Facing an Old Rival or a New One? Stars Awaiting Next Opponent

Friday night, April 28th, the Dallas Stars dispatched the Minnesota Wild four games to two. They were riding high, confident, and relatively healthy after winning the last three games.

Now they await their next opponent.

Going the seven-game distance is the Colorado Avalanche and the Seattle Kraken.

After Sunday, April 30th, Dallas will know who they will battle with in round two.

Rivals of 25 years

If Dallas goes on to face Colorado, it would mean a rematch of the 2020 second-round matchup where Joel Kiviranta etched his name in franchise lore with one shot. A meeting with the Avs would be a sixth all-time in the Dallas vs. Colorado series. Where Dallas leads three to two in series wins.

During the regular season, the Avalanche took three of four vs the Stars. But as we all know, the playoffs are a different animal. Not only are the playoffs so or die there are no 3-on-3s or shootouts, and there will also be no travel strains as it’s the same two teams battling every other day or two.

Injuries could also play a factor in this series matchup. Joe Pavelski is very close, if not ready to go, after sustaining a concussion in Game 1 vs. the Wild on a late hit from Matt Dumba. Pavelski would get the last laugh as he could rest and heal while his team sent the Wild golfing in six.

For the Avalanche, injuries could be more of a concern for the team. Their captain Gabriel Landeskog has already been ruled out of this year’s playoffs. While they are hoping everybody else is ready to go. Assuming they’re able to win tomorrow night.

Pantera vs. Nirvana

A rivalry with the Seattle Kraken would mean a lot of fun for Stars fans. Not only are Seattle the newest NHL team, but the fan favorite, Jamie Oleksiak, aka Big Rig, would be going against his old team.

During the season, the road team ruled. They played each other three times, and it was the team wearing the white jerseys that got the two points at the end of the night. Dallas won both their games in Seattle while the Kraken gave Dallas a, stop me if you’ve heard this before, overtime loss in Dallas.

Of course, we can’t talk about this potential matchup without music getting brought into the equation. League-wide, the Stars are synonymous with the legendary metal band Pantera.

For Seattle, they’re known for playing Nirvana’s In Bloom as part of their goal song. A couple of 90s powerhouse bands on display in a new NHL rivalry have the story fans for fans and media to feast on.

Just Win

No matter who the Stars face next, and the storylines that come for Jamie Benn and the crew, only one thing matters. That is simply a series win. It is the job of those outside of the rink to start the talks of the game and those on the rink to get the results.

Photo credit: usatoday.com