Heika's Take: Stars rise up, find a way to beat Blackhawks in overtime

The Stars won an emotional game Saturday - an emotional game they really needed to win.
After forward Tanner Kero was knocked out on a blindside hit three minutes into the first period, the Stars rallied by scoring two goals on the ensuing five-minute power play. Joe Pavelski tallied both markers and finished with a four-point night to lead Dallas to a 4-3 overtime victory against the Chicago Blackhawks.

Afterward, the veteran center broke down relating the experience to when he was knocked out in the 2019 playoffs and his San Jose teammates rallied to keep the Sharks alive.
"It's terrible. I've been there before," said Pavelski, whose teammates staged one of the great comebacks in league history by scoring three times on their power play and eventually beating the Golden Knights in Game 7. Pavelski went through a grueling recovery and then returned to help San Jose win Game 7 against Colorado in the next series. The 37-year-old center said it was one of his favorite moments in San Jose, and the emotion of that experience clearly was felt Saturday.

"My teammates rallied around me that night," he added while fighting back tears. "It flashes back there. Tanner, he's awesome. He's soft spoken, he works hard, he doesn't miss a day. When he gets called on to play, he shows up, he makes great plays, he plays hard. He's a great teammate. We've heard he's doing all right. That win is definitely for him. We just say our prayers for a speedy recovery. It sucks."
It shows you just how much the players are family. Just last week, Ben Bishop announced he wouldn't be playing anymore, and his teammates were clearly emotional at the press conference. On Saturday, there was another reminder of just how close everyone is.
"It's very upsetting to see any player laying on the ice like that," Stars coach Rick Bowness said. "It gets emotional because they're part of your family, and you see them injured. It's very difficult. I saw him moving his feet and arms, so that was good, gave him a little tap when he left the ice, and then we got good news right away that he was responsive. But yeah, that's hard for all the players on both sides.
"You saw all the players on the ice, kneeling. We all play the game hard, with physical passion, emotion. That's what we all love about the game. And you just hate to see when that happens. It's emotional."

Kero played for Chicago and several of the Blackhawks were checking on him. Bowness said the hit was part of the game and that Brett Connolly isn't a dirty player. Kero was sent to the hospital, but team officials said he was doing well.
So then, the Stars used the emotion to forge a big win.
"We needed to do something right away on that power play," Bowness said. "You get five minutes. And the power play was so bad the other night in St. Louis, it was great to see them respond, and they did. And when you get that, and one of your teammates is injured, you want to go out there and make them pay, and we did."
Pavelski scored his first power-play goal on a cross-ice pass that deflected off the skate of Chicago defenseman Seth Jones. He tallied the second after two great passes from Alexander Radulov and Roope Hintz. Pavelski then helped set up the third goal, a great play by Jason Robertson, and set up the overtime winner, a nice shot from John Klingberg.

In between, Dallas faced plenty of adversity. The Stars gave up one goal in transition on a bad line change, allowed a second in transition when Jani Hakanpää broke his stick in the offensive zone, and allowed a third when Hintz had a soft giveaway in the defensive zone.
Dallas had a 38-23 advantage in shots on goal and a 70-42 advantage in shot attempts, thanks in large part to eight power plays. Still, they were able to cash in when they needed it, including in overtime.
That was needed for a team that had scored three goals in its previous four games. Dallas had lost five straight and needed to find a win. By scoring in overtime, the Stars ended the drought and pushed their record to 14-12-2.
"It was a big win," Pavelski said. "We've got to keep going, though, we've got a ways to go."
Don't miss your chance to see the Stars continue their homestand next Monday against the Minnesota Wild at 7:30 p.m. Get your tickets now!
This story was not subject to the approval of the National Hockey League or Dallas Stars Hockey Club.
Mike Heikais a Senior Staff Writer for DallasStars.com and has covered the Stars since 1994. Follow him on Twitter @MikeHeika.