Jake Oettinger shuts out the Minnesota Wild in his natural habitat

It's only fitting that this postgame article includes a classic Mush Smush photo. Jake Oettinger was on one tonight against the Minnesota Wild. Tonight's performance looked like the Oettinger the Stars needed against the Winnipeg Jets and Colorado Avalanche earlier this month. Oettinger made 32 saves as the Stars beat the Wild 3-0 to earn two crucial points. The Stars are now six points back of first place in the Central Division thanks to the Buffalo Sabres upsetting the Winnipeg Jets the other night.

The night was almost a complete disaster. Mikko Rantanen took a puck to the face and left the game briefly. You could hear a pin drop in the American Airlines Center when he went down. He would come back wearing the "Marchement-style" face shield and finish the remainder of the game. When he went down, you could almost hear a pin drop in the American Airlines Center. The Stars have taken too many pucks to the face this season. Here are the four takeaways from tonight's win over the Minnesota Wild.

Dallas Stars vs. Minnesota Wild Recap: 4. Illegal moose hunting in Texas

The hockey gods have already punished the Stars enough this season. Rantanen didn't deserve a puck hitting the side of his face tonight. StarsCountdown on Twitter asked the official Texas Game Warden account if they could look into illegal moose hunting at the American Airlines Center. The Stars are fortunate enough that Rantanen came back and finished the game. The last thing they needed entering the playoffs was another injury.

Dallas Stars vs. Minnesota Wild Recap: 3. Lightning strikes in bunches

Scoring goals can be very contagious throughout an 82-game season. Luckily for the Stars tonight, Wyatt Johnston's power play goal would also cause Matt Duchene to score. Those two goals in the second period felt like a one-two knockout punch and were enough for the Stars to win tonight. You could tell the Wild were exhausted, especially in the first period. It's a good thing those two goals did enough damage to tame the Wild.

Dallas Stars vs. Minnesota Wild Recap: 2. Clearing the puck still an issue

I would have to say the one thing the Stars need to work on is clearing the puck better. The Stars sometimes couldn't get the puck past the blue line and out of their zone. Based on the times the Wild kept it in the Stars zone, I was afraid the Wild would score a couple of goals. That could hurt the Stars in the Stanley Cup Playoffs because it could result in goals for the other team. That's just my one negative takeaway from a fantastic game tonight.

Dallas Stars vs. Minnesota Wild Recap: 1. Oettinger's Mojo

Oettinger didn't look like he needed a mental reset tonight. That was his best performance since the end of the four-nations break. If Jake is dialed in as he was tonight in the playoffs, there will be some frustrated teams in the Western Conference. I think Oettinger gained a lot of his confidence back. You could tell he could use his glove better than in previous games this month. The Stars are back on the road as they take on the Edmonton Oilers on Wednesday.

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