Photo Credit : Jason Franson / The Canadian Press
The return of Roope Hintz, Dallas’ prowess on the road, the much-questioned “standard” of penalty calling in Game 2, the outright talent of Jake Oettinger in the net; All were sure to be focal points in tonight’s matchup, and every single one played a role in the Dallas Stars 5-3 victory over the Edmonton Oilers tonight.
It was another slow start for the Stars, who concluded the first period down 2-0 and being outshot 13-3.
The first goal of the night came just two minutes into the period. Oilers left winger Evander Kane took the puck into the Stars zone, where he was challenged by Stars defenseman Ryan Suter. As Suter worked to recover his stick, Stars center Craig Smith took over coverage of Kane. Kane passed around Smith to Connor McDavid, who took a shot on Dallas goalie Jake Oettinger. Oettinger stopped the shot, but lost the rebound, sending the puck soaring toward the faceoff circle to his left. Edmonton defenseman Evan Bouchard grabbed the puck as it ricocheted off the boards and passed it to McDavid, who had skated around the back of the Dallas net. McDavid skated the puck through the faceoff circle and launched another shot toward the goal as he reached the center dot. The puck soared past the shoulder of Oettinger and bounced off Zach Hyman, who had taken up space in the crease behind Oettinger.
The Stars took the first penalty of the night just under two minutes later when defenseman Alexander Petrovic was sent to the box for tripping McDavid, but Dallas killed the penalty.
With 12:32 left in the period, McDavid doubled the Oilers lead. Edmonton defenseman Mattias Ekholm sent the puck to the net, where Oettinger was being screened by Ryan Nugent-Hopkins, and directly to McDavid, who had found space in the crease in front of Tyler Seguin. McDavid pushed the puck toward the goal line and sent it just past the reach of the right skate blade of Oettinger.
The second period looked very different from the first, with the Stars changing the pace of the game quickly. Dallas’ defense held Edmonton’s offense off in force for the majority of the period, denying the Oilers a shot on goal for over 13 minutes, registering 14 on Edmonton goalie Stuart Skinner in the same time frame.
Five and a half minutes into the frame, Dallas cut Edmonton’s lead in half. Hintz made a stretching save to keep the puck in the Oilers zone before passing it deep into the zone to Seguin. Seguin passed to Robertson, who sent the puck along the boards and into the corner where it was recovered by Hintz. Hintz skated along the boards and sent an inconspicuous pass to Robertston in the middle of the faceoff circle to Skinner’s right. Robertson gathered the puck and sent a slapshot toward the net that sailed past the left arm of Skinner.
Just two and a half minutes later, Robertson pulled the Stars even with the Oilers. Seguin skated the puck into Oilers territory before dropping it to Robertson in the middle of the blue line. Seguin and Hintz crashed the net as Robertson took his first shot on the net, sending a flurry of bodies around the crease and Skinner to his knees as he blocked the shot, but was unable to control the rebound. It dropped to the ice directly in front of Hintz, who flipped the puck back into the zone and to a waiting Robertson, who elevated the puck off his backhand and sent it into the net beyond three Oilers, two Stars and Skinner.
One minute and three seconds later, the Stars took their first lead of the night. Stars captain Jamie Benn took control of the puck at the Oilers blue line from defenseman Vincent Desharnais. Benn skated the puck around the back of the Oilers net before passing it to Logan Stankoven, who had advanced into the middle of the Oilers zone. The pass sent both Desharnais and former Dallas Stars Mattias Janmark on the defensive against Stankoven, leaving Wyatt Johnston undefended beside the net. Stankoven tipped the puck to Johnston, who was looking into a wide-open net behind Skinner.
With 6:15 remaining in the period, Suter headed to the penalty box for delay of game after he sent the puck up and over the glass and out of play, but the Stars would yet again hold off Edmonton’s power play.
With 52 seconds left, the Oilers brought the score even again. Oettinger skated into the trapezoid behind the Dallas net to recover the puck before sending it to defenseman Thomas Harley in the corner. Harley lost control of the puck though, and it was recovered by Edmonton’s Connor Brown. Brown took a shot toward the net, and center Adam Henrique, in his first game back since sustaining a lower body injury in Game 3 of the Western Conference Semifinals against the Vancouver Canucks, deflected the puck into the net.
The Stars nearly registered their first power play opportunity with 15 seconds left in the frame when Hyman sent a crosscheck into the back of Mason Marchment, but Marchment was simultaneously called for embellishment, ending the period with a 4-on-4.
The third period began with the conclusion of the 4-on-4 power play with neither team able to regain the early lead.
But with 8:06 left in the third period, Robertson landed a nearly unexplainable goal, notching his first career postseason hat trick, and giving the Stars the go-ahead goal. Dallas defenseman Esa Lindell took a shot from the blue line that broke his stick but sent the puck into the Oilers zone. Robertson took control of it in the faceoff circle to Skinner’s right, skated the puck right up to the net and shot it between the post and Skinner’s right skate, and bounding into the net.
The Stars went on their first power play of the night with four and a half minutes left on the clock when Oilers defenseman Darnell Nurse headed to the box for tripping Johnston, but the Oilers denied the Stars a much-desired insurance goal.
With 2:36 remaining in the game, Edmonton pulled Skinner to give the Oilers a 6-on-5 advantage, hoping to land a tying goal.
Just 45 seconds later, Stars defenseman Miro Heiskanen landed the final goal of the night. Stars captain Jamie Benn won the faceoff in the circle to Oettinger’s left, tipping the puck off the back of his skate. Heiskanen grabbed the puck at the bottom of the circle and launched it the length of the ice and into the empty net. The goal made him only the fourth defenseman in NHL history to record at least 60 goals before turning 25-years-old.
With 1:27 remaining, Edmonton pulled Skinner again, but to no avail.
Ultimately, looking back on the major focal points that were sure to impact tonight’s game, the importance of Hintz’ return to the lineup was clear. The Fin closed out the night with two assists, two shots on goal, almost 17 minutes of ice time and a 60 percent success rate in the faceoff circle.
Dallas is now 6-1 on the road this postseason, and against some of the most formidable home teams in the league. They, quite simply, know how to succeed in opposing barns.
Though undeniably contestable tonight, penalties leaned toward Edmonton’s favor, but the Stars penalty kill shut the advantage down time and again, so perhaps the standard is a bit more standard than previously insinuated.
And Jake Oettinger was just doing the Jake Oettinger things that he does when his back is against a wall: keeping a cool head, a sharp eye, and holding the line when his team’s offense shows up big.
Game Four of the Western Conference Finals will take place at Rogers Place in Edmonton on Wednesday night. Puck drop is scheduled for 7:30 p.m.
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