NEW JERSEY VS. PITTSBURGH COLORADO VS. ST. LOUIS

Monday, June 4 The Eagle lands By Joy Russo ESPN.com Dallas and Colorado seemed to be on a collision course all season long. The defending champion Stars finished with the best regular-season record. The Avalanche finished second to Dallas in the Western Conference. The Stars had eliminated Colorado in seven games in the conference finals the year before and had the upper hand. The Avs had something to prove. Stars 4, Avalanche 3 Date Result Goalie 5/13 Avs 2, Stars 0 Roy 5/15 Stars 3, Avs 2 Belfour 5/19 Avs 2, Stars 0 Roy 5/21 Stars 4, Avs 1 Belfour 5/23 Stars 3, Avs 2 Belfour 5/25 Avs 2, Stars 1 Roy 5/27 Stars 3, Avs 2 Belfour So it was only fitting the two would meet in the West finals for the second straight season. Neither team had been tested in the two previous rounds, each ousting their opponents in both series in just five games. Bottom line, the two teams wanted to play one another and it was going to be nothing short of a war. Colorado got off to a great start with veteran goalie Patrick Roy making 24 saves to shut out the Stars on the road 2-0 in the opener. Mike Modano's two goals helped the Stars even it up with a 3-2 victory in Game 2. The next two games were a goaltending duel. Roy earned his second shutout of the series and tied an the NHL postseason record (15) for the Avs, while Ed Belfour made 38 saves for the Stars in Game 4. Same result – the series was tied. Joe Nieuwendyk's overtime goal gave Dallas the Game 5 victory and a 3-2 series edge heading into Denver, a scenario the Avs knew all too well. In 1999, they held the 3-2 advantage only to lose the series. Colorado knew a comeback could be done. Heading into Game 6, the Avalanche outshot the Stars 110-56 in the previous three games, but only won once. Chris Drury gave Colorado the boost they needed, scoring with 3:51 left in the third period to give the Avs a 2-1 win and force the decisive game in Dallas. Colorado wanted this Game 7 to be closer than the 4-1 loss in 1999. The turnaround It was a bad start for the Avs in Game 7. Mike Modano and Sergei Zubov each scored on the power play in the first period, and Roman Lyashenko scored in the second to give the Stars a 3-0 lead heading into the third. But Peter Forsberg and Milan Hejduk scored three minutes apart in the final period to put Colorado within one. Then, Dallas' defense kicked in. The Avs got only three more shots on Belfour before pulling Roy for the extra skater in the game's final 1:20. With eight seconds left, Ray Bourque's shot hit Belfour and bounced off the right post. Bourque again was denied a shot at the Cup, Roy lost his fourth straight Game 7 and the Avs were ousted by a decisive game for the third straight postseason. The Stars would lose to the New Jersey Devils in the Cup finals, but they continued to have Colorado's number. The MVP Ed Belfour. The Eagle started a war of words before the playoffs began, saying he was "as good as Roy or better." Not many can say he didn't back that up in this series. Belfour made 11 of his 31 saves in the third period of Game 7. He didn't allow more than two goals in the seven games and won his eight straight games following a loss. He also had won 11 of his last 12 playoff games at Reunion Arena dating back to the 1999 finals and improved to 4-0 in Game 7s. Joy Russo is a staff editor for ESPN.com Send this story to a friend | Most sent stories