Stars Go Duck Hunting, Win 3-2 in Anaheim

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 34: End Of The Road – Inside The Rink

 Join Conrad and Chris as they discuss the Boston Bruins front office, Logan Couture's retirement, Edmonton Oilers Injuries leading into the playoffs, and playoff matchups! 

1. ITR 34: End Of The Road 41:46
2. ITR 33: The Gr8 One 44:20
3. ITR 32: The Final Countdown 45:55
4. ITR 31: Let Them Fight 01:03:52
5. ITR 30: Down The Stretch 59:42