Both teams had spectacular Game 7 comebacks while missing a star forward and top defenseman. That makes this series a tough call.

There was that natural inclination for Dallas Stars coach Pete DeBoer to start paying more attention to St. Louis while watching the game that would determine who his team would play next in the NHL playoffs. But he never really started preparing for the Blues, even as they had a multigoal lead over Winnipeg much of that game.

The Dallas Stars are in familiar territory. After a hard-fought opening round series, head coach Pete DeBoer concocted another Game 7 victory against Colorado, setting the stage for Dallas to face the West’s top team, Winnipeg, in the second round.