Photo Credit : Christopher Hanewinckel / USA TODAY Sports
The Dallas Stars became the first team in NHL history to score a game-tying goal followed by a game-winning goal in the final 15 seconds of a game in last night’s match against the Nashville Predators at Bridgestone Arena. The 3-2 regulation victory sent the Stars back to the top of the hotly contested Central Division standings yet again, tied at 44 points with the Colorado Avalanche and only one point ahead of the Winnipeg Jets. It’s the third time in 10 years the Stars have led the Division heading into the Christmas break.
For the first time in nearly a month, the Stars closed out the first period tied 0-0 with opponent, and it was only the second time this month that the first period ended without either team being assessed a penalty.
The period was not without excitement though, with Stars goalie Scott Wedgewood shining in the net time and again, and Nashville’s Roman Josi doubling as the Predators goalie when netminder Juuse Saros was sprawled on the ice without his stick. Josi tossed the puck away after catching it in his left glove, and while the move should have given the Stars a penalty shot, the infraction went unnoticed by the on-ice officials.
The Predators made quick work of changing the pace of the game in the second period though, with right winger Michael McCarron scoring the first goal of the game just 23 seconds into the second period.
Dallas defenseman Miro Heiskanen attempted to clear the puck from the Dallas zone, but it was picked up by Nashville’s Philip Tomasino at the blue line. Tomasino passed the puck to Predators defenseman Ryan McDonagh as he entered the Stars zone, and McDonagh took a shot toward the net. Wedgewood made the initial save on the shot but couldn’t keep the puck from bouncing up and behind him where it hit McCarron’s helmet, who had fallen to the ice after colliding with Dallas defenseman Ryan Suter’s hip, and trickled through the crease across the goal line.
Four minutes into the period, the Stars headed to the penalty box for the first time after McCarron was called for hooking Dallas’ Roope Hintz, but the Predators killed the penalty.
Dallas headed to the penalty box for the first time in the game just two and a half minutes later when Tyler Seguin tripped Nashville’s Kiefer Sherwood, and eight seconds into the power play, extended the lead against Dallas to 2-0.
Nashville’s Ryan O’Reilly won the ensuing faceoff to Wedgewood’s right and immediately dropped the puck back to Gustav Nyquist at the top of the faceoff circle. Nyquist passed to Josi in the corner who sent it ahead to Filip Forsberg along the boards. Forsberg sent it to O’Reilly in the middle of the zone, who then passed it back to Nyquist who had posted up at the goal line to Wedgewood’s left. Nyquist sent the puck to the net. Nyquist tapped the puck to center Colton Sissons, who was directly in front of Wedgewood, and took a shot. Wedgewood stopped the puck with his foot, but it bounced back into the zone and right back to Sissons who recovered his own rebound almost instantly and slammed it into the net.
The Stars would get a chance to cut the Predators lead in half with 2:05 left in the period when McCarron was called for holding Stars captain Jamie Benn, but Nashville held of Dallas yet again.
Despite the deficit, the Stars highlighted exactly why they’re currently leading the league in comeback wins in the third period.
Eight and a half minutes into the final frame, Dallas defenseman Jani Hakanpää sent the puck from the Stars zone to Evgenii Dadonov who was just inside the Predators blue line. Dadonov passed it to Hintz who was advancing into the zone and took a shot on net from the middle of the zone. The puck bounced off Saros and into the corner to his right where it was recovered by Dallas’ Mason Marchment. Marchment passed it behind the net back to Hintz, who sent it to Dadonov just outside the faceoff circle to Saros’ left. Dadonov skated to the middle of the circle and took a shot on net, but it was tipped by Predators center Yakov Trenin on the way. Stars defenseman Esa Lindell recovered the puck off the tip and passed it right back to Dadonov who launched the puck through the legs of Saros.
Halfway through the period, Benn headed to the penalty box for hooking Tomasino, but the Stars were able to hold the Predators off and maintain just a one-goal deficit despite Nashville’s man advantage.
With just under two minutes left in the game, Wedgewood headed to bench to give the Stars an extra attacker in the Nashville zone, desperate for a tying goal.
It looked as though the game was all but wrapped up as the seconds ticked down, but with just 13 seconds left, Dallas’ Craig Smith evened the score. Stars left wing Jason Robertson gained control of the puck behind the net and attempted to wrap it into the net, but Saros held him off and the puck headed back behind the net again. Seguin recovered it in the trapezoid and sent it back to Robertson who was standing behind the net. Robertson skated the puck toward the front of the net but was met with a flurry of yellow as the Predators tried to hold off the Stars advance. Amidst the bodies and the rush of activity in front of the net, Smith wound up with the puck in front of Saros and slammed it up and into the net.
But Dallas wasn’t finished scoring yet.
With two seconds left in the game, Hakanpää recovered the puck in the Predators at blue line and launched a low shot toward the net that that sailed just above the ice and through the legs of Saros, cementing the win for Dallas.
Next up for the Stars is a trip to St. Louis on December 27th to face the Blues.
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