The first thing I want you to do before reading the article is get your heart rate down if it's still sky high from last night. OT in the playoffs is not for the faint of heart. Any little mistake could turn into a huge momentum swing for the other team. The Stars were lucky enough to keep it at their end of the ice for most of overtime. It wasn't until Wyatt Johnston elevated the puck for the game-winning goal. The Stars won 3-2 over the Vegas Golden Knights and force game five back in Dallas.
Wyatt Johnston is a stud pic.twitter.com/lvfR0nDlzU
— Dimitri Filipovic (@DimFilipovic) April 28, 2024
This could have all been avoided if the Stars had learned how to elevate the puck close to the net. Tyler Seguin could have put the game away with at least three shot attempts last night. All that matters is the Stars managed to get a win in this series and force a game five back in Dallas. The tickets for game five haven't gone on sale just yet. Stay tuned to Blackout Dallas's social media accounts for when those tickets go on sale.
The Stars don't have much time for celebration with game four on Monday night. There is still more work to be done if they want to get back into this series. Winning last night was their first step in digging themselves out of the 2-0 hole they put themselves in. If the Stars can play like they did last night, this series could be tied going back to Dallas later this week. It depends on whether the Stars can recover tomorrow and fix their mistakes. Here are the three takeaways from the win over the Vegas Golden Knights.
Dallas Stars vs. Vegas Golden Knights: 3. Aggressive in the first period
Setting the tone of the game after the opening puck drop last night led to Dallas finding a way to beat the Golden Knights. They were ferocious with their attack on Logan Thompson. I don't know how the game wasn't 5-0 Stars by the end of the first period. The Stars fired the puck relentlessly until the final buzzer sounded for the first intermission. That is how you win playoff games, especially on the road.
Dallas Stars vs. Vegas Golden Knights: 2. Oettinger
Jake Oettinger had another fantastic night between the pipes, and it helped the Stars force game five back in Dallas. If the Stars didn't want to be on the brink of elimination going into game four, Oettinger had to be the better goaltender. Thompson was also terrific tonight in between the pipes for the Golden Knights. It's just Oettinger didn't bring his head down and allow Wyatt Johnston to elevate it for the game-winning goal. It turns out Oettinger was the better goaltender last night by a smidge.
Dallas Stars vs. Vegas Golden Knights: 1. Wyatt Johnston
Let's hear it for the hero last night. Wyatt Johnston showed America that he is not in the middle of a sophomore slump like many hockey writers predicted at the beginning of the season. His two goals tonight are why the Stars will add another game to this series later this week. His game-winning goal brought flashbacks to the goal he scored in game seven against the Seattle Kraken last year. The Stars will return to action on Monday night as they look to tie the series heading back to Dallas.
WYATT WITH THE WINNER! ✅ #StanleyCup
— NHL (@NHL) April 28, 2024
Wyatt Johnston puts home the @SportChek overtime winner to give the @DallasStars the W! pic.twitter.com/joS3CBg5sL