Dallas Stars are playing with fire by not closing out the Colorado Avalanche

A series that was supposed to be separated by 0.001 goal has been a “blowout,” and should have ended on Wednesday night.

The Dallas Stars prefer to make it harder on themselves, pile up frequent flier miles, hotel points and maybe some gummies, too.

Positioned perfectly to end the Colorado Avalanche in the Western Conference semifinals at the American Airlines Center, the Stars simply blew it. Rather than celebrate a trip to the Western Conference finals for a second straight year, the Stars are “celebrating” a return trip to Denver.

The Stars led 1-0 in the first period, but coughed that up. They led 2-1 in the second period. Spit that one out, too.

The Avs finally took a lead, early in the third period, and won Game 5, 5-3.

“We expected a tough game,” Stars forward Jason Robertson said, “and we got one.”

The Stars lead the series 3-2. Game 6 is Friday night in Denver. Have we mentioned that this series should have ended on Wednesday night?

If it was just about any other team in hockey, losing Game 5 at home would be an atrocious concept. (It’s still not a great idea).

The Stars prefer the “Texas Rangers” path to a championship. This is great, when it works. The Stars are now 3-4 at home this postseason. On the road, they are 4-1.

“I don’t know the answer to that,” Stars coach Pete DeBoer said when asked why his team is winning on the road and losing at home. “The Vegas series (in the first round) is in the rear view mirror.

“I liked us in the first two games (against Colorado). It’s not like we’re playing really poorly at home. We’re not finding ways to win, which we do on the road. It’s a fine line.”

There is seldom an explanation for these celestial events. They are the spring storms that pop up unexpectedly, and no one from the players to the coaches, to the analytics experts, can find a real explanation.

“We feel good here,” Stars center Joe Pavelski said. “We like playing here.”

Pavelski has been in the NHL for decades, and he really can’t explain these things.

If you are a “local” and looking for a reason to be optimistic, look at the local baseball team.

In the 2023 MLB playoffs, the Texas Rangers finished 11-0 on the road in the postseason. They finished with a 2-4 record at home.

It can be done. Again, it’s not a great idea.

If you have a team that is looking for a reason to quit and go on summer vacation, you buy them the ticket and make the travel plans yourself. Bury them.

Allowing a talented team like Colorado to extend this series is not only not a great idea, it’s a terrible idea.

Until Colorado took a 3-2 lead early in the third period, the Avs had not led for one second of the series. The Avs won Game 1 in overtime. They had not led at any other point.

“I know we haven’t led, but Game 1 is a one-goal game. I think there are four one-goal games if you take the empty net (goals) out of it,” Avs coach Jared Bednar said. “It’s certainly a huge win for us.”

On paper, this series looks like a blowout. Bednar’s point, and the concern for any Stars fan, is that it’s much closer than the 3-1 series deficit indicated.

“No, it doesn’t feel (that imbalanced) but you read stuff online and it does,” Bednar said. “It’s about results. I get the criticism. It’s not that easy. You have to do it over and over.”

The chances were always great this was going to go at least six games.

In 17 of the last 18 playoff series with the Stars, it’s gone to at least a Game 6. The one that didn’t was the 2023 Western Conference finals, when the Stars lost to Vegas.

Colorado has one of the better lineups in the NHL; to its credit, its best players showed up on Wednesday night and did what was necessary to extend this series, and its season, for one more game.

The Stars had every chance to close this out, and were outplayed at home.

(Have we mentioned this series should have ended Wednesday night?)