It was a heartbreaker.
That's the bad news.
The good news?
The Flames get to go back out Friday night and put this one behind them when they play Game 3 just 24 hours later.
The last time they played back-to-backs in this post-season was against the Jets on Aug. 3 and 4, just so happened that was Games 2 and 3 as well. They dropped the first game 3-2 but rebounded with a resounding 6-2 victory the next outing.
Dube started the game along with linemates Milan Lucic and Sam Bennett, currently the hottest trio in the lineup.
Mark Giordano got a wrist shot on Ben Bishop, the three-time Vezina finalist in his first start of the series, who was able to make a glove save.
On the ensuing faceoff, TJ Brodie threw the puck on net but it missed wide, and bounced out past Bennett - who was battling with John Klingberg - and right onto the stick of Dube, who had snuck in alone into the slot.
He scored his fourth goal in three games, putting a quick backhand up-and-over Bishop.
Dube became the first Flames player to score the first goal of three consecutive playoff games.
The Stars - looking to find more offence after a tough go in Game 1 - reunited their top line of captain Jamie Benn, Tyler Seguin and Alexander Radulov.
They had a strong shift that led to their first goal.
After hemming the Flames in their zone, both Radulov and Seguin planted themselves in front of the net, with Seguin finally smacking a rebound into the cage at 2:42.
The Stars made it 2-1 when the puck squirted out of the zone to Radulov, who ended up battling near the Calgary bench with Giordano, but was able to get a pass out to streaking d-man Miro Heiskanen who jumped into the play and got off a quick shot that squeezed between the arm and left pad of Talbot.
With 2:09 to play in the opening frame, the Stars got the first powerplay of the game. Talbot made an abolutely stellar save on a Seguin one-timer after the puck bounced off Giordano's skate and right out to the Stars sniper who stepped into it but was denied with the blocker.
Dallas controlled the first period, spending more than twice as much time in the Calgary offensive zone. They outshot the Flames 14-7.
Early in the second, Bennett was whistled for interference and the Stars got their second man-up of the night. They only managed one shot by Seguin on the PP.
Heiskanen, though, scored just 11 seconds after the penalty expired, snapping a tough-angle knuckballer from the low boards that found a hole short-side on Talbot to make it 3-1 at the 4:50 mark.
Calgary's top-ranked powerplay, which came in at 33.3% this post-season, got their first chance at 8:05 when Benn was sent off for roughing on Elias LIndholm.
The Flames, though, were held to a single shot, as well, with Johnny Gaudreau - on his 27th birthday - getting a solid chance when he pump-faked before snapping one for the five-hole that Bishop got the pads closed on.
With seven minutes to go, Sean Monahan won a faceoff but lost his helmet so had to skate hard to the bench. Just after he got over the boards, Derek Forbort - who was right by him at the blueline by the bench - let his own wrister knuckball go that looked to deflect en route to Bishop and went in short-side.
