As exciting as Wyatt Johnston's overtime goal was in Game 3, the Stars have to put it behind them and focus on taking Game 4 Monday.
One of the most exciting things about the postseason is its unpredictability. A team can get down by a couple of goals or even a couple of games, then turn the series on its head with one clutch play.
Coming into Saturday night, the Dallas Stars found themselves in a 2-0 hole against the Vegas Golden Knights in the first round of the Stanley Cup playoffs after losing both games at home. Another loss would put them on the brink of being swept. To get back in the series, they would have to steal a game at T-Mobile Arena in Vegas, a building they hadn't won in since Game 5 of last year's Western Conference Final.
Then, one shot changed everything.
Wyatt Johnston went top shelf at the 16:23 mark of overtime for a 3-2 Stars victory, narrowing the series gap to 2-1 and completing perhaps the team's biggest win of the season to date.
In just his second season, Johnston, who scored Dallas's first goal of the night on a backhander, became the fourth-youngest player in Stars/North Stars history to record a multi-goal game in the Stanley Cup playoffs. At 20 years, 349 days, he's also the youngest player in franchise history to score an overtime goal in the postseason.
So much for a sophomore jinx.
Scoring game-winners is almost becoming another day at the office for Johnston. As a rookie, he scored the series-clinching goal at 12:48 of the third period in last year's Western Conference Second Round for a 2-1 victory over the Seattle Kraken. That made him the youngest player in NHL history (20 years, one day) to score a series-clinching goal in a Game 7. It bested Jaromir Jagr of the Pittsburgh Penguins (20 years, 76 days) in the 1992 Patrick Division Semifinals.
Not bad for a kid who isn't old enough to celebrate the victory at the Sin City casinos.
"Everyone in here knows how good he is and what a good person he is," Stars goalie Jake Oettinger said after the game. "The sky's the limit for him. When he does stuff like that, no one in here is surprised. I'm just so happy for him. He's such a good kid. I'm happy he's in green and white."
The Stars began out the game playing like the desperate team they were. Through the first 30 minutes, they had outshot the defending Stanley Cup champions 30-10 but only had two goals to show for it. The biggest difference was Golden Knights netminder Logan Thompson, who stopped wave after wave of Dallas shots to keep his team in the game.
In fact, Thompson had stymied a wide open shot from the right circle by Johnston a couple of minutes earlier in overtime. But after taking a pass at the red line, Johnston cut around Shea Theodore,shot the puck past the Vegas defenseman's stick and over Thompson's left shoulder for the game-winner.
"I tried a couple low, and it didn't work," Johnston said. "So I figured I'd try to throw one up high, and luckily enough, it worked."
Taking Back Momentum
As exciting as Johnston's overtime goal was, the Stars must focus on keeping up the pressure in Game 4. The Golden Knights may not be at the same level of desperation Dallas was in Game 3, but another loss would even the series and put the momentum squarely back in the Stars' corner.
Stars coach Pete DeBoer is prepared for a much different look from the Golden Knights than what his team saw in Game 3.
"Obviously, they were off a little bit (in Game 3), and that helped," DeBoer said Sunday. "I know they're going to respond. I know they're obviously going to play better than they did. It's on us to continue to build on that game we had (Saturday)."
On almost any other night, Thompson's spectacular Game 3 performance would have been enough for his team to win. If the Stars learned anything from being constantly turned away at the net, it's staying persistent. they must find a way to continue win one-on-one battles, dominate puck possession, play fast and create rushes to keep Vegas from allowing the game to settle into their preferred slower pace.
Dallas ended up outshooting the Golden Knights 46-23 for the game, created twice as many quality scoring chances and had 39 more shot attempts. The odds of replicating that kind of domination are slim, but they can't allow the Golden Knights to bottle them up with their suffocating defense like they did in Games 1 and 2. Taking control of the game early the way they did on Saturday is crucial, especially in front of a Vegas crowd that will be louder than ever.
"We knew the situation coming into Vegas," forward Tyler Seguin said Saturday. "These guys are the champs from last year. We know how good they are on home ice. Our message (Saturday) was focusing on your first shift that first period. This first game, we knew we had to come in and steal one no matter what. Now, we want to steal two."
Vegas is currently the only Wild Card team to own a lead in its First Round Playoff series, and owns a 3-0 record in Game 4's at home. However, the road team has won each of the three games in this series. The Stars hope that trend continues in Game 4.
Marchment and Faksa Injury Updates
Forwards Mason Marchment and Radek Faksa left Game 2 in the third period with injuries, and did not see action in Game 3. The two skated in practice Sunday and Monday and will be game-time decisions, according to DeBoer.
The Stars recalled forward Mavrik Bourque from their AHL development affiliate in Texas Saturday. DeBoer chose to activate Ty Dellandrea and Craig Smith and made Bourque a healthy scratch.
Game 4 Watch Party
Stars fans can gather for another watch party Monday, this time at the Shark Club location in The Colony, 5752 Grandscape Blvd.
Puck drop is 8:30 Pm CT and can be viewed on ESPN and Bally Sports Southwest.
Make sure you bookmark THN's Dallas Stars site for the latest news, exclusive interviews, breakdowns, and so much more.
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