Stars phenom Wyatt Johnston saves Dallas’ season with Game 3 overtime winner

Vegas is only so much fun for someone Wyatt Johnston’s age.

He can’t celebrate at the bar with his teammates, nor can he test his luck at a casino during Dallas’ four-day stay.

But the 20-year-old Stars forward left T-Mobile Arena Saturday night as the biggest winner.

Johnston lifted Dallas to its first win of the 2024 Stanley Cup playoffs by a 3-2 margin in overtime, accounting for two of Dallas’ goals including his first overtime game-winner of his career.

He was by far Dallas’ best player on the ice — as he has been in many games this season — and sparked the dominant offensive performance that Dallas needed.

“I thought he was just outstanding tonight,” Stars coach Pete DeBoer said. “For a kid to be under 21 years old and be on that ice with that level of player and look like he did all night tonight, just an outstanding player.”

Johnston logged 23:50 of ice time and had eight shots on goal. He scored his first goal a little over 11 minutes into the game, cleaning up a rebound in front of the net. His top-shelf overtime goal looked eerily similar to the one he scored in Game 7 of last year’s series with Seattle, which clinched Dallas a spot in the Western Conference Finals.

But less than a year later, his game and confidence levels have drastically improved.

“Definitely feels a lot different,” he said. “Obviously, I got to experience a pretty good run last year. I think just learning from last year the playoff style of hockey and trying my best to learn the different areas playing Vegas.”

Johnston led Dallas in goals this season with 32 and is now tied with Jason Robertson for the lead in playoff goals (2). He’s done that despite being a third-line player.

However, his play earned him a spot on Dallas’ top line Saturday alongside Robertson and Roope Hintz. The trio played 111 minutes together in the regular season and led the league in expected goals percentage at 80.2%

Saturday night was just another example of how dangerous they can be.

“They’re great players,” Johnston said of his new linemates. “They’re so smart. See the ice really well, make those plays. I think for me it’s just making sure I’m making those plays. I think it’s just trying to feed off of them.”

Johnston and his line were relentless in Game 3, especially as Vegas goalie Logan Thompson had the game of his career.

Thompson made 43 saves on 46 shots, including stunning glove saves and stops on breakaways. He turned away a dangerous shot from Johnston just moments before the game-winner.

But Johnston continued to threaten, and it paid off.

“Wyatt Johnston. That’s kind of how we solved them,” Tyler Seguin said.

Dallas’ young core has been the heart and soul of the last few months of the season with Johnston and 21-year-old Logan Stankoven delivering the team’s best performances on many nights. The fanbase saw the potential for that group to grow when the team announced it had called up 22-year-old Mavrik Bourque from the Texas Stars, though he was ultimately a healthy scratch Saturday.

DeBoer cautioned that Bourque would not be responsible for saving the Stars’ season if he did enter the lineup.

But Johnston’s performance Saturday night just might have.

“Johnny was such a stud and made a huge play. Biggest play of the season so far,” Stars goalie Jake Oettinger said. “Everyone in here knows how good he is and just what a good person he is. The sky’s the limit for him. When he does stuff like that, no one in here is surprised. We’re happy he’s in green and white.”

Twitter: @lassimak

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