Dallas, TX

Hot shooter: Jason Robertson’s two-goal night helps propel Stars past Vegas, to brink of playoffs

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2 years ago

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The Dallas Stars must wait a short while longer to clinch a playoff spot.

In beating the Golden Knights 3-2 in a shootout on Tuesday night time, the Stars picked up an enormous win however stored Vegas alive within the chase for a playoff spot within the Western Convention. Dallas dropped its magic quantity to clinch a playoff spot to 1.

Any mixture of 1 level gained by the Stars or misplaced by the Golden Knights would ship Dallas by way of to the postseason. The Stars can safe their spot as quickly as Wednesday with some extent in opposition to Arizona, or a Vegas loss in Chicago.

“The excitement is there, however we don’t need to get too excessive,” Stars ahead Jason Robertson mentioned. “The job’s not completed proper now. We simply acquired to come back with the identical strategy we did at present, and play laborious tomorrow.”

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The Stars (95 factors) are additionally tied with Nashville (95 factors) for the primary Wild Card spot within the West as every crew has two video games left. The Predators maintain the tiebreakers with a 35-30 edge in regulation wins. Nashville misplaced in extra time to Calgary on Tuesday and performs at Colorado on Thursday.

Miro Heiskanen gained the sport within the seventh spherical of the shootout for Dallas. Jake Oettinger adopted with a save on William Karlsson, and Oettinger was excellent within the shootout.

The method for the Stars seemed acquainted: Get well timed saves from Oettinger and targets from Robertson.

Robertson scored twice, changing into simply the fourth participant in Dallas Stars historical past to attain 40 targets in a season. Oettinger made 33 saves. William Service and Chandler Stephenson scored for the Golden Knights.

Robertson twice rescued the Stars, who trailed 1-0 and 2-1 earlier than his targets. Within the second interval, Robertson side-stepped Brayden McNabb (crumpling him to the ice) earlier than beating Logan Thompson on the far facet with a wonderfully positioned shot. Within the third interval, he slid by way of the slot and redirected a cross from John Klingberg.

Together with his second objective, Robertson joined Mike Modano, Jamie Benn and Tyler Seguin as the one Dallas Stars to attain 40 targets in a season.

“I’m simply attempting to make it [in the NHL],” Robertson mentioned. “I’m simply attempting to play hockey. Undoubtedly couldn’t have gotten there with out guys setting me up, even Klinger nice discover. It’s simply taking part in hockey. Like I mentioned, I’ve the posh of being on one of many high traces this yr.”

Oettinger known as Robertson a “rink rat.”

“I like having him as one of many guys that comes out early and shoots as a result of he assessments you 24/7,” Oettinger mentioned. “He’s by no means attempting to heat you up, he’s all the time attempting to attain, which generally will be annoying, but it surely pushes you to be higher. He loves hockey, he loves scoring. I’ve a very good feeling that that’s going to be the primary of lots of these sort of seasons for him.”

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Vegas scored within the last minute of each the primary and second durations.

With 49 seconds left within the first interval, Service centered a cross on the frenzy that banked off of Luke Glendening and into the Stars’ internet. With 3.3 seconds left within the second interval, Vegas crashed the online on the ability play, leading to Stephenson’s objective.

On Tuesday night time, the Stars had the load of the hockey world behind them.

A regulation win by Dallas would clinch a playoff spot not just for the Stars, but additionally for the Predators and the Kings. However, extra importantly for groups across the league, it might remove the Golden Knights, the fifth-year crew that hasn’t missed the playoffs because it entered the league in 2017-18.

The Golden Knights have change into one of the vital disliked groups within the league given their success (or lack of struggling), to associate with their continued pursuit of each huge identify on the commerce or free agent market, and their utilization of the long-term injured reserve to ice a crew that’s cap compliant.

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Consequently, dozens of different fanbases joined social media cries for a Stars win.

“We’re right down to the final three video games,” Stars coach Rick Bowness mentioned earlier than the sport. “We nonetheless don’t have an X beside our identify. We’re taking part in a crew that has to win tonight. They need to win. That is an thrilling day. This can be a nice day to be a part of the Nationwide Hockey League.”

The Stars have had huge video games with the Golden Knights lately. Dallas hosted the primary sport in Vegas franchise historical past in 2017. The 2 sides tangled within the Western Convention Finals in 2020, highlighted by Anton Khudobin’s efficiency and Denis Gurianov’s series-winning one-timer.

A clincher with many of the league sporting Victory Inexperienced?

Not Tuesday night time.

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Wednesday night time will current one other likelihood.

“Attempt to get some sleep fast and prepare to go once more,” Seguin mentioned.

“We want that win greater than they do tomorrow,” Robertson mentioned.

“It will get you that a lot nearer,” Bowness mentioned. “It’s proper there. We wish extra. We want extra. And we haven’t dominated out seventh place. We’ve acquired to get in. We want that one level to get in. Now we have two video games to attempt to get in, after which hopefully take a run at seventh.”

Images

1/35A fan bangs on the pexi-glass following Dallas Stars left wing Jason Robertson’s (21) objective in opposition to the Vegas Golden Knights in the course of the second interval of a sport, on Tuesday, April 26, 2022, at American Airways Middle in Dallas, TX.(Juan Figueroa / Workers Photographer)

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Discover extra Stars protection from The Dallas Morning Information right here.





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