Going back to the 2002 Western Conference Final, the Avalanche have lost six straight Game 7s. Their last win came against the San Jose Sharks in the second round of the 2022 playoffs. Colorado has gone agonizingly close on a few different occasions with three of those defeats coming in overtime.

The game at the American Airlines Center in Dallas, is the only one on the schedule Saturday night, May 3. It's a big one, with the winner advancing to the second round and the loser heading home for the summer.

Pete DeBoer has never lost a Game 7 as an NHL coach. Jared Bednar has never won one. They will be on opposite benches when the Dallas Stars and Colorado Avalanche play what seems like the only fitting end for their first-round series in this year's NHL playoffs — a Game 7 on Saturday night.