Apr 27, 2014; Dallas, TX, USA; Anaheim Ducks center
Nick Bonino(13) and left wing
Matt Beleskey(39) and defenseman
Cam Fowler(4) celebrate Boninos goal against the Dallas Stars during the third period in game six of the first round of the 2014 Stanley Cup Playoffs at American Airlines Center. Mandatory Credit: Jerome Miron-USA TODAY Sports
It was looking all too familiar to the Anaheim Ducks.
Last year, the Ducks lost Game 6 in Detroit and came home to Anaheim only to fall to the Red Wings in Game 7.
The Ducks made sure that didn’t happen again.
Using a third period rally, the Ducks tied the game and won it in overtime 5-4 as Anaheim will move on to the second round after taking out the Dallas Stars in six games.
Anaheim will await the winner of the San Jose and Los Angeles series. The Sharks lead the Kings 3-2.
With just 24 seconds left in the game, Devante Smith-Pelly put home his second of the game after the puck squirted free from a crowd in front of Kari Lehtonen.
The stunned Dallas crowd would be silenced in overtime as Nick Bonino put a wrist shot into the back of the net to end the game and series, sending the Ducks into the second round for the first time since the 2008-2009 season.
After starting the third period down 4-2, the Ducks began their comeback with just 2:10 left in the game.
Bonino would roof a shot on Lehtonen’s short side to give the Ducks a chance. With Jonas Hiller off to the bench to give the Ducks an extra attacker, Smith-Pelly lifted the rubber over the outstretched pad of Lehtonen to send it to overtime, where the Ducks took care of the Stars quickly.
Before the comeback, things looked bleak for Anaheim as the Stars scored three first period goals to get out to an early lead.
Trevor Daley would net two for the Stars. His first goal came immediately as he came back on the ice after Dallas killed off his penalty. Daley received a long pass from Shawn Horcoff and made a nice move on a breakaway to put one past Frederik Andersen for a 1-0 lead.
Cody Eakin would make it 2-0 with a power play goal at the 10:27 mark.
Smith-Pelly scored his first of the game to make it 2-1, but Ryan Garbutt pushed the lead back to two before the first 20 minutes were up.
Anaheim came out in the second period in control. With momentum on their side, the Ducks cut the deficit to one as Ben Lovejoy one-timed a pass from Teemu Selanne past Lehtonen to make it 3-2.
But the first shot for the Stars in the second frame would put the lead back up to two. Daley flew past the Ducks’ defense and put another one past Andersen that would result in the rookie being pulled in favor of the veteran Hiller.
Andersen was pulled for the second time in three games as he finished with only eight saves on 12 shots.
Hiller, who lost his starting job late in the regular season, came up with some huge saves as he shut the door on Dallas the rest of the game. He stopped all 12 shots faced.
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