Stars' Radek Faksa Makes Good on Promise to Son by Scoring Series-Clinching Goal

Dallas center Radek Faksa predicted his big Game 7 moment earlier on Sunday.
The Dallas Stars celebrate Radek Faksa's goal in the third period of Game 7.
The Dallas Stars celebrate Radek Faksa's goal in the third period of Game 7. / Jerome Miron-USA TODAY Sports

The Dallas Stars completed their series comeback Sunday, defeating the Vegas Golden Knights 2–1 in Game 7 at American Airlines Center to claim their first-round playoff series and advance to the Western Conference semifinals.

Stars center Radek Faksa, who missed the previous four games with an undisclosed injury, broke a 1–1 tie in the opening minute of the third period. He sent a backhander from the circle past Vegas goaltender Adin Hill for what ended up being the series-clinching goal.

For Faksa, that goal meant two things: The Stars were advancing, and he made good on a promise to his 2-year-old son Elliot.

"After every pregame skate, I play [mini-stick hockey] with my son, and I promised him I would score a goal tonight," Faksa said on the TNT postgame show. "I'm glad I did.

"I'm so excited to show him video of the goal in the morning."

It marked Faksa's ninth career playoff goal and his first in the series.

"It was a huge relief, you know," Faksa said. "It was the biggest goal of my career."

Faksa and the Stars will face the Colorado Avalanche in the next round, a team that defeated the Winnipeg Jets in five games to cruise through the first round.


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Tom Dierberger
TOM DIERBERGER

Tom Dierberger is a staff writer and editor on the Breaking and Trending News team at Sports Illustrated. He joined SI in November 2023 after stints at FOX Sports, Bally Sports and NBC Sports. Dierberger has a bachelor's in communication from St. John's University. In his spare time, he can be seen throwing out his arm while playing fetch with his dog, Walter B. Boy.