The No. 1 adage of any given hockey game, "Anything can happen," also applies to the NHL playoffs. On Thursday night, the Dallas Stars were unfortunately on the losing side of a freak play that could be considered the worst own goal of the NHL season so far.

DALLAS — 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.

Dallas Stars right wing Mikko Rantanen, center, pursues the puck with Colorado Avalanche defenseman Samuel Girard, left, and center Brock Nelson in the second period of Game 4 of an NHL hockey first-round playoff series Saturday, April 26, 2025, in Denver. (AP Photo/David Zalubowski)