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Match # 6: Mavrik Bourque will get his chance tonight, and he’s deserved it for a long time.

 Christopher Brown
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Match # 6: Mavrik Bourque will get his chance tonight, and he’s deserved it for a long time.
Credit: Photo by Patrick McDermott/Getty Images
The Florida Panthers were the first team to earn a place in the Stanley Cup Final, eliminating the New York Rangers in six games last night.

This Sunday, the Oilers will have their turn at the Grand Final if they can defeat the Dallas Stars in Game #6.

For the occasion, the Dallas Stars made an interesting change to the lineup, as Quebecer Mavrik Bourque will play his first NHL playoff game.

Ty Dellandrea makes the change.

Bourque was named AHL MVP this season, with an impressive 77 points in 71 games with the Texas Stars.

He also played one game in the regular season, but was blanked on that occasion.

During the AHL playoffs, Bourque collected 11 points in seven games.

Let’s just say that Bourque has been waiting for his chance in the NHL playoffs for quite some time, and this season he did everything he could to earn it.

It’s by facing elimination in the conference final that he’ll make his playoff debut with the big club.

According to DailyFaceoff, which updated the Stars lineups this afternoon, Bourque will play on the fourth line alongside Sam Steel and Evgenii Dadonov.

(Credit: DailyFaceoff)

Obviously, this isn’t the best situation for the 22-year-old Quebecer, as he won’t be getting much playing time.

Unless there’s a last-minute change, or a change during the game, he shouldn’t play on the special units either.

On the other hand, his linemates (Steel and Dadonov) have good offensive flair, and this line could cause a nice surprise for the Oilers.

Mark Lazerus and Daniel Nugent-Bowman of The Athletic believe that DeBoer wants more offense from his club, and Bourque could be that spark plug.

Obviously, the Plessisville native is very excited at the prospect of playing his first NHL playoff game.

He’s been waiting a long time for this moment and feels ready.

The young forward believes that confidence has a lot to do with his path to the NHL:

“I think confidence is very important for players, especially for me. I spent the last few weeks with the team and that helped me feel ready today.” – Mavrik Bourque

As for the Oilers, you can find the lines scheduled for Game #6, right here.

Stuart Skinner is expected to be the starting goaltender for the clash and should face the excellent Jake Oettinger.

The Oilers’ strike force is very hard to counter, but they’re struggling defensively and there’s a lack of consistency in front of goal.

With the addition of Bourque and more offense on the Stars’ side, the Oilers could be in for a surprise and have to finish it off in Game 7.


In gusto

– A nice text on Paul Maurice.

– Interesting.

– Could Martin Necas and Jonathan Marchesseault join the Habs this summer? [TSN 690]

– Well.

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