DALLAS — The Dallas Stars didn’t play their best hockey Saturday night, but they had Jake Oettinger to thank for making sure it didn’t cost them.
Oettinger came through when Dallas needed him, helping the Stars escape with a 3-1 victory over the Columbus Blue Jackets at home.
Dallas got off to a good start, playing a direct game and getting a power-play goal to generate some momentum. The rest of the night wasn’t nearly as comfortable. Columbus pushed the pace, and the Stars spent much of the final two periods defending in their own end.
Glen Gulutzan didn’t sugarcoat his team’s performance afterward.
“We got outplayed for 40,” the Stars coach said. “We were in our back half too much.”
But Oettinger kept making saves, giving Dallas a chance to hold on. Gulutzan said the goaltender was the biggest reason the Stars came away with the win.
There was plenty happening beyond the final score.
Oettinger picked up his 225th career victory, combining regular-season and playoff wins, moving past Kari Lehtonen into second place in franchise history. Marty Turco remains the franchise leader with 283.
Jason Robertson added another entry to his growing Dallas résumé. His assist on Mikko Rantanen’s goal was the 286th of his career, moving him past Brendan Morrow for 10th among forwards in franchise history.
Heiskanen also climbed the record books. His assist on Thomas Harley’s goal gave him 365 career points, moving him past Risto Siltanen for fourth-most by a Finnish defenseman in NHL history.
Harley provided one of the night’s memorable moments, scoring with just three-tenths of a second remaining on the clock.
“I know time’s ticking down,” Harley said. “There’s no play but fire it at the net.”
The Stars also got a boost from the return of Esa Lindell, who had been sidelined with an injury. Lindell said it felt good to get back on the ice with his teammates after watching from the sidelines.
For David Perron, the night marked his first appearance in a Dallas uniform. The veteran forward, now in his 20th NHL season, admitted the adjustment took some time but felt more comfortable as the game went along.
Justin Hryckowian reached a milestone of his own, appearing in his 100th NHL game.
Dallas also continued its strong penalty-killing stretch. The Stars killed off Columbus’ only power-play opportunity, extending their run to eight consecutive games without allowing a power-play goal. They have now killed 27 straight penalties.
The victory gives Dallas something to build on, although Gulutzan knows his team will need a more complete effort moving forward.
As Harley acknowledged afterward, the Stars would rather dictate the game than spend so much time defending.
Saturday night, however, Oettinger made sure one difficult night still ended with two points.
