Recap: Peterson scores in NHL debut, Heiskanen wins it in OT thriller

In a game that had just about everything, it was only fitting it needed extra time to settle the score.
Leave it to Miro Heiskanen to deliver in the clutch.

Racing down the ice on a partial breakaway, the smooth-skating defenseman went top shelf to give the Stars a 3-2 overtime victory in their regular-season opener against the New York Rangers at Madison Square Garden on Thursday.

It was a thrilling finish to a game that saw both teams control large chunks of the contest. The first half of the game belonged to the Stars, who jumped all over a Rangers team that got rocked 5-1 against the Washington Capitals the night before.
You couldn't script the opening 20 minutes any better than how it unfolded, with rookie Jacob Peterson scoring in his NHL debut. The 22-year-old forward got the time-honored rookie tradition of taking a solo lap prior to the rest of the team during pregame warmups.

Then, with less than a minute left in the first period, Peterson took a puck in the neutral zone, raced in, and fired a backhander past Rangers goaltender Igor Shesterkin to put the Stars up, 1-0.

Peterson was mobbed by his teammates moments later.
"It was fun," Peterson said with a smile after the game. "I didn't expect to score in the first period, but I'm feeling good. It was fun to score."
Over the past 10 seasons, Peterson became the fifth Stars player to score a goal in his first career NHL game - the first since Jason Dickinson on April 7, 2016 vs. Colorado. He's also the sixth Stars player to score his first career NHL goal on his first shot over the past 10 seasons, joining Denis Gurianov (Nov. 10, 2018 vs. Nashville), Dickinson (April 7, 2016 vs. Colorado), Mattias Janmark (Oct. 8, 2015 vs. Pittsburgh), Brett Ritchie (Dec. 31, 2014 vs. Arizona) and Antoine Roussel (Feb. 1, 2013 vs. Arizona).
Peterson skated on a line with Roope Hintz and Joe Pavelski, and finished the game with a goal and a plus-1 rating in 16:35 TOI.
"I grew up watching these guys, and now I get to play with them," Peterson said of his Stars teammates. "It's a dream come true. I really enjoyed my first game. A fun and great experience to play here."
The Stars seemed to be in full control when Radek Faksa got on the board with a power-play tally at the 6:11 mark of the second period, but it wasn't long after when the Rangers began their push.

New York cut the deficit in half when Adam Fox's shot from the blueline deflected off Esa Lindell's left shin and past Braden Holtby at the 8:43 mark of the second period.
Holtby, in his Stars debut, was excellent. He made several highlight-reel saves, including an incredible glove save on Rangers forward Ryan Strome.

The veteran netminder did all he could to keep the Stars afloat, but with the Rangers riding a wave of momentum, they evened the score with 4:06 remaining in the middle frame when Chris Kreider got a stick on K'Andre Miller's point shot.
As the back-and-forth contest continued, the injury bug hit the Stars hard.
It started with John Klingberg, who needed help exiting the ice after taking a hit in an awkward position in the first period, and despite returning for the second period, didn't come back for the third. It was announced that he suffered a lower-body injury, and finished the game with two hits and three blocked shots in 10:21 TOI.
Then, Holtby exited the game with 12 minutes remaining in the third after taking a wayward stick up high. The veteran netminder made 25 of 27 shots up to that point, and it was announced postgame that he left because of dehydration.
In came Anton Khudobin, cold, in the third, and the veteran netminder stood on his head with six saves on six shots.
Khudobin kept the Stars alive until overtime, when Heiskanen buried a shot at the 1:38 mark of sudden death to give Dallas the win.
The Stars' season-opening four-game road trip continues Saturday against the Boston Bruins at TD Garden.
This story was not subject to the approval of the National Hockey League or Dallas Stars Hockey Club.
Kyle Shohara is the Digital Manager for DallasStars.com and writes about the Stars/NHL. Follow him on Twitter @kyleshohara.