Over the last week, the first round series between the Dallas Stars and the Calgary Flames has brought a dramatic change of fortune. Calgary looked ready to roll coming out of Game 1. The Stars didn’t have their game legs and everything pointed to a continuation of the extended losing streak that ended the regular season.
Play improved for the Stars over the next few games, but a fortunate few bounces and impeccable timing evened up the series at 2-2. Game 5 was the first contest that felt like a standard Dallas game. A few timely goals, solid netminding, followed by a shutdown in the final period brought a 2-1 win.