from Justin Bourne of Sportnset,

In theory, the Tampa Bay Lightning are head and shoulders above the Dallas Stars. In theory.

Some other theories that I, and many other analysts, have had:

• The Colorado Avalanche are head and shoulders above the Dallas Stars.

• The Vegas Golden Knights are head and shoulders above the Dallas Stars.

And let’s be real, a number of people thought the Flames would get the better of the Stars, too. I wasn’t among them there, but I’m guilty of the first two. So, I’ll try to keep that in mind when going through just how lopsided this series looks, because it seems most of us are missing something about that group there under Rick Bowness. They certainly compete at a high level....

In the end, the Stars are a team that makes you beat them. They defend hard, and make you go through them. If you’re not at your best, the Stars just find ways to persevere. They seem motivated, with a number of veteran players who are just dying to break through and win the big one here. They aren’t the more talented team, but they are 18 skaters deep with a goalie playing well, so nothing comes easy against them. That’s a dangerous combination in hockey.

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