Dallas Stars Beat Predators In OT Thriller, Win 3-2
On Monday night, the Dallas Stars clashed with the Nashville Predators in the Music City. In Overtime, the Victory Green grinded it out for a 3-2 win.
After a thrilling 4-3 win over the Washington Capitals just two nights before, the Dallas Stars came into Nashville, Tennessee on Monday evening with plenty of momentum. A victory over the league’s best team sure is one way to boost up the confidence levels throughout the locker room.
Going up against their division rivals, Nashville Predators, Dallas looked for another big win. That’s exactly what they got, winning an Overtime thriller in Tennessee.
Game Recap
The hosts got things started by taking a 1-0 lead, thanks to a Craig Smith goal at the 8:28 point of the first period. Smith’s goal gave the Predators a lead at intermission.
After a foolish Antoine Roussel penalty just five minutes into the period, the Star went down to a man-disadvantage. But a beautiful pass from Jamie Benn set Cody Eakin up for his 11th goal of the season, and the shorthanded goal tied things up at one.
And the Dallas Stars weren’t done. Just 1:17 later, Ales Hemsky roofed one home, and gave the Stars their first lead of the game. But unfortunately for the green and white, the momentum was short-lived.
Filip Forsberg scored with just 3:42 left in the middle period. Heading into the final 20 minutes, it was all knotted up at two at Bridgestone Arena.
There were plenty of chances for both teams in the third, but nobody could break the 2-2 deadlock. So both teams got at least a point, and headed to 3-on-3 overtime.
In the overtime period, Mattias Janmark was the goal scorer to win it for the Stars. His 12th goal of the season capped off the Stars’ fifth road win in a row.
Thoughts and Observations
First and foremost, the Dallas Stars started off horribly. The first period was absolutely awful, and really and truly, the Stars were lucky to be down only 1-0 after the first period.
The second period, however, was much, much better for Dallas. Despite letting up a late goal in the period, the two they scored before that kept them in the game. Eakin and Hemsky’s goals not only put the Stars on the board, but created the momentum Dallas lacked in the first period.
In the third period, the Stars had plenty of chances to win it, but just couldn’t find the winner. That was until overtime, when Mattias Janmark cleaned up the puck and fired the game winning goal into the open net.
It was another good win for the Stars, and a much needed one at that. With a Blackhawks win, Dallas kept their tie for first place in the Central division.
Related Story: Dallas Stars: Are They Stanley Cup Contenders?
There were plenty of Dallas Stars who had great games tonight, especially from the second period on. With Jason Spezza out due to injury, plenty of players for Dallas have stepped up at a time of need.
I think Radek Faksa was a bright spot for the Stars. Although it doesn’t show on the stats sheet, he played with plenty of hustle and aggression throughout the entire game. The recently turned 22-year-old has proven to be exceptional since his re-calling back up to the big leagues.
Also, I really liked the way Antti Niemi played. He made numerous huge saves at pivotal moments to keep the Stars in position to win.
Overall, it was a huge win in the first night of a back-to-back for the Stars. After a sloppy start, they really picked it up and battled back for the two points.
Next: Dallas Stars Encounter Rigorous Week Ahead
The Dallas Stars are back in action tomorrow night. In the second night of back-to-back Central division games, the Stars will meet the St. Louis Blues at 7:00.