25. Dallas Stars @ Chicago Blackhawks, Nov. 30, 2017
Starting the countdown off, we have the Dallas Stars and Chicago Blackhawks game from Nov. 30, 2018.
Let’s set the scene. After struggling through the first six weeks of the regular season, the Stars are finally starting to find their stride. They have won four of their past five games and are starting to gain traction as December draws near.
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But before the month of November comes to a close, the Stars have to meet up with a Central Division foe away from home. That’s the Chicago Blackhawks. The Hawks are enduring their own struggles and are trying to find some consistency as the middle portion of the season approaches.
It was the first game of a home-and-home series for the two rivals that trailed into the beginning of December. Big points were on the line as both teams grappled for position in the airtight division standings.
And on both accounts, the Dallas Stars found a way to emerge victorious. But on Nov. 30, the win turned out to be a little extra special.
It was a night for the young guns of Dallas to get on the scoresheet. Mattias Janmark opened the scoring up with 5:14 to go in the first quarter, but was quickly mirrored by Alex DeBrincat nine seconds later. Radek Faksa pitched in with a shorthanded penalty shot goal as the first drew to an end, giving the Stars a 2-1 lead at the intermission.
In the second period, Artem Anisimov tacked on a goal in the first two minutes of the game, only to be retaliated by Remi Elie a few minutes later.
Patrick Kane opened up the third period with a goal that got the Chicago roaring for the rest of the period. At the end of regulation, the game stood at a 3-3 tie. But after just 51 seconds of overtime, Janmark proved to be the hero, tallying the winner on a swift breakaway to end the game and silence the United Center.
Even though the Stars’ juggernaut line was scoreless on the stat sheet, the depth forwards picked up the pace. Dallas successfully countered each Chicago attack and found a way to come back with their depth scoring. That’s a feat that rarely occurred for the Stars this past year.
An overtime win from a guy with a great story on the road against a rival. That’s a pretty sweet headline if you ask us.