The 29-year-old forward last played for Dallas on Feb. 4, before being injured on Feb. 20 while playing for Team Finland against Team Canada in the semifinals of the Olympic Winter Games Milano Cortina 2026. 

Jason Robertson had a goal and an assist, Mavrik Bourque had two empty-net goals and an assist for the Stars (44-18-11), who had lost four in a row (0-3-1). Jamie Benn had two assists, and Jake Oettinger made nine saves.

Erik Karlsson had a goal and two assists for his second straight three-point game, and Stuart Skinner made 20 saves for the Penguins (36-21-16), who have lost three of four. 

Pittsburgh was without forwards Sidney Crosby (lower body) and Evgeni Malkin (upper body). Each is day to day. 

Mantha put the Penguins up 1-0 with a power-play goal at 2:12 of the first period. Karlsson sent a wrist shot on net from the blue line and Mantha tipped the puck through Oettinger’s pads from in front.

Justin Hryckowian tied it 1-1 at 2:10 of the second period. Colin Blackwell had a shot blocked by Ben Kindel and it bounced to Hryckowian near the right circle for a wrist shot into an open net. 

Karlsson put Pittsburgh back up just 48 seconds later at 2:58 when he buried a wrist shot from between the circles that went bar down.

The Stars scored three unanswered goals in a 4:26 span to take the lead.

Robertson evened the game 2-2 at 7:12 while on the power play. He took a pass from Rantanen and put a wrist shot from between the circles past a screened Skinner into the top right corner for his 40th of the season.

Rantanen’s power-play goal at 10:12 gave Dallas a 3-2 lead. Robertson fed a no-look cross-ice pass to Rantanen in the right circle, where he one-timed the puck in off Skinner’s glove.

Lian Bischel pushed the lead to 4-2 with a one-timer from the point over Skinner’s right shoulder at 11:38.

Noel Acciari’s power-play goal cut the deficit to 4-3 at 8:54 of the third period when Elmer Soderblom’s one-timer from the right boards deflected in off Acciari as he battled in front of the net.

Bourque scored into an empty net to extend it to 5-3 at 16:52, and added another empty-net goal at 18:50 to secure the 6-3 final.