The Dallas Stars are in the Western Conference Finals for the third consecutive year. On Saturday night in Texas, the Stars beat the Winnipeg Jets 2-1 in overtime to win the best out of seven National Hockey League Western Conference Semifinal second round Stanley Cup Playoff Series four games to two.
Who scored the overtime winner?
Dual citizen Thomas Harley scored from Tyler Seguin of Brampton, Ontario, Mason Marchment of Uxbridge, Ontario at 1:33 of the first overtime period on the power-play with Jets assistant captain Mark Scheifele of Kitchener, Ontario in the penalty box for tripping. Harley was born in Syracuse, New York, but represents Canada internationally because his parents are from Edmonton, Alberta.
After the game, Harley scored what he described as the biggest goal he has ever scored in his life in an interview with Leah Hextall of ESPN. On a side note, I cannot wait for the day that a player comes off the ice and is asked if he just scored the biggest goal of his life and responds, “no, that came in a meaningful pee wee tournament when I was 13.”
How did the Stars score their other goal?
Sam Steel of Ardrossan, Alberta tied the game at one from defensemen Harley and Miro Heiskanen of Espoo, Finland at 11:12 of the second period. For Steel, it was his first goal of the playoffs.
Emotional game for Scheifele
The Jets veteran learned that his father passed away on Friday night. He continued to play, and scored the opening goal of the game. However, with 15 seconds left in regulation, Scheifele tripped Steel for the game’s only penalty. The power-play for the Stars continued into overtime as Harley scored.
Who do the Stars have next?
The answer is the Edmonton Oilers. The Stars lost to the Oilers in the 2024 Western Conference Final. The Stars also lost to the Vegas Golden Knights in the 2023 Western Conference Final.
