The Dallas Stars traveled to Sunrise, Fla., for a Wednesday game against the Florida Panthers. The Stars fell short in a 5-4 loss to the Panthers at Amerant Bank Arena. Dallas fell to 14-7-3, while Florida improved to 15-8-2. Panthers goaltender Sergei Bobrovsky made 30 saves for a win.
The Stars’ starting lineup featured Miro Heiskanen, Tyler Seguin, Ryan Suter, Matt Duchene, Mason Marchment, and Jake Oettinger. Oettinger made 26 saves in a losing effort.
The Panthers drew first blood on home ice because Ryan Suter and Miro Heiskanen napped at the wheel. Evan Rodrigues slipped past Suter and Heiskanen to score the game’s first goal on a snapshot for an early 1-0 lead at 4:39 of the first period. Niko Mikkola and Sam Reinhart collected the assists on Rodrigues’ fifth of the season.
The Stars got the equalizer, thanks to Radek Faksa. Faksa one-timed a slapshot into the Panthers’ net to tie the game 1-1 at 13:42 of the first period. Sam Steel and Thomas Harley collected the assists on Faksa’s second of the season.
The Panthers took a one-goal lead when Sam Reinhart ripped home a snapshot into the Stars’ net to make it a 2-1 game at 18:14 of the first period. Aleksander Barkov and Evan Rodrigues collected the assists on Reinhart’s 17th of the season.
The Stars trailed the Panthers 2-1 at the end of the first period. Florida outshot Dallas 11-10 after the first 20 minutes.
The Stars’ puck management was terrible on the first two Panthers goals allowed, and the second period wasn’t much different.
The Panthers quickly opened the second-period scoring. Carter Verhaeghe finished a pass from Sam Bennett to extend the Panthers’ lead to 3-1 just 24 seconds into the second period. Bennett and Nika Mikkola collected the assists on Verhaeghe’s 12th of the season.
The Stars had their work cut out for them as they trailed the Panthers 3-1 at the end of the second period. Dallas outshot Florida 24-22 after 40 minutes.
The Stars made it a one-goal game to open the third-period scoring. Mason Marchment capitalized on the power play by firing a wrist shot and cutting the Panthers’ lead to 3-2 just 39 seconds into the third period. Matt Duchene and Miro Heiskanen collected the assists on Marchment’s eighth of the season.
The Stars tied the game at three apiece to continue the newfound energy. Evgenii Dadonov fired a wrist shot into the Panthers’ net to tie the score 3-3 at 4:15 of the third period. Jani Hakanpää and Wyatt Johnston collected the assists on Dadonov’s fifth of the season.
But the Stars’ tie was short-lived as the Panthers struck twice in a bit over three minutes.
Aleksander Barkov found the puck and beat Jake Oettinger with a wrist shot to give the Panthers a 4-3 lead at 4:52 of the third period. Sam Reinhart and Evan Rodrigues collected the assists on Barkov’s eighth of the season.
Evan Rodrigues used a wrist shot to score a power-play goal to extend the Panthers’ lead to 5-3 at 8:00 of the third period. Oliver Ekman-Larsson and Aaron Ekblad collected the assists on Rodrigues’ sixth of the season.
The Stars made it a one-goal game again. Thomas Harley used a wrist shot to score a power-play goal to cut the Panthers’ lead to 5-4 at 12:26 of the third period. Mason Marchment collected the lone assist on Harley’s sixth of the season.
The Stars fell 5-4 to the Panthers on the road. Dallas outshot Florida 35-31 after a full 60 minutes.
Notes
Three Stars of the Game
1. Evan Rodrigues (4 points: 2 goals and two assists)
2. Aleksander Barkov (2 points: 1 goal and 1 assist)
3. Sam Reinhart (3 points: 1 goal and two assists)
Come Together
Children’s Health StarCenter announced Tuesday they’ll host a Stars community practice in McKinney, Texas. The Stars will hit the ice from 12:00 to 1:00 p.m. Central. In addition, the Dallas Stars Ice Girls, Street Squad, etc., will be in attendance.
Two Times
This week, the Stars will host two watch parties: one at Shark Club on Wednesday at 6:00 p.m. Central and another at AT&T Discovery District on Thursday at 7:00 p.m. Central.
First Time
The Stars announced Tuesday that Jason Robertson’s Charity Game will take place on Saturday after the Stars vs. Vegas Golden Knights game.
Viva México
According to NHL.com’s William Douglas, the Stars will host seven Mexican youth teams this weekend for the International Silver Stick, an international hockey tournament with five boys’ teams and two girls’ teams competing in the Dallas National Qualifier.
Up Next
The Stars will take on the Washington Capitals in the nation’s capital on Thursday at 7:00 p.m. Central.
