WESTERN FINALS
GAME DAY PREVIEWS
GAME 7:
#1 DALLAS STARS vs #2 COLORADO AVALANCHE
Series tied 3-3
Game time: Friday June 4th, 1999 7:30pm at Dallas
With a trip to the Stanley Cup finals on the line, the Colorado Avalanche and Dallas Stars face off tonight in Game 7 (7:30 ET CBC, ESPN) of the Western Conference finals. The Avalanche had a chance to wrap up this series Tuesday in Game 6, but the Stars got two goals from Jamie Langenbrunner during a three-goal third period in a 4-1 victory.
Colorado should feel right at home on the road tonight. The Avs have lost six of nine home games this postseason but are a remarkable 8-1 away from Denver. They are 2-1 at Dallas in this series.
"We've had a lot of success on the road and we're going to Dallas for Game 7," Colorado captain Joe Sakic said. "We just want to play hard, play our guts out and hopefully get the win."
Reflecting the competitive nature of the first six games, the clubs have been tied for nearly half of the total playing time, and each team has held a lead for virtually the same time (Dallas 26.4 percent, Colorado 26.3 percent). Of the 379 minutes and 29 seconds played, the score has been tied, or within a goal, for 43:07, or 88.6 percent of the time.
The winner of tonight's game will play the well-rested Buffalo Sabres in the Stanley Cup finals, beginning Tuesday in the Western city.
This is the 93rd series in Stanley Cup playoff history to reach a seventh game since the format was introduced in 1939. The home team has won 57 times.
Dallas is 2-0 in decisive seventh games in franchise history. The Avalanche franchise is 2-3 in Game 7s.
The Avalanche won the Stanley Cup in 1996, their first season out west. The Stars are trying to return to the Stanley Cup finals for the first time since 1991, when the franchise was based in Minnesota.
Stars center Joe Nieuwendyk has three goals and five assists during a five-game points streak and leads Dallas with 17 postseason points. Colorado center Peter Forsberg leads all playoff scorers with 24 points.
Dallas' power play has heated up, going 4-for-13 in the last three games following a 1-for-17 stretch. Colorado is 2-for-26 with the man advantage in the last seven games.