A strong second period was enough to propel the Dallas Stars to a 5-4 win despite two late goals by the Detroit Red Wings.

The Dallas Stars wrapped up the season series and the last of a four game road trip with a win over the Detroit Red Wings. The Stars now have seven straight wins over the Red Wings in a dominant stretch over the past few seasons.

The first period started with an early power-play goal from Jamie Benn who snapped an eight-game goalless drought. But Detroit was able to answer with two of their own power-play goals from David Perron and Alex DeBrincat. 

The second period was nothing but Stars domination. 22 seconds after puck drop, Mason Marchment found the back of the net to tie the game. Two goals from Roope Hitnz and one from Esa Lindell followed over the next 20 minutes. The Stars ended up out-shooting the Red Wings 25-7 in the second frame, with over 20 quality scoring chances. 

However, the third period was a different story. After four unanswered goals, the Red Wings finally had something to say. Around the half-way mark, a penalty landed Ty Dellandrea in the box, and Wings captain Dylan Larkin capitalized and brought the score to 5-3. Larkin came into the game on a hot streak, and his personal success continued.

With a little over three minutes left, the Red Wings pulled their goal and scored shortly after, bringing them within one of tying the game. The Stars spent the last several minutes hemmed in their zone, and with the goalie once again pulled, Joel Hanley took a delay of game penalty at the 19:21 mark of the third period. The Stars spent the last 39 seconds down two men, but killed off the most important shorthanded moment of the game to preserve the victory.

It looked like it was going to be a quality win for Dallas, but the third period ruined that and caused stress for coaches and fans alike. Here are some takeaways from the game:

1. Roope Hintz is on fire.

Hintz had a three point night, tallying goal 21 and 22 of the year. The three points were happened in a span of four shifts in the second period. This now gives him 21 points in 14 career games against the Red Wings. 

Hintz also has 12 points in his last 10 games and he leads the entire league in expected offense per 60. Those who watch the Stars know that Hintz is underrated, but yet again, he is making it glaringly obvious.

2. Stars adjusted their offense. 

During the first half of the first period the Stars struggled to get the offense going, struggling to move the puck against the Wings. The stretch pass through the neutral zone was the Stars go-to early on, and Detroit was not having it. The Wings were there to pick off the passes and snuff any quick transition offense. 

Although this is not the first team that has figured out how to suppress the Stars most used method to get the puck through the neutral zone, this is the best example of Dallas being able to adjust to it on the fly.

The Stars started skating the puck through the neutral zone more in the second period, eliminating the Red Wings ability to just sit back and wait for the long stretch passes. This forced Detroit to have to defend moving all the way down ice, which the Stars were able to work around.

3. Failed clearances continue to hurt the Stars.

The Stars have had a top-three penalty kill for a majority of the season, but the penalty kill was decimated against the Red Wings, who were 14th in power-play percentage going into the game. This was largely due to having chances to clear the puck and not being able to.

This once again proved itself to be a problem with the Stars found themselves defending against the extra skater situation, when the Red Wings pulled their goalie twice. 

The Stars were able to hang on and not let this game fully slip away, which has been a problem too often in the past. Just the other night in New York, the Islanders tied the game in the final period and took the extra point from Dallas with an overtime winner from Bo Horvat. 

Now, Dallas can shift the focus back home for a two game stretch before the All-Star break after going 2-1-1 on their road trip.

Dallas is hopeful that Miro Heiskanen will be back sooner rather than later, which will help alleviate some of their defensive issues while also polishing up the offense that doesn't look like it is slowing down any time soon. 

The Stars take on the Anaheim Ducks next on pickleball night on Thursday. Promo tickets to receive a free Stars branded pickleball paddle have already sold out, and the American Airlines Center should be rocking with a packed barn looking to see another win.

After that, Matt Duchene will finally be recognized for playing 1000 games (which happened over a month ago, oddly) against the Capitals in a Saturday matinee.

Make sure you bookmark THN's Dallas Stars site for the latest news, exclusive interviews, breakdowns, and so much more.

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