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Ducks stun Stars late in Game 6, close out series 4-2

Anaheim Ducks v Dallas Stars - Game Six

in the second period during Game Six of the First Round of the 2014 NHL Stanley Cup Playoffs at American Airlines Center on April 27, 2014 in Dallas, Texas. (Photo by Ronald Martinez/Getty Images)

Ronald Martinez

The Dallas Stars seem like they might be building something promising with new management and new uniforms. If you believe in the adage that “You have to learn to lose before you learn to win,” then Sunday’s stunning Game 6 loss may teach many lessons.

After chasing Frederik Andersen to build a 4-2 lead and maintaining that margin for much of the third period, the Stars seemingly built a comfortable lead. That fell apart following a stunning series of events that felt a little bit like a (far) lower stakes version of the Chicago Blackhawks twisting a potential Game 7 showdown into a surprising Stanley Cup win in Game 6 of the 2013 Stanley Cup Final.

First, Nick Bonino made it 4-3 with two minutes and 10 seconds remaining:

That made things nervous for the Stars, but the Ducks really poured on the pressure late in the third period. After some close calls, Devante Smith-Pelly scored his second goal of the game with 24 seconds left to send this one to overtime:

Finally, Nick Bonino scored just 2:47 into overtime to end the game at 5-4 and close out the series for Anaheim at 4-2.

The Ducks faced ups and downs, yet these are the kind of wins that teams build deep runs on. If nothing else, it softened concerns about Anaheim falling short of expectations in the first round (they fell to Detroit in seven games last year). Bruce Boudreau may have questions in net between Jonas Hiller (perfect in relief) and Frederik Andersen (usurped Hiller late in the year but has been pulled twice in the postseason), yet he’s probably not too bothered by that question right now.

The Stars might have some positives to point to - the crowd in Dallas was buzzing after years of complacency, Tyler Seguin’s fantastic first year - but there’s no denying this must burn.

Follow James O’Brien @cyclelikesedins