The Dallas Stars and their Central Division foe, the Minnesota Wild, met for the first time this season. The Stars defeated the Wild 8-3 at the Xcel Energy Center in St. Paul, Minnesota. Dallas improved to 10-3-1, while Minnesota fell to 5-8-2.
Stars goaltender Jake Oettinger made 23 saves for a win, while Wild goaltender Marc-André Fleury made 29 saves in a losing effort.
The Stars’ starting lineup featured Miro Heiskanen, Sam Steel, Radek Faksa, Ryan Suter, Craig Smith, and Jake Oettinger. The Stars reportedly looked to end their road trip on a high note against the Wild.
The Stars wasted no time getting on the board first. Joe Pavelski capitalized on the power play with an accurate backhand shot that went into the Wild’s net for an early 1-0 lead just 57 seconds into the first period. Miro Heiskanen and Jason Robertson collected the assists on Pavelski’s sixth of the season.
The Stars doubled their lead nearly midway through the first. Radek Faksa scored an unassisted, short-handed goal on a wrist shot to make it a 2-0 game at 9:49.
The Stars’ bid at a shutout was stopped by Brandon Duhaime — who used a backhand shot to score a power-play goal — to cut the Stars’ lead to 3-1 at 10:38.
The Stars quickly responded to the Wild’s first goal of the game. Matt Duchene scored a tip-in, short-handed goal to give the Stars a 3-1 lead at 10:52. Mason Marchment and Tyler Seguin collected the assists on Duchene’s fifth of the season.
The Wild made it a one-goal game to wrap up the first-period scoring. Vinni Lettieri fired a shot over Jake Oettinger’s shoulder to cut the Stars’ lead to 3-1 with 47 seconds left in the first. Marco Rossi collected the lone assist on Lettieri’s second of the season.
The Stars held a 3-2 lead over the Wild at the end of the first. Dallas and Minnesota were tied 13-13 in shots after 20 minutes.
The Stars took a two-goal lead to open the second period. Wyatt Johnston fired a snap shot on the power play for a 4-2 lead at 2:34. Matt Duchene and Tyler Seguin collected the assists on Johnston’s sixth of the season.
The Stars grabbed a three-goal lead midway through the second. Evgenii Dadonov scored a power-play goal on a wrist shot to help the Stars to a 5-2 lead at 12:11. Wyatt Johnston and Nils Lundkvist collected the assists on Dadonov’s fourth of the season.
The Wild made it a two-goal game to conclude the second-period scoring. Mats Zuccarrello scored a power-play goal on a wrist shot to cut the Stars’ lead to 5-3 at 15:59. Kirill Kaprizov and Matt Boldy collected the assists on Zuccarello’s fourth of the season.
The Stars brought a 5-3 lead over the Wild to the locker room at the end of two periods. Dallas outshot Minnesota 25-21 after 40 minutes.
The Jason Robertson show aired in the third period and Robertson nearly notched a hat trick. Robertson scored his first goal of the game by firing a wrist shot on the power play to extend the Stars’ lead to 6-3 just 1:03 into the third. Miro Heiskanen and Jamie Benn collected the assists on Robertson’s fourth of the season. Robertson then scored his second goal of the game by unleashing a slap shot on the power play to expand the Stars’ lead to 7-3 at 3:09. Heiskanen and Roope Hintz collected the assists on Robertson’s fifth of the season.
Wyatt Johnston scored his second goal of the game — a short-handed goal on a snap shot — to put the Stars up 8-3 at 17:57 of the third. Jamie Benn collected the lone assist on Johnston’s seventh of the season.
The Stars defeated the Wild 8-3 at the end of three periods. Dallas outshot Minnesota 37-26 after a full 60 minutes.
Notes
Three Stars of the Game
1. Jason Robertson (3 points: 2 goals, 1 assist)
2. Miro Heiskanen (3 points: 3 assists)
3. Wyatt Johnston (3 points: 2 goals, 1 assist)
Cheers to 500
Evgenii Dadonov skated in his 500th NHL game on Sunday. Dadonov finished Sunday’s game with one point (one power-play goal), three shots, and a +0 rating in 12:47 of total ice time.
Up Next
The Stars will return home to host the Arizona Coyotes on Tuesday at 7:00 p.m. Central.
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