Game 7 is the best and the worst thing about being a sports fan

Game 7’s are what sports fans live for. It’s the best and worst thing in all of sports if you’re a fan of either team participating in game 7. The anxiety can only be matched if you’re in a literal survival mode scenario as if you’re being chased by a grizzly bear in the middle of the woods with no way out. I’m not kidding, my resting heart rate during game 2 of this series was 118 BPM. Game 7 heart rate is still to be determined. Game 7 is the best and the worst thing about being a sports fan and game 7 between the Stars and Avalanche was the epitome of game 7.

I had anxiety about this game starting Thursday night as soon as the first empty net goal went in for Colorado. As a fan of the Dallas Stars, it was always going to go to game 7 in this first round matchup, it was destiny. Game 7 is the best and the worst thing about being a sports fan.

First Period Thoughts

The biggest difference in the games that the Stars have one this series is not letting in the super early goal within the first ten minutes and not coming out on their heels. Game 7 started off better than all three of their losses so far, and they even got on the power play just a few minutes into the game.

I thought there was a chance that the Stars would blow the roof off of American Airlines Center during that power play, but it was fairly passive. Passes didn’t connect in high danger areas, and Colorado played a beautiful PK.

Before the ten minute mark, Jamie Benn high sticked Val Nichushkin in the crease where the Stars had several high danger opportunities during the shift. Huge blow and it ended up being a double minor. A massive no-no from the Captain in a game 7.

However, the Stars were the best PK in the league (until the last five games or so of the season) for a reason. Clinical clears and amazing saves from Jake Oettinger kept the game scoreless after four minutes of man advantage for Colorado.

The rest of the period was exactly what I feel like most game 7’s are like. It was near impossible to get into either offensive zone, and there weren’t really any high danger scoring chances from either team. The game wasn’t sloppy by any means, it was just a great job by both teams not allowing the other to get into their comfort zone.

Mikael Granlund ended up with a subpar shot on goal later in the period that hit off of Mackenzie Blackwood’s shoulder and rattled off the post. It was not a high danger chance, but the post makes it seem like it was. Granny has been sneaky for the Stars since being acquired back in the earlier part of the year, and he showed why he’s so sneaky during that play.

The rest of the period went by without much going on in the offensive zone, and the teams went to the locker room still knotted where they were to begin the game. 0-0.

Second Period Thoughts

The second period was a doozy. The first period there were hardly any chances, and the second remained the same.

The Stars were on the power play with just around ten minutes remaining in the period. Thomas Harley was sent a puck at the blue line to continue the cycle but the pass wasn’t good enough and Logon O’Connor was able to sweep the puck down the boards and get passed Harley. Disaster struck for the Stars as the Avs went up 1-0 on a shorthanded goal.

I was distraught at this point because the Avs scoring the first goal was a huge blow to the team, but it was a shorty. A shorthanded goal is a recipe for something terrible to come the rest of the game. Luckily neither team hit the score sheet for the remainder of the period.

Third Period Thoughts

Here’s where things go from bad to worse for the Dallas Stars. Just seconds into the period, Nichushkin gets interfered with and Colorado pulled the goalie for the six on five advantage. If the Stars touch up, they go to the penalty kill, if they don’t, well, let’s just say awful things happen.

Nathan Mackinnon netted his seventh goal of the series with the six on five advantage and beat Oettinger sort of like Wyatt Johnston beat Blackwood in the opening seconds of game five.

The crowd was all the way out of it and you couldn’t even hear groans. Just dead silence. The worst was yet to come as the Avs got a power play with just under ten minutes to go in the game, and it seemed like literally all hope was lost.

Luckily for the Stars, they traded for this fella Mikko Rantanen, who just so happened to play for the Colorado Avalanche a mere few months ago. With about 12 minutes remaining in the game, Mikko got a pass from Oskar Bäck at the point and he sent that puck straight bar down. A thing of absolute beauty, and the Stars were just one more goal away from evening the game in a game 7.

Mikko has been exceptional throughout the series, but starting in game five he’s been the best player for either side. We’re not done with Mikko talk just yet.

Several minutes had passed and Stars fans were anxious. The crowd was still in the game, but getting a tad bit more worried as the Stars power play couldn’t get anything near the net, let alone get a clean entry into the offensive zone.

At this point everyone in the press box had noticed that Mikko was double and sometimes even triple shifting with every line the Stars put on the ice. The motor on Mikko never seemed to give out in the third period.

With 30 seconds or so on the power play left, Mikko took the puck into the zone with three Avs players right on him. He skated behind the net and tried a wraparound shot. Puck luck is created and earned, not given. The puck bounced off an Avs skate and directly into the net and my ears are still ringing from that crowd pop.

Again, puck luck is created and earned, not given. The Stars go on ANOTHER power play just a couple of minutes later, and this one didn’t take much time off the clock at all. Mikko (again) sends a pass to Matt Duchene, Dutchy fired the puck across the crease to a wide open Wyatt Johnston, and Mr. Game 7 himself earned himself the lead.

The pass was super hot coming from Dutchy, and Wyatt handled it with poise and composure as he found the open net, and American Airlines Center was electric.

Obviously, with just under four minutes left in the game, there is plenty of time for the Avs to get the tying goal. They pulled their goalie with a little under two minutes left in the game, and all cheeks were clenched from there until just under three seconds left in the game.

We’re not done with Mikko Rantanen. He gets the puck and skates it into the open net for a hat trick in game 7 against his former team. Stories like this in sports are incapable of being scripted better than that. Four points in game 7, 12 points in the series, and a whole lot of moose was shown in that game.

It was an incredible game for theatrics and storylines, but that series is officially in the past. The Stars move onto the second round to face off against either Winnipeg Jets or St. Louis Blues for a chance at a third straight Western Conference Finals trip.

This team is incredibly deep, and they don’t have their best defenseman or one of their top goal scorers in Miro Heiskanen and Jason Robertson. The fact that they were able to get past this super deep Colorado Avalanche team without them gives me all the warm and fuzzies for the rest of this playoff run. Stars win. Play that song.

Game 7 is the best and the worst thing about being a sports fan, and luckily for Dallas Stars fans, it was the best night we’ve had in a long time.