Thanks to Stephane Robidas’ broken nose, the Dallas Stars finally broke their streak. Robidas, playing with a bulky cage protecting his injured nose, tied last night’s Game 6 and then set up Stu Barnes’ game-winning goal 52 seconds later as the Stars -- I hope you’re sitting down -- actually won a first-round playoff series.

The 4-1 victory gave Dallas a 4-2 series triumph over the defending Stanley Cup champion Anaheim Ducks, earning it a berth in May’s second round for the first time since 2003. Hockey ain’t all the way back, but considering how pathetic your Mavericks played over the weekend, the Stars just might get pretty popular in the next couple weeks.

In a lot of ways, the series was shocking.: Dallas’ blue line was somehow better than Anaheim’s, and the Stars dominated the third period, scoring 12 of their 20 goals in the final 20 minutes. And, 20 goals? Most of figured Dallas would struggle to score 10. But then again, the thing was over after the Stars jumped to a 2-0 series lead. Right? --Richie Whitt