Postgame: Bailey and Pageau
Postgame: Nelson and Pelech
KINGER'S CALLS
Pageau Snaps Wrister
"Their intensity was really good early and they were they were winning all the battles or winning all the races and they put volume up," Trotz said. "They create a lot of volume and they win those races and they kept some puck possession. I thought we sort of gathered ourselves a little bit, but we didn't we didn't put the puck in the play enough."
Nelson tied the score 2-2 less than a minute into the second period, keeping, shooting and scoring on a three-on-one rush, but that held up as the only Islanders shot on goal in the first 18-and-a-half minutes of the second period. The Isles registered three total shots on Jake Oettinger in the second and were being outshot 29-10 through 40 minutes.
The Stars were also adept at getting bodies to the net on Tuesday night, making it an uncomfortable game for Varlamov, who returned to the crease after backing up Cory Schneider on Sunday.
That played a role in Dallas' three goals. Jamie Benn crashed the net on the Stars' opening goal, seemingly making contact with Varlamov and knocking the goaltender off kilter, which left an open net for Studenic at 7:29. The Islanders challenged for goalie interference - a call Trotz said he was surprised went against his team.
Seguin scored Dallas' second goal, going to the net and having Miro Heiskanen's shot deflect off him and past Varlamov, putting the Stars ahead 2-1 with under a minute to play in the period. Faksa's shorthanded goal, which put Dallas ahead 3-2 in the second period, also came around the net, with the forward crashing hard before redirecting a centering feed from Luke Glendening.
"We've played well for a quite a stretch now, tonight maybe not so," Nelson said. "They did good job of kind of getting in our face right from the [defensive] zone as we're trying to break out into the neutral zone, so we didn't have much possession in entries."
The Islanders upped their game in the third period, generating more shots (11) than the previous two periods combined, not including a Zdeno Chara put a wrister off the post on an Islanders penalty kill midway through the third. Mathew Barzal had the Islanders best chance to tie the score, but was robbed by a diving Jake Oettinger on an open net with under three minutes to play.