DALLAS — You can’t ask for much more than what he received from the Stars and Golden Knights at the American Airlines Center on Tuesday. It had the look of a playoff game with a lot on the line for both teams.
Holding on to win in the seventh round of the shootout, the Stars simply need a point in their game against Arizona on Wednesday to earn a playoff berth. They can also get there if Vegas loses in Chicago, but it would be nice to see them take care of that themselves.
Here are the five takeaways from the game.
Video: Robertson hits twice to fuel Stars’ SO win
PLAYOFF ENVIRONMENT
As in the playoffs, the air inside the American Airlines Center was thick with tension. The fans exhaled with every whistle. Every turn was amplified for a good reason. This was a playoff game with no playoff tag attached.
The sold out crowd of 18,532 roared as I look at Heiskanen scored the only goal in the penalty shootout and reached an even higher level when jake oettinger refused William Karlsson to seal the deal.
ROBERTSON DOUBLES
Jason Robertson scored the 39th and 40th goals of the season, becoming the first Stars player since Tyler Seguin in 2017-18 to reach that mark.
Both goals were equal and showed once again that the big stage does not bother him.
Video: VGK@DAL: Robertson goes deep to bury tie
Give the Golden Knights credit: they kept Robertson, joe pavelski Y roope hintz under control for almost half the game. But the top line broke through at the 13:31 mark of the second period and 3:13 in the final frame.
Video: VGK@DAL: Robertson scores his 40th to tie the game
OETTINGER SAVES THE BEST WORK FOR SHOOTOUT
Round after round, salvo after salvo. Oettinger kept his team alive long enough for Heiskanen to score the decisive goal in the top of the seventh round. From there, he simply had to make one more stop.
Video: VGK@DAL: Heiskanen scores the only goal of the penalty shootout
Oettinger was outstanding in the penalty shootout, but let’s not forget the glove save he made on Shea Theodore with 2:37 remaining in regulation in a 2-2 game. The shot was penalized over the right side of the net, but Oettinger stepped back and denied the offense-minded defenseman with the glove.
Video: VGK@DAL: Oettinger shows the leather for the save
HARD WAY TO END THE OPENING 20
Both teams were locked in a playoff-style scoreless game for the first 19 minutes and shifted until the Golden Knights got on the scoreboard with some friendly fire from the Stars.
When William Carrier ran into the zone and tried to send a pass through the crease, he shot out. lucas glendening‘s stick and passed Oettinger with 48.3 seconds remaining in the period.
VEGAS SCORES IN THE FINAL SECONDS… TWICE
It’s never good to give up goals in the final minutes of a period, and the Stars were guilty of it twice.
Carrier opened the scoring with 48.3 seconds remaining in the first, and Chandler Stephenson added a go-ahead goal on the power play with 3.3 seconds remaining in the midframe.
Both goals, unfortunately, were self-inflicted. Carrier shot up Glendening’s stick on his backcheck, and the Golden Knights’ power play scored on his hook penalty.
The Stars’ final homestand of the regular season continues Wednesday against the Arizona Coyotes at 7:30 p.m. Get your tickets now!
This story was not subject to the approval of the National Hockey League or the Dallas Stars Hockey Club.
Kyle Shohara is the digital administrator for DallasStars.com and writes about the Stars/NHL. Follow him on Twitter @kyleshohara.
Reference-www.nhl.com