The Dallas Stars, fighting for a playoff spot, overcame a challenging travel day and a two-goal deficit to secure a crucial 3-2 victory over the Seattle Kraken on Saturday night.
After an early goal was overturned due to goalie interference, Roope Hintz sparked the Stars with two goals quickly in the second period, helping Dallas claw back from a 2-0 deficit. Vladislav Namestnikov scored the game-winner later in the period.
“Great resilience. We were running on fumes at the end there,” said Stars coach Rick Bowness. “Our guys dug deep and found the will to win. That was the difference.”
With three regular-season games remaining, all at home, the Stars now have 93 points, tied with Nashville for the two wild-card spots in the Western Conference. The Predators, who lost 6-2 to Tampa Bay on Saturday, have four games left. With 89 points and four games remaining, Vegas will face the Stars in Dallas on Tuesday night after playing San Jose on Sunday.
“It was a tough road trip for us,” said Stars center Joe Pavelski. “Getting back home felt nice.”
The Stars had a rough return from Calgary, with their charter plane experiencing issues that delayed their journey by over six hours. Despite the fatigue, the team managed to rally in the second period.
Hintz’s first goal came as he sat in the crease, managing to knock the puck in while on his back. Just minutes later, he scored again on a power play, showcasing impressive puck control to maneuver around Seattle defenseman Adam Larsson. Hintz now has five goals in the last three games, bringing his season total to 37.
Namestnikov, returning from a lower-body injury that kept him out of the previous five games, netted his 15th goal of the season, thanks to a setup from Denis Gurianov.
“You never want to be out, and when you come back, you want to make an impact,” said Namestnikov. “The boys battled hard today, and that was a gutsy, gutsy win.”
Jake Oettinger made 30 saves for Dallas and earned a secondary assist on the game-tying goal. Seattle’s Chris Driedger stopped 28 shots in the loss.
Seattle took an early lead with Riley Sheahan’s goal shortly after a power play ended, followed by Yanni Gourde’s 100th career goal, putting the Kraken up 2-0. However, they couldn’t maintain their advantage.
“We’ve been playing some pretty decent hockey lately if you cross out the last couple of second periods,” Driedger said. “Our group’s working towards some real positive things.”
Despite the loss, Kraken forward Riley Sheahan remained optimistic. “Overall, it wasn’t a terrible game,” Sheahan said. “We just had some lapses where we took the foot off the gas and they capitalized.”
Game Notes
The Stars had a goal disallowed early in the game after a successful Seattle coach’s challenge for goalie interference. Pavelski, who had his 500th career assist on Hintz’s first goal, now has assists in four straight games. Seattle rookie Matty Beniers failed to record a point for the first time in his six NHL games, ending his streak.
UP NEXT
- Kraken: At Vancouver on Tuesday night as the Canucks still push for a playoff spot.
- Stars: Host the Vegas Golden Knights on Tuesday night, potentially securing a playoff berth if Vegas loses on Sunday.
