The Dallas Stars defeated the Buffalo Sabres 3-2 on Jason Robertson's bobblehead night.
The Dallas Stars defeated the Buffalo Sabres 3-2 on Jason Robertson's bobblehead night.
The Dallas Stars notched their 50th win of the season against the Buffalo Sabres Tuesday, keeping control of the Central Division and putting the division title closer within reach.
This season marked only the fifth time in franchise history that the Stars have reached the 50 win mark, signifying how good of a year this team is putting together. This is the first of a four-game home stand to round out the rest of the season, and with only three games left, Dallas has a five point advantage in the division race.
The first period started off slow, but the Sabres looked about a half-step faster than the Stars early and were applying quite a bit of pressure. Buffalo started the night five points back from the final wild card spot in the Eastern Conference, so the Sabres were desperate for two points.
Buffalo finally struck first when defenseman Henri Jokiharju took a shot from the point that was tipped by Alex Tuch for his 21st goal of the season. After that, the Stars were able to start stringing some offensive pressure together. About two minutes after the Sabres goal, Jason Robertson tipped one past Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen on his bobblehead night.
Mid announcement for the first Stars goal, Mason Marchment battled in front and tipped another shot in for what would originally be called a goal. Referees Gord Dwyer and Justin Kea immediately went to the tablet and after review it was determined that Marchment's stick was higher than crossbar level, and the goal was called off.
The Sabres capitalized on the no goal call as Rasmus Dahlin squeaked one through Jake Oettinger, flipping the score to 2-1 in favor of Buffalo with nine minutes left in the period.
The Stars came out hot in the second period, applying more pressure than the first. Four minutes in, Wyatt Johnston found himself in a battle in front of the net, but it didn't stop him from potting a beautiful backhand for his 32nd of the season. The Stars did not stop applying pressure and minutes later, master tipper Joe Pavelski added another one to his goal tally. Chris Tanev got the primary assist on the goal, giving him a three game point streak.
In the final minutes of the second period, three of five Stars skaters got caught on the ice for an extended shift, and after an icing and several failed zone clearances, Jack Quinn scored to tie it up at 3-3. Dallas quickly sent the referees back to the tablet, challenging the play for a missed game stoppage. Sure enough, the puck was played by a high-stick in the lead-up to the goal, giving the Stars a big break and sending the game into the third period with Dallas up 3-2.
The third period started with both teams having a shot at the man advantage with neither team converting. Then, around the nine minute mark, the Stars went on the penalty kill again. Miro Heiskanen was called for cross checking, and rather out of character for the soft spoken defenseman, argued with the ref and threw his glove in frustration. Head coach Pete DeBoer said the ensuing ten minute misconduct was because the glove bounced into the stands, and any equipment that makes its way into the crowd is an automatic misconduct.
With Heiskanen sidelined for the rest of regulation, the Stars were suddenly without their best defenseman and on the penalty kill. Dallas stepped up and easily killed the penalty, and were able to play remarkably well with Heiskanen unable to do anything but watch. Dallas only gave up one clear-cut chance with the empty net, but Oettinger was in position for the save.
With the loss and the Washington Capitals win, Buffalo was once again eliminated from the playoffs, something their fans have gotten used to in the past decade.
Despite the Sabres fighting for their playoff lives, the Stars looked focused and ready for the battle from a desperate team, keeping their five point lead intact on top of the Central Division standings. With the New York Rangers losing, the Stars also bumped up to one point behind in the race for the President's Trophy.
Up next is a home game Thursday against the Winnipeg Jets, who beat Nashville 4-3 in overtime on the road Tuesday. The Jets have 102 points, seven back of Dallas and good for third place in the Central.
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