Heika’s Take: Stars can’t find tying goal late in low-scoring 2-1 loss to Islanders

The toughest part of hockey might be strengthening your mind.

The Stars had a great run through February en route to clinching a playoff spot. But they are 0-3-1 since, including a tough 2-1 loss at the New York Islanders on Thursday night.

While New York is in a battle just to get into the playoffs, the Stars are pretty much locked into a First Round matchup against Minnesota. Sure, Dallas can still battle to keep home ice in the series, but that doesn’t spark the same urgency as a life-and-death battle to make sure your season continues.

“I think there is a natural little dip when you see that ‘X’ beside your name and then you’re coming into play teams like this,” Stars coach Glen Gulutzan said of facing a string of bubble teams that should have tangible hunger. “I liked that we stayed with it, but we’ve got another level and we’ve got to find it. We’re far away from the game we were playing eight or nine games ago, but we’re moving in the right direction.”

While Dallas was much better than it was in a Tuesday loss to the Devils, the lads in Victory Green still seem to be a little short in the things they need to get wins. Yes, they shored up the defense after a 6-4 loss. The neutral zone was better for the most part, and goalie Jake Oettinger had a nice bounce-back game after getting pulled early on Tuesday.

Still, Dallas couldn’t find a way to beat Ilya Sorokin until Matt Duchene scored with three minutes left and the extra attacker on the ice. Thomas Harley made a dazzling play to stop an empty-net attempt and then fed Jamie Benn, who fed Duchene for a beautiful goal.

Unfortunately, there were no more in the game.

“I thought Sorokin was really, really good, and you’ve got a team fighting for their life,” Gulutzan said. “I thought we batted and competed and it was very even.”

Dallas actually ended with a 27-25 advantage in shots on goal and a 59-46 edge in shot attempts, so it did a lot of good things. Still, not enough overall.

“He played well, but we can do a better job getting to the dirty areas and making sure he doesn’t see the shots that are coming through,” forward Colin Blackwell said of Sorokin. “Good goalies like that you have to get some traffic in front of him.”

It’s a lesson the Stars can use as they head to Pittsburgh for a game on Saturday, followed by a game on Sunday in Philadelphia and another on Tuesday in Boston. Sam Steel left the game with an apparent injury in the third period, and might be out Saturday. However, Mikko Rantanen, who has been nursing a lower body injury since the Olympics, might be ready to return to the lineup. He skated Thursday morning and is expected to practice Friday.

All of that said, the battle is more of team play rather than which individuals are in the lineup.

Dallas has to work to get back to the chemistry it had in the 15-game point streak that tied a franchise record. That doesn’t guarantee wins, but it sure puts the odds in the Stars’ favor as they take on some tough opponents grappling for position in the East standings.

“It’s where you grow when you can rise up and still beat these teams,” Gulutzan said. “We’re not there yet. We’ve got to get out of our lull a little bit, because there’s no light switch when you go into the playoffs, so you want to be sure you’re ironing out all the kinks now. We ironed out a few tonight, but not enough.”

This story was not subject to the approval of the National Hockey League or Dallas Stars Hockey Club.

Mike Heika is a Senior Staff Writer for DallasStars.com and has covered the Stars since 1994. Follow him on X @MikeHeika.