DALLAS — The Dallas Stars struck early for the 13th time this season but couldn’t sustain the momentum, falling 4–1 to the Tampa Bay Lightning at American Airlines Center.
Oskar Back opened the scoring in an even first period, but the game shifted in the second as Dallas struggled with puck management and spent extended time in its own zone. Tampa Bay capitalized on neutral-zone turnovers to take control and pull away.
“We stayed with it early, but they stuck to their game longer than we did,” head coach Glen Gulutzan said.
Roope Hintz led Dallas at the faceoff dot, winning 75 percent of his draws, while Justin Hryckowian matched a career high with three shots on goal. Mikko Rantanen reached a milestone, skating in his 700th career NHL game.
Defensively, the Stars acknowledged the need to tighten things up. “We’re giving up too much and spending too much time defending,” Miro Heiskanen said. “If we clean it up, we’ll be fine.”
Tampa Bay, closing a demanding road trip, settled in after the early goal and locked down the 4–1 win.
