The Dallas Stars went duck hunting against the Anaheim Ducks on Thursday night. The game was a back-and-forth thriller, but the Stars held on for a 3-2 win over the Ducks at the Honda Center.
The Stars improved to 2-0-1, while the Ducks fell to 1-2-0. Ducks goaltender John Gibson made 24 saves for a victory.
The Stars’ starting lineup featured Jani Hakanpää, Sam Steel, Radek Faksa, Thomas Harley, Craig Smith, and Jake Oettinger. Oettinger made 27 saves in a losing effort.
The Ducks drew first blood in the first period. Troy Terry fired a snapshot into the Stars’ net for an early 1-0 lead 4:37 into the first. Trevor Zegras and Pavel Mintyukov collected the assists on Terry’s first of the season.
The Stars trailed the Ducks 1-0 after 20 minutes. Anaheim outshot Dallas 17-7.
The Stars tied the game midway through the second period. Roope Hintz scored on a wrist shot to tie the score 1-1 at 10:03 of the second. Joe Pavelski and Miro Heiskanen collected the assists on Hintz’s first of the season.
The Stars took the lead late in the second period. Joe Pavelski tipped in a shot on the power play for a power-play goal and a 2-1 lead with 2:55 left in the second. Miro Heiskanen and Jason Robertson collected the assists on Pavelski’s second of the season.
The Stars led the Ducks 2-1 through 40 minutes. Dallas outshot Anaheim 19-18.
The Stars’ lead was short-lived as the Ducks tied the game early in the third period. Leo Carlsson fired a wrist shot into the Stars’ net to tie the score 2-2 just one minute into the third. Troy Terry collected the lone assist on Carlsson’s first of the season (and first of his career).
But the Stars regained the lead a little less than six minutes later. Miro Heiskanen scored an unassisted goal to give the Stars a 3-2 lead at 6:45 of the third period.
The Stars defeated the Ducks 3-2 after a full 60 minutes. Anaheim outshot Dallas 29-24.
Notes
Jason Robertson’s family was in attendance.
Up Next
The Stars will return home to host the Philadelphia Flyers on Saturday at 7:00 p.m. Central.
ITR 26: 2 Nations Fighting – Inside The Rink
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