Stars, Murray Shut Out Wild 4-0

Matt Murray made 23 saves and the Stars scored twice shorthanded and once on the power play to come away with a 4-0 shutout of the Wild in Minnesota.

The Stars needed a win and a great defensive performance to end their slump to start 2024. After allowing four goals in each of their last three games, Dallas turned to Matt Murray to give Scott Wedgewood a rest, and Murray delivered. 

The Stars had a rough start to the game, despite being up 1-0 at the end of the first. Dallas couldn't get anything going in the first few minutes of the period and tested  Murray with loose defending immediately. The start was hindered even more with a Nils Lundkvist delay of game penalty, but the Stars were able to kill off two minutes of the man advantage. This would become a theme for the rest of the night.

Finally, about seven minutes into the game, the Stars managed to get their first shot on goal. Shortly after, Craig Smith was called for a high stick and the Stars were on their second penalty kill. 

Eleven seconds into the penalty kill, Tyler Seguin forced Brock Faber to turn the puck over behind Marc-Andre Fleury's net and battled to get the puck to Roope Hintz for his second short-handed goal of the season and third against the Wild in two games. 

With 47 seconds left of Smith's penalty, Tyler Seguin was called for tripping, but the Stars killed the remainder of both penalties. Despite having the third most time defending 5-on-3 situations, Dallas still hasn't allowed a single goal against.

The Stars finally got their chance at a power play after Mason Marchment drew his 17th penalty of the season, only for it to be snuffed out by a Wyatt Johnston penalty. The period ended with the Wild on the power play. 

The Stars generated more offense and had a pep to their step in the first few minutes of the period until around the eight minute mark where Dallas was called for their fifth penalty of the game.

The best chance once again came shorthanded, this time from Sam Steel, who was robbed at the doorstep by Fleury. 

The Stars had 8 shots on goal to the Wild's nine in the second and had 6:26 minutes of o-zone time. They finished the period still being out-shot 21-12 but the score remained 1-0. 

After forty minutes of nearly uneventful hockey, Seguin squeaked a standard wrist shot past Fleury just two minutes into the third. Referees initially called it no goal and play went on until the horn in the arena went off, indicating the puck did completely cross the goal line.

Even up 2-0, the shorthanded story continued with the Stars in the box. Johnston headed to the penalty box for the second time on a hooking call that seemingly came out of nowhere. Almost identically to the first goal, Faber turned the puck over in his own end and Seguin got the puck to Hintz, but Fleury made another fantastic save.

However, that wouldn't matter because seconds later, Sam Steel dished the puck to Radek Faksa for the second short-handed goal of the night, second against the Wild, and the team's fourth in two games. 

The icing on the cake came at the nine minute mark when Jason Robertson cashed in on an odd-man rush for a power play goal, making it 4-0 and putting the game squarely out of reach for the Wild.

Minnesota went out with a whimper, only registering two shots in the third period. Matt Murray stopped all 23 Wild shots and recorded the first NHL shutout of his career.

The Dallas Stars take on the Minnesota Wild again on Wednesday.

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