A controversial goal by Alexander Petrovic was enough to win game three for the Dallas Stars, who won 5-2 to derail the surging Winnipeg Jets Sunday afternoon at American Airlines Center.
Game Story
The script was flipped in game three as the Winnipeg Jets took a high-sticking penalty just 22 seconds into the game. The Jets killed it off, but the second penalty called with five seconds left to Nino Niederreiter’s high-sticking penalty gave the Stars the early lead.
Roope Hintz redirected Mikko Rantanen’s shot for a tip-in power play that gave the Stars the 1-0 lead early with a power play goal. This goal was scored on the first shot of the game, marking another game where Connor Hellebuyck has let in the first goal on the opening shot.
The Jets would continue to fight back against the Stars, and it finally paid off as Gabriel Vilardi got a shot off that redirected to Kyle Connor, who wrapped it around the net to tie it at 1-1 near the midway point of the first period.
The Stars continued to pounce on loose pucks, and the Jets were being called for a delayed tripping penalty when Mikael Granlund got the puck to Thomas Harley. Harley loaded the puck on his stick and took a powerful snap shot to make it a 2-1 game.
The first period ended with a 2-1 score for the Stars, but the Jets wouldn’t take their foot off the gas as they closed the first period with a few good chances, but Oettinger stayed steady and kept the Stars ahead.
The Jets would come out in the second period flying, and after a ton of chances, it was Niederreiter who received a nice feed from Josh Morrissey that helped Niederreiter to bury the lone goal of the second period to make it a 2-2 game.
Alexander Petrovic would score just 3:51 into the third period off a clear kicking motion that was reviewed for nearly 10 minutes. The explanation on the ice from the referees was that Hellebuyck’s stick made contact after the kick, and it remained a goal, leading to Petrovic scoring the 3-2 goal.
49 seconds after Petrovic’s controversial goal, Mikko Rantanen got on the rush and received a nice pass from Roope Hintz, allowing Rantanen to dance around four Jets defenders and score the insurance marker.
After the play, Scott Arniel took a timeout to get the Jets in check as the Stars were flying all over the ice and hemming the Jets in their own zone.
Wyatt Johnston would score the fifth and final goal for the Stars as they potted three unanswered goals against the Winnipeg Jets to take game three 5-2 and cushion themselves with a 2-1 series lead.
What’s Next?
The Winnipeg Jets and Dallas Stars are back in action Tuesday night at American Airlines Center with a 2-1 series lead. Puck drop is scheduled for 7:00 pm CST.
ITR 43: It's Winning Time – Inside The Rink
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