"There was a certain intensity about wanting to go forecheck, wanting to go win puck battles, and just get to the net," Pavelski said. "Those little things at the end of the night, they add up. It makes it tough on the other team and wears the other team down. It was intensity on some of the hard details."
Now, they must replicate that performance. Yes, they could technically be eliminated from the playoffs Saturday night when they're watching the Predators and Hurricanes from their hotel rooms. But if the door is left ajar, the Stars want to be able to take advantage.
"We didn't want to put ourselves in this position where we have to rely on someone else to help us, but we are, so you deal with where you are," Bowness said. "We had to win tonight, clearly. We lose tonight and the playoffs are over. We did what we had to do tonight and now we're going to need a little help. But we feel good about our game going into Sunday."
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This story was not subject to the approval of the National Hockey League or Dallas Stars Hockey Club.
Mike Heikais a Senior Staff Writer for DallasStars.com and has covered the Stars since 1994. Follow him on Twitter @MikeHeika, and listen to his podcast.