Dallas, TX (SportsNetwork.com) - The Anaheim Ducks made sure history didn't repeat itself.
Facing the prospect of a Game 7 on their home ice for a second straight year, the Western Conference's top seed staged a furious third-period push.
Nick Bonino ignited the rally and supplied the game-winner in overtime, as the Ducks eliminated the Dallas Stars with a 5-4 win in Game 6 of their first- round series.
Anaheim was in a similar position a year ago, with a chance to close out the Detroit Red Wings in a West quarterfinal. The Ducks lost Game 6 on the road in overtime before dropping Game 7 when a longer postseason run was expected.
Devante Smith-Pelly scored his first two career playoff goals, including one with 24 seconds remaining to force overtime.
Jonas Hiller stopped all 12 shots he faced in relief of rookie Frederik Andersen, who was yanked for the second time in this series after allowing four goals on 12 shots.
Trevor Daley had two goals, with his second giving the Stars a 4-2 lead midway through the second period.
But Dallas' first postseason appearance since 2008 ended in heartbreak as Anaheim scored twice with Hiller pulled for an extra skater.
"It happened so fast so it's a bit of a shock, but I'm proud of our guys," said Dallas captain Jamie Benn. "We battled hard all year. We battled hard to get into the playoffs and I thought we played a pretty good series against a pretty good team."
The Stars won a faceoff cleanly in their zone, but weren't able to clear the puck. Bonino eventually emerged from behind the Dallas net with possession of the puck and beat Kari Lehtonen on a sharp-angle shot with 2:10 left in regulation.
Smith-Pelly then peeked into a scrum around the crease, searching for the puck in a maze of skates and sticks. The puck slid out of the traffic to Smith- Pelly at the left side and he fired it home.
The comeback certainly surprised Anaheim head coach Bruce Boudreau.
"I wasn't confident at all," he said. "I was hopeful. I believed that if we got one, then anything could happen and we've had a year when things like this have happened to us so you're always hopeful and you're talking on the bench to believe, but deep down you don't think it's going to happen."
In overtime, Bonino moved to the slot and scored off a feed from Andrew Cogliano, giving the Ducks their first playoff series win since 2009.
Anaheim will play either San Jose or Los Angeles in the second round.
The Ducks set a club playoff record with four power-play goals in Friday's 6-2 win and got an early opportunity with the man advantage when Daley went off for high-sticking 3:10 into Sunday's game.
After the penalty expired, Daley sprinted out of the box to a loose puck and beat Andersen on a breakaway at 5:16.
Dallas converted its first power-play chance to go up 2-0. Cody Eakin was in the slot and one-timed Tyler Seguin's pass through the pads of Andersen at 10:27 of the first period.
The Stars quickly got another power play at 10:43 when Saku Koivu committed an interference penalty, but they were unable to extend their lead.
Anaheim, however, did strike on its next power play late in the first. Teemu Selanne sent a pass from below the goal line on the left side out front to Smith-Pelly for a tap-in goal at 17:57.
It wasn't a one-goal game for long.
Ryan Garbutt buried a loose puck in the low slot to make it 3-1 with 58.1 seconds remaining. Garbutt didn't play much in Game 5 after he was given a five-minute major and a game misconduct for spearing Ducks forward Corey Perry in the first period. The illegal stick work earned Garbutt a fine but no suspension.
Both teams scored once during the second period.
The Ducks won a puck battle behind the net after a strong forecheck by Selanne. The veteran forward then dished to Ben Lovejoy for a slap shot from atop the right circle at 3:55.
Daley restored a two-goal edge for Dallas at 10:33. With the clubs skating 4- on-4, the defenseman handled a stretch pass from Alex Goligoski as he flew down the right wing, got behind the Anaheim defense while cutting to the middle and chipped the puck behind Andersen.
Dallas rookie Valeri Nichushkin had a breakaway inside the final minute of the middle frame, but hit the left post.
Game Notes
Selanne's two assists gave him 66 playoff points with the Ducks, tying teammate Ryan Getzlaf for the most in franchise history. Getzlaf had surpassed Selanne to become the club's all-time leading scorer in the postseason in Game 5 ... The home team won each of the first five games in this series ... Lehtonen surrendered five goals on 30 shots ... Lovejoy scored his first career playoff goal ... Anaheim forward Matt Beleskey returned to the lineup after missing the past four games with a lower-body injury.
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