NASHVILLE, TENNESSEE - APRIL 20: Alexander Radulov #47 of the Dallas Stars celebrates with teammate Jamie Benn #14 after scoring a goal against goalie Pekka Rinne #35 of the Nashville Predators during the second period of Game Five of the Western Conference First Round during the 2019 NHL Stanley Cup Playoffs at Bridgestone Arena on April 20, 2019 in Nashville, Tennessee. (Photo by Frederick Breedon/Getty Images)

The Dallas Stars spoil Tennessee ice during Game 5 of the Stanley Cup Playoffs Opening Round with a dominating 5-3 win over the Nashville Predators

I believe I speak for every fan sporting Victory Green when saying this: What. A. Game. With the series previously tied at 2 apiece, a Saturday-afternoon Bridgestone arena provided both the Dallas Stars and the Nashville Predators with a monstrous opportunity – take this game and force your opponent to the edge of their proverbial plank.

Somebody was going to capture that all-important 3rd win, and with an invigorated sea of Smashville yellow watching from behind Tennessee ice, it would’ve been easy for Dallas to cave into the Pred’s hometown advantage. Boy, did those folks go home angry.

The Dallas Stars annihilated the Nashville Predators 5-3, and the game wasn’t even that close. From the opening faceoff to the last buzzer, Nashville was thoroughly outclassed – they provided their hometown fans with zero answers for Dallas’s intensity.

The trio of Jamie Benn, Tyler Seguin, and Alexander Radulov seemed to dominate every shift they embarked upon, combining for 7 of the 11 total points accredited to the Stars during Game 5.

Jason Dickinson notched 2 goals of his own – one that was beautifully set up by the electric speed of Roope Hintz, and the other forced by a seemingly magnetic takeaway early in the 3rd. Even when the Predators scored, the following shifts did not amass to any hometown momentum. In every sense of the word, Dallas embarrassed Smashville on their own turf.

A major takeaway from Game 5 lies in Dallas’s success when keeping their super group of 14, 91, and 47 together. For the first time all season, the emerging Roope Hintz and Jason Dickinson combined with mid-season addition Mats Zuccarello seemed to give the Stars two separate lines capable of creating offense – a concept that arguably held Dallas from seeding any higher over their 82 game campaign.

A stout, sound defensive team coupled with a Vezina Finalist goaltender led Dallas to patent an asphyxiating, suffocating style of play, albeit without much scoring prowess – only finishing 29th in total goal scoring this season. This lack of depth caused constant line changes, splitting up the Star’s top trio in hopes of energizing a more balanced attack among forwards.

This problem has since proven to solely live in regular-season past, as Dallas has found a stable top 6 to keep Benn, Seguin, and Radulov together and have recently hammered Nashville for back-to-back 5 goal games.

I think it’s grown quite a bit. I think players relish getting out there right now and everybody wants the puck and everybody wants to hunt the puck. Right now, players are really feeling good about themselves. That’s a good place to be, but we have to stay in the moment and get back ready for Monday night. – Head Coach Jim Montgomery on the confidence of the Dallas Stars

Things are trending up for Dallas – a monstrous Game 5 Win in Nashville has left them with a stronghold 3-2 series lead over the Predators, and has now has a chance to ignite American Airlines Center with a Game 6 clincher and punch their ticket to St. Louis for Round 2 of the Stanley Cup Playoffs.

Don’t look now, but the Stars are aligning in Big D – Game 5 presented a huge opportunity for the boys wearing Victory Green, and they responded with absolute domination. Time will tell how they handle this next one.

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Game 6 begins Monday, April 22nd at 7:30 pm CST.

Be Loud. Wear Green. #Starsinsix