Round 2, Game 6, Stars vs. Sharks 05/04/08

Dallas 2, San Jose 1, 4OT(!)

Thanks to Greg Wyshynski at Yahoo’s NHL Experts Blog

What an amazing game! Game 6 was a microcosm of everything that is great about hockey. Fast-paced action, tons of scoring chances, great defensive plays, goalies making spectacular saves at both ends. Everything.

And it was the most exciting thing in all of sports, the marathon overtime game.*

It. Was. Awesome!

Marty Turco looked better than I have ever seen him before. And he’s been looking good during this post-season. That save with the puck under his behind was made even greater by the Sharks celebrating all around him. The mid-air kick save at one point was just as great. He just had too many great saves to list. As Bob Sturm said today on The Ticket, Turco could put together a whole highlight reel just from that game.

Brenden Morrow is showing himself to the world right now. These are the kinds of things we Stars fans have been seeing building in him for the last eight years, and now the whole hockey world is seeing what a stud he is. I cannot tell you how happy I am that he already signed a long-term contract for a lot less than he could be getting if he were a free agent next season. Especially after the season and playoffs he’s having.

He was credited with seventeen hits and got the game-winner in the fourth overtime. He was everywhere.

I’m not going to go back to Game 5 because I was so depressed after the loss that I had to take a hockey break for a day, except to say that in that game, Morrow had 2 goals disallowed, and the first one should have counted. He “officially” scored a short time later, but he was livid; he yelled at the refs, he even put his towel on the end of his stick at one point. He was pissed. Like Razor says in Morrow’s playoff TV spot, “Always go with the angry guy.”

Almost lost in the greatness of Marty and Brenden was the great play of pretty much everybody else. Brad Richards was everywhere. He was robbed by Evgeni Nabokov, the Sharks goalie, with a gargantuan save, so he didn’t get any points, but it wasn’t from a lack of chances.

Zubie is looking better every game, the defense looked pretty good, Modano looks happy (which I love to see), all the lines had their chances, even the fourth line. Toby Peterson looked darn good.

I’m sorry, but I just did not take notes and I probably won’t through the rest of the playoffs. There’s a ton of stuff written about every game now, since there are just the few left, and it takes me a while to get it all read. And the tension I suffer during the games is just too much for me to be taking notes at the same time.

I’ll spend the next couple of days wallowing in the joy of winning the series before I start worrying about looking forward to the next one.

Did I mention that I’m pretty happy that the Stars are moving on the Western Conference Finals? Because I am. Really happy.

*I’m not even going to address the drive-by fan that only watches hockey when it’s playoff time and then starts calling for the shootout to avoid the marathon overtimes (I’m talking to you, Musers). I’m too happy to worry about those people.