Why yes - yes we do have ourselves a series

What a beautiful goal from Trev. Back to front, with the nice pass from Richards and the emphatic finish from the young defenseman. WOW!

And then Marty, son. Well done! Way to be the guy we've grown to know as a true playoff-winning net-minder. The fact that you're starting to get into the Red Wings heads is phenomenal. (If you haven't read their comments about needing to keep the puck away from him, do so. Forcing Detroit to make adjustments to you is a beautiful thing.)

And Joel. Good on ya'! Way to take command of the situation, no fear, no hesitation and a bloodthirsty finish. That has to make Osgood question whether he can make the stops he needs to make when a young gun like that can gut him like a fish.

But really, it goes to the team as a whole. What a complete game - in some ways, a more complete game than we've seen them play much of this year, if at all. From minute 1 to minute 60, they were hustling, fighting, scrapping. Blocking pucks, checking, hitting. Doing all the little things that allow the Stars' talent to shine.

What a wonderful feeling.

[deep breath]

And now back to reality.

And the reality is this - we're still in a 3-2 hole. And if Detroit was not really worried about this series, they are now. You don't win in front of their fans without getting their attention. I would imagine that if they could, they would be saying, "That's it Biggs, we're going in, and we're going in full throttle. That ought to keep those fighters off our backs."

Knowing that they have the talent to run at the Stars, even in our own barn, should give them the confidence to just let fly.

Knowing that the Stars can't let that happen - and that the way we've kept them back on their heels has been scoring first - means that the Stars will probably try to come out with both barrels blazing again, too.

And that means that it could all be decided in the first period on Monday. Two heavyweights going for the knockout blow - 20 minutes to define the series. What a collision that would be.

On the other hand, one of the teams - or both - could try to play controlled hockey (or don't have enough left in the tank to go full speed ahead) and that could alter the dynamics.

Either way, it will be high drama on Monday.

My hope is this - that the Stars don't think about Game Seven. We got here by playing one shift at a time, one period at a time, one game at a time. I expect - one way or the other - that we will get the best Detroit has at this time, and that is going to be pretty darn good. Dallas is pretty darn good, too, but to win, we have to maintain that hunger, that belief and that aggression.

Go get 'em, boys.