After leading 3-1 going into the third period, Dallas surrendered three goals to fall to the NHL's top team.
After leading 3-1 going into the third period, Dallas surrendered three goals to fall to the NHL's top team.
The Dallas Stars returned home to kick off a five-game homestand against the hottest team in the NHL. The Florida Panthers had won seven of their last eight games and 17 of their last 20. The Stars had a five-game winning streak that included a three-game West Coast sweep. Something had to give.
In the end, it was the Stars who blinked.
After trailing 3-0 in the second period, Florida scored four unanswered goals, including three in the final nine minutes for a 4-3 win. The loss ended Dallas' five-game winning streak, while the Panthers improved their league-leading road record to 24-8-2.
The Stars were in complete control the first two periods, playing fast and aggressive. Just four minutes in, the top line got their team on the board after creating a 2-on-0 rush. Joe Pavelski took a pass from Jason Robertson and went 5-hole on Sergei Bobrovsky for his 24th goal of the season.
With the assist, Robertson earned the 300th point of his NHL career, while Pavelski scored the 473rd goal of his storied career.
Dallas kept the pressure on, slicing through the Florida defense with more than half a dozen chances to increase the lead. But Bobrovsky showed why he was 17-2-2 lifetime against the Stars with a 2.32 goals against average and .925 save percentage coming into Tuesday's game. He robbed Logan Stankoven, Roope Hintz and Ty Dellandrea with spectacular saves.
The Panthers, who came into the game ranked fourth on the power play, drew a Matt Duchene hooking call at 10:24, but Dallas managed to escape damage. They ended the period outshooting the Panthers 14-10 and 15-7 on quality scoring chances, but clung to their 1-0 lead.
Bobrovsky continued to deny the Stars early in the second period, making a beautiful glove save on a Miro Heiskanen wrist shot off a 2-on-1.
The Panthers goalie finally showed he was human. After Hintz drew a hooking penalty from Dmitry Kulikov at 7:34, Jamie Benn, Pavelski and Robertson each took a shot. It was Robertson who finally made it 2-0 at 7:48 for his 23rd goal of the season.
On the next shift, Wyatt Johnston deflected a Mason Marchment wrist shot past Bobrovsky for a 3-0 Dallas lead.
Marchment was called for roughing at the 11:31 mark, and Sam Reinhart scored on a shot that deflected off a stick and got past Oettinger. It was Reinhart's 26th power play goal of the season, cutting Dallas' lead to 3-1.
The Stars played with high intensity through two periods. Did they have enough left in the tank to keep the NHL's top team at bay for 20 more minutes?
The Panthers answered with an emphatic no. Bobrovsky returned to his superhuman form, robbing Matt Duchene on a wide-open backdoor shot. That should have been a hint that Florida was about to get off the deck.
Robertson was called for holding at 9:07, and Carter Verhaeghe snapped a shot through a screen for Florida's second straight power play goal to cut the Dallas lead to 3-2 at 11:09.
Sam Bennett tied the game 3-3at the 14:00 mark on a tip-in at the crease. The final nail in the coffin came after Tanev was called for tripping, and Alexander Barkov scored from the right circle at 14:38.
Dallas looked like a team on a mission for 40 minutes. But the Panthers didn't get to be the NHL's points leader by giving in.
"They were pushing, they were desperate," a dejected Robertson told reporters following the loss. "We just couldn't match it in the third (period)."
The Stars hurt themselves by failing to kill penalties, three of which led to power play goals for Florida. Dallas' own power play netted just one goal in five chances.
The Stars, 40-18-9, 89 points, hope to bounce back Thursday when the New Jersey Devils come to town. The only good news that came out of the night was they held onto first place, as the Winnipeg Jets still trail by two points.
For Pavelski, the loss was an opportunity to learn some valuable lessons as the postseason draws near.
"For us, this group, this might come at the right time," Pavelski told reporters. "This is a great reminder of what's ahead of us. We're going to be in this situation again against good teams. In the playoffs, you're up by two, you're down by one, I don't think there's a game you can't change. You gotta go out and win periods, create momentum, keep moving the game forward."
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