Jamie Benn’s First Playoff Victory Is the Recipe for a Dallas Stars Comeback against Vegas
Everyone knows a couple of things, after the last few days:
Dallas has lost the first game of every playoff series they’ve played in the last three years
Dallas also went down 2-0 to Vegas last year
Hockey is actually kind of stupid, and maybe it’s time to get back into rock climbing
But what you may not remember is that Dallas not only lost their first game to both Minnesota and Seattle last year, but that they also lost the third game of both series to go down 2-1. Lost them badly, in fact, getting pasted 5-1 in Minnesota (before winning three straight), and then dropping a 7-2 stinker in Seattle before eventually climbing out of the ravine in Game 7.
Look, we’re all scrambling for some mathematical reasons to stave off dread right now. But I do think it’s worth remembering that an underdog feels on top of the world when they’re up 2-1 in a series, but that the rug can get pulled out from under them very quickly from that point on.
Vegas isn’t an underdog in the traditional sense, of course. They might not be one in any sense other than the seeding numbers, and getting the series to 2-1 feels like the tallest of orders right now. But take a second here to remember the other series we’ve seen in recent history.
Anyone who remembers how Seattle’s forecheck felt like some sort of magic spell they could cast at will, only for Dallas to course correct and make sure the series didn’t get out of hand, can understand how this series could change quickly at 2-1.
And it’s easy to think back to how much momentum Minnesota had entering a Game 4 on home ice up 2-1 in the series fresh off a dismantling by Mats Zuccarello and Marcus Foligno, only for Dallas to dispense with pleasantries and take care of business, winning the next three games by a combined score of 11-3.
But perhaps the last couple years are too recent for us to learn much from other the fact that this may be the most likeable Vegas fan there is. Instead, let’s travel back a bit further, back to the very beginning of Jamie Benn’s playoff career.
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Back in 2013-14, everything felt like gravy (even two years before Radek Faksa debuted). Dallas had rebranded with actual hockey sweaters under a new and financially solvent owner, then gotten Tyler Seguin for a song, then Mike Modano’s jersey had been retired after a rough end to his tenure in Dallas, and it was all capped off by the Stars’ making the playoffs for the first time in six years despite only earning 91 points in Lindy Ruff’s first season.
The start of the playoffs that year was a time of such good vibes that was only amplified by its contrast to the really rough five years that had come before. Those dark times included a team backruptcy and ignominious management tenures of Joe Nieuwendyk (who was a better GM than he gets credit for) and Brett Hull (who was as successful a co-manager as Jim Halpert planning a birthday party) another NHL lockout. It included the long-suffering Jaromir Jagr patiently explaining how to plan for late-game playoffs to a rookie coach in Glen Gulutzan. It also included the still-inexplicable pivot to basketball jerseys. Times had been tough.
So it felt like a wonderfully fresh beginning of a new era, albeit not necessarily one that was going to end with a serious Cup challenge in its first year. But then again, the Kings had just won a Cup as an eighth seed two years prior, and the Stars had a wonderful top line of young star players with Benn, Tyler Seguin, and an 18-year-old Valeri Nichushkin. Things were possible, even if they didn’t seem likely. That’s probably why someone in the organization decided to force a microphone upon Jamie Benn after the last game of the season, asking him to give a rousing speech to the fans in attendance. It was, if this isn’t overselling the event, definitely a thing that happened:
Dallas entered the playoffs much like Vegas this year, as an eighth-seeded team crossing divisions to face the top seed in the West. But unlike Dallas this year, Anaheim quickly sobered up the underdog’s fans, dominating Dallas early with four straight goals that were enough for them to take Game 1 after holding onto a 4-3 victory (sound familiar?).
Anaheim also took a winnable Game 2 from Dallas despite committing six penalties, winning 3-2 while looking more perturbed than actually threatened by anything Dallas had mustered so far.
So after two close games, a rookie goalie named Frederik Andersen was hanging tough after the veteran Duck Jonas Hiller lost the crease down the stretch, while Kari Lehtonen (as we would find out very shortly) was never quite 100% after being absolutely decked by Erik Haula (in a horrific play that’s suspendable in the NFL) a few weeks prior.
Tyler Seguin wasn’t conquering his playoff demons yet, and the Stars’ “pitbull” line of Ryan Garbutt, Antoine Roussel, and Cody Eakin had been one of the only bright spots on the team, antagonizing Ducks players like Ryan Getzlaf (who was dealing with a jaw injury that caused him to miss Game 4). Anaheim, meanwhile had Corey Perry and some kid named Pat Maroon, making them just as hateable as ever.
But down 2-0, the Stars punched back.
There was every reason for Dallas to give a good-enough effort as the series slipped away, but Jamie Benn didn’t let that happen. With a hardworking rebound goal that the Stars have failed to generate through two games against Vegas, Benn led the team to a 3-0 victory that forced a bit of a gut check from the top-seeded Anaheim Ducks.
But most teams win at least one game in a series. Actually turning a 2-0 deficit into a real series on the road means winning two in a row at some point. That looked unlikely in Game 4, when Dallas gave up the first two goals in the first period to players more known for their toughness than their goal-ness, in Bryan Allen and Pat Maroon.
It could’ve deflated the Stars, and they could’ve gotten desperate and dug themselves a deeper hole. But Jamie Benn once again stepped up, scoring a goal that will live on his career highlight reel forever to get Dallas back into the game right at the start of the second period:
Vern Fiddler evened the score with an ugly/beautiful short-side goal to rattle Andersen, and Cody Eakin’s line continued its great play to grab the lead before Alex Goligoski salted the game away and turn a 2-0 series deficit into a best-of-three series against a far better opponent.
The series ended badly, of course. In Game 5, the Pitbull line got out of control, with Roussel taking a bad interference penalty that resulted in a Ducks power play goal. It got much, much worse right afterwards when Ryan Garbutt channeled Benn’s baffling decision to attack Mark Stone ten years before it happened. Garbutt earned a major penalty for a foolish cup-check on Corey Perry, which is also known as Spearing according to the rule book. An apparently mortally wounded Corey Perry miraculously returned from the locker room in time to play on the same power play, and the Ducks took Game 5 with ease.
(Side note: I was at that game in Anaheim on a misguided date, and no, I still do not want to talk about what it was like to watch that game with a nominal Ducks fan who, despite her charms, kept asking me why I was so unhappy the whole evening.)
Game 6 was a thrilling hockey game that ended in heartbreak (seriously, watch that game if you want to fall in love with Trevor Daley all over again), but the end of the series is not the point. Dallas was down 2-0 to a superior opponent, and Jamie Benn found a way to lead his team back and make it a brand-new series.
They can do this again. Vegas is no less intimidating than Anaheim was, and perhaps moreso. But they play the games for a reason, I am told, and the Stars captain, who has been very good so far in this series, has a lot of redemption to do. I’m not sure I’d bet against Jamie Benn* right now.
*unless it’s a bet related to public speaking
To wrap up, I’d encourage you to watch the below video (ignore the provocative clickbait of a title). Dallas has ways to adapt to Vegas’s game, and it’s obvious to everyone that they’re going to have to do so. Whatever happens (late) tonight, it’s going to be a fascinating part of Jamie Benn’s playoff history in Dallas. Whether a bump on the road or a light in the darkness, it’s going to be worth staying awake for.