The Stars entered Tuesday’s game with the same goal as always: to win.
But, in more ways than one, tonight’s matchup felt a little different. Top-line forward Mikko Rantanen sat out with the flu. His absence scrambled the lines. And, most glaringly, the Stars were sitting on ten losses in the past twelve games.
But on a night where these reasons could have been excuses, Dallas turned them into motivation. The Stars put up a much-needed win that snapped the three-game losing streak and breathed some life into a struggling Dallas team.
“We needed it bad. We feel like we haven’t dominated through and through like that for a while,” Jake Oettinger said. “More than anything I think it just goes to show us, ‘Hey, we’re still one of the best teams in the league, even though we’ve had a rough patch.’”
Frustration over that rough patch might have been high, but in the first period, so was energy. The Stars came out with tempo and immediately got their hands dirty with some pushback on a few Bruins who got too close to Oettinger after he made a stop. Dallas and Boston traded off power plays, with neither team able to capitalize.
The Stars’ fire continued, and Nathan Bastian added to it when some pushing and shoving with Jonathan Aspirot turned into a fight that sent both to the box for five minutes.
If Bastian’s scuffle was kindling, then the Stars’ first goal of the game was a bucket of lighter fluid. Hampus Lindholm’s interference penalty sent Dallas on a power play that ended with Wyatt Johnston sending the puck sailing over Jeremy Swayman’s right shoulder and into the net.
Mavrik Bourque followed suit a few minutes later with a power play goal of his own. Swayman stopped the forward’s first attempt but Bourque’s second-chance shot got past the sprawled out goalie who was still recovering from the former.
Dallas kept rolling as the second period began. Defenseman Esa Lindell added to the tally when he slapped a wrist shot from the blue line after Miro Heiskanen passed to him from the face off won by Justin Hryckowian.
By the end of the period, Hryckowian put up another goal for the Stars, though it took a few minutes for his team and the officials to believe him. The puck was concealed under Swayman for a few seconds but upon review, it was determined it crossed the line.
When asked about the young forward, who picked up two assists tonight, Oettinger and Lindell both described him as hardworking. Head coach Glen Gulutzan confirmed this.
“He’s got everything. He’s competitive, and he’s got hockey IQ,” Gulutzan said. “Wins a lot of battles… He does a lot for us, and he was real good tonight.”
The third period gave way to two goals for Jason Robertson, who had been slinging pucks on net all night. A wraparound shot in the first four minutes and one flung past Swayman’s right shoulder three minutes later was enough to end the Bruins’ starting goalie’s night and bring out Joonas Korpisalo.
Boston prevented a Dallas shutout when Morgan Geekie scored during a power play caused by a Lindell interference call. A few minutes later, Fraser Minten got one past Oettinger too.
While the two goals might have bothered Oettinger, Dallas still ended up in the win column. The Stars will head to Columbus to take on the Blue Jackets Thursday at 6 p.m. and make an effort to stack some wins and counteract slump they have been stuck in.