Two games in a row now, the Stars couldn’t close late in regulation.
Against Colorado on Friday, Valeri Nichushkin forced overtime with just 14 seconds remaining and the Avalanche stole the win in a shootout. Two days later, Chicago’s Connor Bedard scored in a similar 6-on-5 situation with just 1:20 left in regulation.
This time, however, Miro Heiskanen ensured the Stars would walk away with the second point.
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Heiskanen scored 22 seconds into overtime to lift the Stars to a 4-3 win over the Blackhawks at American Airlines Center Sunday evening. Dallas extended its points streak to 12 consecutive games.
“We have an older group,” Stars forward Mavrik Bourque said. “We’ve got to stay focused. They got a good shot from the blue line, but we know we can still get those plays in overtime, and that’s what we did.”
The Stars started slowly and had to overcome a two-goal deficit and a standout performance by Chicago’s goalie Arvid Soderblom. Bourque scored early in the third period before assisting on Justin Hryckowian’s go-ahead goal halfway through the third for a two-point night.
Chicago took a 2-0 lead in the first period when Tyler Bertuzzi tipped in a shot before a save by Soderblom at one end turned into a goal for Sam Rinzel at the other.
“We looked a little bit tired,” Stars coach Glen Gulutzan said. “I thought we played hard with good energy, but I just didn’t think we had quite the pop.”
The Stars held a 13-6 shot advantage at the first intermission but turned just one of those shots into a goal. Nathan Bastian put Dallas on the board late in the first, deflecting Lian Bichsel’s shot from the point.
Bastian has scored three goals in the last five games — half of the six total he has scored in 30 games this season. He’s become a key depth piece for Dallas recently and responded well after being sent to the AHL for a conditioning assignment in December.
“I thought that his game, the last 10, has been really good in lots of areas,” Gulutzan said.
The Stars locked down defensively in the second, not allowing Chicago to take a shot on goal for the first 17 minutes of the period. Dallas had its chances at the other end, but Soderblom came up with multiple point-blank saves, adding to his total 27 in the game. Stars goalie Casey DeSmith faced just 19 shots, saving 16.
Less than a minute into the third period, Bourque tied the game at 2-2. Trade deadline acquisition Michael Bunting forced a turnover, and Bourque hit a post before a Chicago player knocked the puck into the net.
In addition to the assist, Bunting, whom Dallas acquired from Nashville, recorded 14:43 of ice time, one shot and one hit in his debut.
“It felt great to get that first one under the belt and obviously even better that it was a win,” he said.
Tyler Myers, whom Dallas traded for from Vancouver, skated 13:05 with two shots, one block and three hits. Myers, a Houston native, became the first Texan to appear in a Dallas Stars game in his debut.
The Stars had three chances on the power play and finally cashed in on their final attempt. Bourque and Hryckowian combined for the game-winning power-play goal with just over 10 minutes left in regulation. The Stars have scored power-play goals in their last nine games since, playing most of those without two players on their top unit — Roope Hintz and Mikko Rantanen.
Dallas took just one penalty with four minutes left in regulation, but the Stars killed it off. The Stars still gave up a critical goal short-handed in the final moments of the game, but Heiskanen made sure that wouldn’t hurt them.
The Stars’ six-game homestand continues Tuesday against the Vegas Golden Knights.
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Eyes on the ice: See photos from the Dallas Stars’ win over the Chicago Blackhawks
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