Dallas Stars’ Special Teams Help Secure Crucial Game 3 Double OT Win vs. Wild – The Hockey Writers –

It depends on where a series sits, but Game 3 is usually an important one. In the Dallas Stars’ case, coming up with a victory against the Minnesota Wild could have significance since the series was tied 1-1. In that scenario, teams that win Game 3 tend to win a best-of-seven 66 percent of the time.

Last night’s 4-3 double overtime victory over the Wild doesn’t guarantee anything, but the Stars are now on the front foot in their first-round series. It was a penalty-filled game, but the Stars’ special teams came to play and were the deciding factor in the win.

Stars’ Special Teams Were the Difference

Mikko Rantanen’s power-play goal, not even two minutes into the game, was a precursor of what was to come. There was plenty of special teams time for both teams last night, but it was the Stars who had the decisive advantage. Three of their four goals came on the power play, and they held the Wild to just one power-play goal on seven opportunities.

The Stars’ first power-play goal was a beaut. It started off the rush in the neutral zone, with Jason Robertson making a beautiful cross-ice pass to Rantanen for the tip-in in front of Jesper Wallstedt. That gave the Stars an early lead, but the Wild battled back and ended up taking a 3-2 lead in the second period.

For a while, it looked like the Stars’ power play would cost them the game. They had multiple opportunities in the second period, including a 5-on-3, but failed to capitalize. Moments after the 5-on-3 expired, Michael McCarron scored off the rush on a shot that Jake Oettinger would probably want back.

That would be far from the last power play that the Stars would get, however. With a little less than 10 minutes remaining in the third, they took advantage of another power-play opportunity. This time, it was Rantanen who made a great pass to Matt Duchene. Rantanen faked a shot and got Wallstedt and the Wild’s defenders swimming, leaving Duchene open and in a prime scoring position.

Of course, it was the Stars’ power play that ultimately led to them coming away with the win in double overtime. This specific man advantage had a more deliberate shooting approach, with Miro Heiskanen looking to get his shot through from the point. It was none other than Wyatt Johnston, who set a franchise record with 27 power-play goals during the regular season, with the redirection of Heiskanen’s shot to win the game.

The Stars’ power play was a significant factor in them coming away with the win, but their penalty kill kept the Wild at bay, too. The Wild went just 1/7 on the power play, and they had multiple chances to either take a 4-2 lead or break the tie at 3-3. The Stars’ penalty killers deserve plenty of credit, as they held the Wild to just one high-danger chance and 0.78 expected goals on the power play.

The Stars’ penalty killers were sacrificing their bodies and blocking shots, getting sticks in passing lanes, and making life easier for Oettinger. Radek Faksa was particularly excellent on the penalty kill and was one of the unsung heroes of the game.

On a night where both teams had significant special teams time, the Stars found a way to come out on top. They cleaned up their special teams in Game 2 and built on it with an even better performance in Game 3.

Stars Also Won the 5-on-5 Battle

Even though that was mostly a special teams battle last night, the Stars played a solid game at five-on-five, at least through regulation. The Wild’s defense was a bit loose early on, allowing the Stars to create offense off odd-man rushes. That’s how Robertson scored his goal to give the Stars a 2-0 lead in the first period.

Just a few minutes after Robertson scored to double up the Stars’ lead, Arttu Hyry came close to giving the Stars a 3-0 lead on another 2-on-1 that they managed to generate due to some sloppy Wild defense.

Even though the Stars struggled to control play at five-on-five in the first overtime, they finished the night with an expected goals share (xG%) of 59.66 percent. The Wild had mostly outplayed the Stars at five-on-five in Games 1 and 2, so that was a positive development, especially since the Wild had last change on home ice last night.

Combined with their efforts on special teams, it’s fair to say that the Stars deserved to win last night’s game. It wasn’t always pretty, even on the power play, but they were the better team. Now, they have the Wild chasing the series and have an opportunity to head back to Dallas with a 3-1 series lead.

Quick Hits

• Faksa didn’t find the scoresheet, although he did almost score the winner in overtime before Johnston ended the game, but he had a great outing. He drew the penalty that led to Duchene’s power-play goal in the third, and his work on the penalty kill deserves praise. There was a shift on the penalty kill in overtime where Faksa’s stick broke. That essentially gave the Wild a 5-on-3, but he blocked multiple shots and eventually got the puck out of the zone to end the threat. The Stars’ top players may have decided the game, but Faksa was a major contributor as well.

• Former head coach Pete DeBoer did not trust Nils Lundkvist much in the postseason, but Glen Gulutzan is not taking that approach. Lundkvist finished with the second-most five-on-five ice time to Thomas Harley, his defense partner, and the results were terrific. As a pair, Harley and Lundkvist finished with a shot attempt advantage of 22-9. They also controlled just over 95 percent of the expected goals and out-chanced the Wild 12-2 in their five-on-five minutes. Their breakouts were excellent, and they helped the Stars spend less time in the defensive zone. They were fantastic in big minutes.

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