Despite the fact that the Dallas Stars held all the momentum going into Game 6, the Detroit Red Wings didn't panic.
Mike Babcock didn't shuffle the deck and change all his lines or make huge lineup changes. He simply told his team that they needed to play a much simpler game. They had so many opportunities in Game 5 that just went wide of the net as they were trying to be too precise.
They changed that up in Game 6 and you need to look no further than the very first goal that they scored. Kris Draper scored one that gives a whole new meaning to the word faceoff as the puck deflected off his face and into the net. It might have been an ugly goal, but it was effective as it quieted the crowd.
Later in the game Dallas Drake would do the same thing by going hard to the net and banging a puck past Marty Turco. That was the essence of the Red Wings in Game 6. Keep it simple and don't panic and don't try to be so precise.
For the Stars, they are obviously disappointed with how their season ended, but look at the "murderers row" that they had to go through to get to this point.
First they had to knock off the defending Stanley Cup champions the Anaheim Ducks; they dismantled them. Then in the next round they faced the San Jose Sharks, a team that many picked to win the Cup this season. They had it under control, then almost let it slip away but they were able to pull it out.
Then they appeared all but buried against the Red Wings but still managed to make a series out of it, sending it to six games.
At the beginning of these playoffs, if the Stars had been eliminated in the first round there is no doubt in my mind that head coach Dave Tippett would have been fired and there would have been a lot more upheaval with that organization. It might be hard right now, but they've got to look back on what they've achieved and be proud of it.