The Calgary Flames sent the Dallas Stars on vacation with a 3-2 overtime win in the seventh and final game of the series on Sunday night at the Scotiabank Saddledome.
Johnny Gaudreau scored the game-changing goal with less than five minutes left in the first overtime period.
Tyler Toffoli and Matthew Tkachuk scored the other goals for the winners. For both forwards, it was their first goal in these playoffs.
The Stars’ response came from veteran Jamie Benn, who opened the scoring early in the game, and Russian Vladislav Namestnikov.
Goalkeeper Jake Oettinger was the big star for the visitors. He stopped 64 of 67 shots aimed at him. For the Flames, Jacob Markstrom finished the game with 26 saves.
Calgary therefore has an appointment with its big rivals from Alberta, the Edmonton Oilers, and Connor McDavid in the next round.
The second round of the playoffs begins Tuesday with games between the Lightning and the Panthers at 7 p.m. and between the Blues and the Avalanche at 9:30 p.m.
