Stars stifle Flames in final frame to set up series finale in Calgary

The Calgary Flames and Dallas Stars will take their playoff series the distance to a seventh and deciding game.

Dallas doubled the visiting Flames 4-2 on Friday to even up their conference quarterfinal at three wins apiece.

Stars defenceman Miro Heiskanen's goal late in the second period stood up as the game-winner for the Stars, who will try to bounce the Flames from the post-season Sunday in Calgary.

Roope Hintz and Michael Raffl also scored for Dallas with Tyler Seguin adding an empty-net goal in front of a sellout of 18,532 at American Airlines Center.

Stars goalie Jake Oettinger and Flames counterpart Jacob Markstrom both had 36 saves.

Michael Stone had a goal and an assist and Mikael Backlund scored in the second period to draw Calgary even before Heiskanen's game-winner.

WATCH | Heiskanen scores winner:

"A hell of a game," Flames head coach Darryl Sutter said. "Just couldn't get the equalizer."

Calgary (50-21-11) topped the Pacific Division, while the Stars (46-30-6) earned the first wild-card berth in the Western Conference.

The Flames, 25-9-7 at the Saddledome in the regular season, will be under pressure to maintain their mastery of home ice and advance to the second round for the first time since 2015 and just the second time in the last 17 years.

"It's hard to win the last one and obviously a lot of us haven't been past the first round," Flames forward Elias Lindholm said. "Hopefully we get it done Sunday.

"That's why we fought so hard all year, to have home ice in Game 7. We're in a good spot, so we've just got to regroup and come back with a better effort on Sunday. We've got find a way to score more than two goals."

Teams tying a series 3-3 to force a Game 7 own an all-time series record of 88-96, according to NHL statisticians.

Markstrom didn't leave his net for an extra Flames attacker until less than a minute remained in the game as the Flames struggled to sustain offensive-zone pressure.