Pat Pickens
The Dallas Stars were one shot away from sending the rival Minnesota Wild to the brink of elimination.
Instead the Western Conference first round will head back to American Airlines Center tied at two games apiece after Matthew Boldy scored at 19:31 of the first OT, lifting the Wild to a 3-2 win at Grand Casino Arena.
Jason Robertson and Miro Heiskanen each scored, and goalie Jake Oettinger made 40 saves for the Stars.
Dallas did the job it needed to by retaking home-ice advantage with its double-overtime win in Game 3. But it blew two one-goal leads, and therefore a glorious chance to build a commanding 3-1 advantage, by allowing Marcus Foligno’s goal with just 5:20 left in regulation.
Game 5 is Tuesday in Dallas at 7 p.m. CT.
Here are the Game 4 takeaways:
Jason Robertson and the Stars Power Play Remained Red Hot
Dallas entered play Saturday on a special-teams burner, and its PK did not allow a goal and its man-advantage remained white hot.
Both of Dallas’ goals came on the power play, with Robertson tallying his second man-up goal and Heiskanen netting his first goal of the series.
“Our power play’s been good,” Stars coach Glen Gulatzan said after the game.
The Stars power play is now 8 for 19 (42.1%) through four games and ranks second among all teams behind only the Anaheim Ducks. The Ducks have had 11 fewer PPs than the than the Stars through one fewer game.
Dallas has scored four straight goals on the power play. The Stars have had success moving the puck from high to low then capitalizing on diagonal passes and beating Jesper Wallstedt on sharp-angle shots — which Robertson, Heiskanen and Matt Duchene each did on their goals.
Robertson has now scored in every game in the series and is only one of three Stars players with multiple PPGs in the series. At this point the Stars need to figure out how to score at even strength, since they only have three goals at 5-on-5.
“We just couldn’t get any puck luck,” Gulatzan said. “We’re just going to have to start to finish off some.”
Jake Oettinger Nearly Saved the Stars
Oettinger has cost the Stars games in the past, but their goalie wasn’t the reason they lost Saturday.
The Wild finished with 3.84 Expected Goals in Game 4 and outshot the Stars 24-17 over the third period and overtime. Foligno’s goal came off a rebound, where the Minnesota forward reached over Oettinger and deposited the puck into the empty cage. Brock Faber’s goal was a seeing-eye shot.
Oettinger’s numbers in the series may not look impressive, but he has been excellent since Dallas’ 6-1 loss in Game 1. The Stars’ franchise goalie has a 1.38 all-situation goals-saved above average and a .924 save% in their past three games and could use some additional support from his teammates.
“I thought he made some massive saves,” Gulatzan said. “You need it this time of the year, and he’s given it to us.”
Oettinger made 10-bell save after 10-bell save throughout OT — Minnesota only could beat him when Boldy tried kicking the puck past him in for a disallowed goal. But Boldy then redirected Jared Spurgeon’s shot from the point.
The Wild, Stars Series Deserves to be Tied
Game 1 was lopsided, but the series has been what we all expected ever since.
The past two games have gone to overtime, including the double-OT affair in Game 3. The checking is tight. The atmospheres are raucous. The teams are both ultra-skilled. This series should be knotted at 2 after four games.
It’s easier said than done, but Stars fans should enjoy try to enjoy the ride that is Stanley Cup Playoff hockey. This series seems destined for seven games, and even Gulatzan admitted it.
“Lots of players in this series are playing good hockey,” Gulatzan said. “It’s just two good hockey teams.”
