Message received: Stars outlast Jets in OT to snap winless skid

DALLAS --The Dallas Stars were desperate for an answer Thursday, needing something -- anything -- to go their way against a Winnipeg Jets bunch that had throttled them on the road only two nights earlier.
They just so happened to get it from two players seeking responses of their own.

WATCH: [All highlights from Stars' overtime win over Jets]
Joe Pavelski buried the winning goal in overtime and Denis Gurianov notched his fifth of the season to back Ben Bishop's 36-save effort as Dallas outlasted Winnipeg, 3-2, at American Airlines Center.
The victory snapped the Stars' four-game winless skid (0-3-1) and improved their record to 16-11-3 on the season, giving them a little revenge against the Jets, who routed Dallas 5-1 on Tuesday at Bell MTS Place. It also ended lengthy goal droughts for both Pavelski (10 games) and Gurianov (12).

"Our guys were invested tonight -- bottom line," said Pavelski, who scored for the first time since netting a pair in a Nov. 13 win over Calgary.
"When you are not winning games, there is another level you can get to. It doesn't matter how you lose them or what you're doing, it hasn't been good enough lately. Tonight, the emotion that came out of the game was good to see."
It didn't just come out on Thursday, it was on full display when it mattered the most.
After blowing a two-goal lead in the third period, yielding the tying marker to Mark Scheifele with just 45 seconds left to force the extra period, the Stars could have let the game slip away. Instead, they dominated the pace in overtime and took advantage of a Winnipeg mistake as Pavelski found himself at the right spot to put home a Tyler Seguin rebound on the power play and deliver the needed win.

"I thought we carried the play on the 3-on-3 (session)," Stars coach Jim Montgomery said. "We were really good with the puck and without the puck and drew that penalty. The power play really saw good execution."
For Pavelski, it was a full team effort to set up his goal.
"I think the first three guys that went out (in overtime) won that draw, came in with a good rush and had a few good chances," he said. "So, we were able to go on the power play and made a little play over there and (Seguin) shot it. Great play by him on the rebound to lay it back out in front and I had an open net.
"Pretty good to see that one come."

After an energetic start to the game that saw a couple skirmishes break out between the clubs, Jamie Benn got Dallas on the board in the opening period with a power-play goal that stemmed from a tripping call on Patrick Laine and a fracas between Blake Comeau and Scheifele that saw both players get roughing minors.
Gurianov kept Dallas rolling in the second, ripping a shot past Winnipeg's Connor Hellebuyck for his first goal since a Nov. 2 victory over Montreal. It looked like it would stand as the game's deciding score before Scheifele knotted things late.

Luckily for the Stars, Pavelski came through in the clutch.
"Our game has gotten away from us a little bit in our last three or four (games), and we invested a lot through that winning streak," Pavelski said. "I think the biggest challenge is to invest that every night, and for whatever reason we got away from it a little bit. Tonight, the message was received, and we needed a better effort.
"That was more our hockey."

Fast fact

Pavelski netted a winning goal in overtime for the third time in his NHL career and his first in a Stars uniform. The veteran forward has six goals and seven assists on the season.

They said it

"We've got a lot of character in this room obviously. After our effort in Winnipeg (on Tuesday) -- we weren't ourselves. It wasn't our team and we responded tonight."
-- Benn on Dallas responding with a big win over Winnipeg
PHOTOS: [Pavelski's goal lifts Stars past Jets in OT]
"I don't even swear. I said, 'You suck.' I don't even think my mom even punished my sister for telling me I suck when I was 10 years old. But that's a song for another day."
-- Scheifele on his unsportsmanlike conduct penalty in the second period that wound up being a double-minor for the Stars

Up next

The Stars continue the homestand on Saturday against the New York Islanders at 8 p.m. CT. It will be the first meeting between the two teams this season, as the Isles (19-6-2) come to American Airlines Center fresh off a 3-2 overtime victory of their own Thursday against the Vegas Golden Knights.
Don't miss your chance to see the Stars take on the New York Islanders as they continue the homestand at American Airlines Center on Saturday, Dec. 7. Get your tickets now!
This story was not subject to the approval of the National Hockey League or Dallas Stars Hockey Club.
Jeff Odom is the manager of DallasStars.com and writes about the Stars/NHL. Follow him on Twitter @jeffodom.