Dallas Stars vs. Colorado Avalanche: Game 7 grudge match with pressure and a whole lot to lose

When the stakes are at their highest and legacies hang in the balance, Game 7 becomes more than just another hockey night, it becomes a battlefield. On Saturday night, the Dallas Stars and Colorado Avalanche will clash in a do-or-die showdown at American Airlines Center, and make no mistake, this isn’t just about advancing, this is about rewriting narratives, avenging ghosts, and proving who’s built for the spotlight.


Dallas has Colorado’s number when it comes to Game 7s. Three meetings, three wins. That’s not just a stat; it’s a psychological hold the Stars have tightened over the years, and the Avalanche have yet to shake it. And now, in a twist fit for a playoff drama, the man who crushed Colorado’s hopes in 2020 with a Game 7 hat trick. Joel Kiviranta is skating on their side.
Pete DeBoer’s playoff résumé reads like a coach born for the big moment. Eight wins in eight Game 7s. That’s not luck, it’s consistency forged under fire. Combine that with Jake Oettinger’s steel-nerved netminding 1.54 goals-against average and a .956 save percentage in Game 7s and Dallas isn’t just hosting this finale, they’re shaping it.
But this isn’t a coronation. It’s a confrontation. Colorado didn’t claw their way to a Game 7 by accident. That 7-4 explosion in Game 6 wasn’t just a statement, it was a warning. Still, the spotlight has a strange way of shrinking stars. Nathan MacKinnon, an MVP-caliber force, has just one assist in four career Game 7s. Cale Makar, electric as he is, has yet to register a single point in three of them. That’s not what you want from your frontmen when the season is on the line.
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Then there’s Jared Bednar. No wins in three Game 7s. The Avalanche haven’t won a Game 7 in over two decades. If they fall again, it won’t just sting. It’ll reopen a wound that’s never really healed.
Saturday night isn’t just about who scores more goals. It’s about who can carry the weight of their past without letting it bury their future. This isn’t just a Game 7. It’s a defining moment. And for one of these franchises, the fallout will be felt far beyond the final horn.