In a battle for first place in the Central Division, the Dallas Stars came to play, beating the Winnipeg Jets 4-1 to improve to 3-0 against the Canadian team.
The Dallas Stars held first place alone for 19 days until the Winnipeg Jets joined them on top Tuesday after their 4-2 win over the St Louis Blues. It was more than just a four point night in the division, it was a proving ground for two teams looking to make a statement, and the Stars did just that.
In addition to fighting for the top of the division, the Stars were also looking to bounce back after their poor performance against the Avalanche. That 5-1 loss in Colorado was due to a lot of factors: it was the second night of a back-to-back, the roster was still riddled with injuries and it came in the midst of a really tough part of the schedule. Bottom line - the Stars didn't play up to their level and needed to be better against the Jets.
In between the Colorado and Winnipeg game, the Stars acquired defenseman Chris Tanev to help with the blue line, adding depth to a recently struggling unit. Nils Lundkvist was able to slot back into the game after being in concussion protocol, marking the first time the top six were playing together since February 15th. The addition of Lundkvist back with partner Ryan Suter gave the defense a much more cohesive feel.
In the first period, the Stars came out hot, applying a lot of pressure to one of the most defensively sound teams in the league. The line of Jason Robertson, Roope Hintz and Joe Pavelski, which really solidified itself and became one of the hottest lines in the league under former Stars head coach and current Winnipeg coach, was the first to strike. Nearly seven minutes into the game, Jason Robertson gets his 20th goal of the season.
About ten minutes later, the top line struck again, as Joe Pavelski did what he does best and tipped a Jani Hakanpaa shot up and over the shoulder of Connor Hellebuyck. This was huge to get Robertson and Pavelski going, as the whole top line had struggled recently to get things going at the rate everyone has grown to expect from them.
Capping off one of the strongest first periods of the season for Dallas, Logan Stankoven scored for the third game in a row to make it 3-0. Alongside Jamie Benn and Wyatt Johnston, that line caused chaos around Hellebuyck's net and eventually the rookie was able to swat it past the Vezina Trophy favorite in net for the Jets. It was only Stankoven's fourth NHL game, but he has shown no signs of the moment being too big for him.
The second period gave a bit of momentum back to Winnipeg, and after the first penalty of the game went to Ryan Suter for a trip, the Jets were able to get one back on the power play. Former Star Vladislav Namestnikov scored after the puck caromed off Esa Lindell and right on to his stick for the tap in. The period ended with the Jets having cut the deficit to two, and a strong third period could have brought Winnipeg right back into it.
Instead, the Stars poured it on to start the final period, registering 13 shots through the first half of the third. It was only Hellebuyck that kept the game at 3-1, as the Stars got quality chance after quality chance. Dallas had a 5-on-3 chance where Hellebuyck had to be the best penalty killer for Winnipeg, stopping several grade-A chances. The power play continues to struggle for the Stars, but it didn't matter in this game. Winnipeg pulled Hellebuyck with over two minutes to go still trailing 3-1, and Hintz was able to flip a long backhander into the empty net to seal the victory. The Hintz goal meant every member of the struggling top line found the back of the net, which is needed moving forward as the Stars get closer to the playoffs.
Jake Oettinger picked up a bounce-back victory after getting left out to dry for five goals against in Colorado Tuesday, and the win against Winnipeg gave him his 100th career victory.
Next up for Dallas is a home-and-home series against San Jose, who is tied with Chicago for the least points in the NHL. These two games are crucial to bank four points from, as now both Winnipeg and Colorado are only two points behind the division leading Stars. If Dallas plays the way they did against the Jets, wins should come much easier than recently for the Stars.
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