from Mike Heika of the Dallas Morning News,

The Stars had waited since 2008 to win a playoff series, so what was an extra 20 minutes?

As it turned out, pretty excruciating -- and possibly very educational.

Dallas survived a frenetic four-goal third period by the Minnesota Wild on Sunday and took a 5-4 victory to close out the best-of-7 first-round playoff series in six games.

It was a microcosm of where this franchise has been, struggling through bankruptcy and six playoff-less seasons since 2008, and also a possible hint at just how tough the road ahead might be.

The Stars advance to play the winner of the Chicago-St. Louis series, which will be decided Monday night. The second-round series will open at American Airlines Center later this week.

"It's been a long process, and this is just the first step," captain Jamie Benn said. "It's not going to be easy. Any time a team has it where their lives are on the line, you're going to see their desperation."

continued