Stars Can’t Win Game 7 Playing THIS Way

May 5, 2019; Dallas, TX, USA; Dallas Stars goaltender Ben Bishop (30) falls to the ice after getting his in the facemask by a St. Louis Blues stick during the third period in game six of the second round of the 2019 Stanley Cup Playoffs at American Airlin
Photo credit Jerome Miron-USA TODAY Sports
DALLAS (105.3 The Fan) - The Dallas Stars cannot play scared in Game 7, not that they would. However, the tightness that comes with big moments can often look like fear.

The good guys in green were out of sorts for a few moments in Game 6 on Sunday.

The rebound goal off the collarbone of Ben Bishop was fluky, inconsistent of their typical style and very unfortunate.

Moments later, Bishop tried showing he could tough it out and pull off a miracle, or maybe that he even owed his teammates one. And they gave up another goal that essentially sealed the Stars fate for the day.

The two year Stars net-minder has walked on water, frozen as it may be, at times for this team and while also taking the brunt of the blame for some losses, he’s never seemed to be phased by the next challenge.

Even more forehead slapping though was the miss right in front of the net from Jamie Benn. No matter how fast or slow that pass should or could have been, Benn knows you just can’t whiff on those moments.

For whatever reason, the Stars came out early looking slower than the Blues and quite simply outmatched. Whether they had a plan of being more conservative in order to not lose the game and just grind the St. Louis out, or they were just caught off guard by the up front game plan the opponent blasted them with out of the gates, the Stars didn’t look right.

Now with Game 7 on the line, the Stars might want to burrow back into their grind it out shell that has been so successful this season. Bishop, who in Game 7’s is 2-0, 0.00 GAA, has pointed out many times that you can see the difference in a more desperate team. And hopefully Bishop comes out with the desperation he has in previous Game 7’s.

For those wondering, Ben Bishop has played in two Game 7's and is 2-0. They occurred in 2014-15 against Detroit in the 1st round and the NY Rangers in the 3rd round and both were shutouts. #GoStars

— Gavin Spittle (@gjspittle) May 6, 2019

The Stars have been a don’t fold, never quit team that’s played Cup style hockey over the last 4 months and it’s caught fire amongst an already rabid fan base.

But, they cannot come out afraid to lose the game. Look, I know Bishop is playing through pain, and you might want to initially protect that, but if you have decided he’s good enough to go, then the team has to play out front in their passes, direct across the blue lines and without fear that if they push the ice their goalie can’t battle if needed.

Nobody ever wants to HAVE to play a win-or-go-home game, but this is an opportunity to find out just what kind of grit this team is actually made of. I hope they take a moment to look around, breath it in and force every bit of their being to bend and break the Blues for a series win.

These are two teams that have played a seriously tough style the last half of the season, and there is no way the Blues will come out in front of their own house laid back and reserved. Hopefully, the Stars can match that intensity to survive and advance. ​