line does. If none of them score, our fourth line scores,” DeBoer said. “Our depth will have to show in this series.”
The teams finished in the top three in both power plays and penalty kills in the regular season, with Carolina leading the league in kills (86.4%). Yet the President’s Trophy-winning Rangers have two goals on the power play in each of the first two games, while the Hurricanes are 0 of 10, going 0 of 5 in both games.
“This time of year, special teams can win series, win games,” Rangers defenseman Adam Fox said after Tuesday’s double-overtime win over — and what else? – A power-play goal.
As Carolina forward Martin Necas said Wednesday: “Everybody knows it’s about the power play and the PK. “By now, they have crushed us in them.”
Carolina has so far managed to take a total of 10 shots on goal in the power play.
“We’ve got to get to the net a little bit more, inside a little bit more,” coach Rod Brind’Amour said. “They’re putting us out a little too much and we’re compromising with that.”
The Hurricanes have a lot of stats going in their favor, including a 20-shot advantage (82-62) and a 188-142 edge in shot attempts. Carolina outshot the Rangers in 5-on-5 play (5-4) and even strength (6-4), while doubling the Rangers in shots on goal (30-15) in the third period. Have given.
Carolina has won 53.1% of faceoffs through two games, reversing the road upset from the first-round series against the New York Islanders (35%).
“Obviously it’s frustrating because you don’t feel like you deserve to be out there losing two games in a row,” Necas said. “Special teams decided both games and they were better in them.”
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AP Sports Writer Aaron Beard contributed to this report.
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AP NHL Playoffs: https://apnews.com/hub/stanley-cup and https://www.apnews.com/hub/NHL
