The Dallas Stars kicked off a four-game road trip with a loss to the Bruins in a shootout.

The Dallas Stars were hoping to celebrate President's Day with a win on the road in Boston.

While they put up a spirited fight, it didn't happen. The Bruins snapped a four-game winning streak with a 4-3 victory in a shootout.

Dallas came into the matchup having lost eight of their last 10 games against the Bruins, including the previous four (0-3-1) AT TD Garden.

The Stars were missing three of their defensive mainstays. Nils Lundkvist and Jani Hakanpaa were out with injuries, while Miro Heiskanen stayed in Dallas after his wife gave birth to their first child.

Derrick Pouliot and Alexander Petrovic were called up from Cedar Park and were paired together early in the game. The Bruins' fourth line took advantage 4:01 into the first period. Jesper Boqvist went against the grain on a centering pass from Anthony Richard and got one past Oettinger, who was on the wrong foot.

Wyatt Johnston got the equalizer and his 18th goal of the season after redirecting a Thomas Harley shot past Bruins netminder Jeremy Swayman to tie the game 1-1 at 11:14.

Joel Hanley squared off against the Bruins' Brad Marchand toward the end of the period, with both receiving five-minute majors for fighting.

Dallas allowed just six shots on goal while tallying 13 of their own. The Stars managed 11 quality shots to Boston's 7 in the period.

Ryan Suter notched his second goal of the season at the 1:04 mark of the second period after blasting a shot all the way from the boards above the left circle to put Dallas ahead 2-1. Swayman was screened and didn't see the shot.

Just 28 seconds later, Justin Brazeau tied the game at 2-2 with a shot from the low slot after being set up by Boqvist. It was Brazeau's first goal in his NHL debut.

Both teams had chances to take the lead in the period, but Oettinger and Swayman kept the score tied heading into the third frame.

Esa Lindell broke through for the Stars at the 10:44 mark, capitalizing on a 2-on-1 break for his fifth goal of the season.

After the Bruins removed Swayman for the sixth attacker, forward David Pastrnak tied the game 3-3 at 18:15, hitting a one-timer from the left circle to notch his 35th goal of the season.

Neither team could muster a goal in overtime. The shootout took nine rounds before Charlie McAvoy slipped one past Oettinger. After the Stars took a 1-0 lead in the shootout, Brad Marchand kept the Bruins' hopes alive by sending it to a second round.

When McAvoy put Dallas in a sudden-death situation in the ninth round, Swayman made a brilliant stop on Craig Smith to seal the Bruins' victory.

The Stars drop to 34-14-8 and 76 points. They don't have much time to lick their wounds, as they travel to New York to face the Rangers Tuesday on the second night of a back-to-back.

Here are some takeaways from the game.

Despite being shorthanded, Dallas's defense held their own.

The Stars have had the luxury of using just 20 skaters through most of this season. That luxury has turned into misfortune within the last week.

Defensemen Nils Lundkvist, Jani Hakanpaa, forwards Matt Duchene and Evgenii Dadonov all suffered injuries within the last nine days. Miro Heiskanen did not make the trip to Boston after his wife gave birth to their first child Sunday night. Duchene was scratched shortly before the Bruins game with a lower-body injury.

The defense had some rough patches. Boston's first two goals came from their fourth line. Pouliot and Petrovic were on the ice on Boqvist's first-period goal, losing coverage in the defensive zone and failing to cover Boqvist. On Pastrnak's goal, they fell for a McAvoy fake, allowing him to pass to Pastrnak across the zone.

All in all, it was a valiant effort for a defense that was one man short. They even got in on the scoring. Dallas's last two goals by Suter and Lindell were by defensemen

The Stars kept up a relentless attack.

The Stars played with high energy most of the game, refusing to be intimidated by the Bruins' physical play. Hanley didn't back down when confronted by Marchand late in the first period.

Jamie Benn, Craig Smith, Roope Hintz, Suter and Ty Dellandrea all had good looks in the second period. But Swayman, who made 43 saves for the game, was up to the task.

Dallas outshot the Bruins on goal 46-30, having the advantage in every period except the third.

Heiskanen is a proud papa.

Miro Heiskanen stayed behind as his teammates traveled to Beantown. Luckily, it wasn't due to an injury.

The 24-year-old Heiskanen and his wife are celebrating the birth of their first child, a baby girl born Sunday night.

The Stars could have used Heiskanen, who currently sits at six goals and 27 assists for 33 points. But a new life coming into the world takes precedence over a hockey game. Coach Pete DeBoer expects Heiskanen to rejoin the team at some point during the road trip.

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

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