Heika’s Take: Stars get big-time efforts in formidable win over Golden Knights

In the swervy curvy road that has been the 2024-25 season, the Stars too often have not been able to get “that” goal or “that” save in key moments.

On Friday, they got both. In fact, they got more than a few of both.

Jason Robertson scored two goals, and Wyatt Johnston, Matt Duchene and Evgenii Dadonov each had two assists, as the Stars took a 4-3 win over the Vegas Golden Knights at American Airlines Center. It was a huge win for the Stars, who move to 30-17-1, and leap over Minnesota for second place in the Central Division. They do it by beating a Vegas team that is on top of the Pacific at 30-25-4.

It was a big-time win against a big-time team.

“We know what to expect,” said Duchene. “It’s a playoff game every time we play them. It’s never easy against them. I think we did some good things tonight.”

Like the season, the game was a battle of push and pull. Vegas scored first on the power play four minutes into the game, but Dallas answered two minutes later with its own power play goal. Dadonov found Roope Hintz crashing the net and the big center knocked in his 20^th goal of the season. Dallas took a 2-1 lead in the second on Robertson’s 16^th goal of the season, and Vegas bounced right back to tie it at 2-2 with another power play tally.

At times this year, a goal like that would have taken some wind out of the Stars. Instead, the lads in Victory Green took over the game, dominating for the next 10 minutes, taking a 4-2 lead on goals by Jamie Benn and Robertson. It was the kind of surge that would make the sold out crowd believe this team can play with anyone in the NHL.

“It’s probably the most zone time we’ve had, especially in that second period we really turned the game,” Duchene said. “We’re going to have a very similar hockey game tomorrow in St. Louis and there’s not a lot of room, not a lot of chances. I thought we did a good job tonight all around.”

Dallas finished with a 27-21 advantage in shots on goal, a 69-57 edge in shot attempts and 30 scoring chances against the big Knights defense.

“They are always tough games,” Stars coach Pete DeBoer said. “We are two evenly matched teams with a long history. I thought we started a little slow trying to feel the game out. I thought at the end of the first period we talked about trying to dictate instead of waiting to see what happens, and I thought we did that for the big middle-chunk of that game, and I thought we really took it over.”

That’s quite an accomplishment, when you consider what the Stars have been through. They still are without Tyler Seguin (hip surgery) and Mason Marchment (face surgery) and still trying to find the right line combinations. Defenseman Lian Bichsel was called up from the minors and played 13 minutes. Defenseman Brendan Smith was moved to forward and played 10. In the end, everything worked out well. In addition to players like Robertson and Johnston getting hot after early season slumps, players like Colin Blackwell and Logan Stankoven came up with non-scoring plays that were just as crucial. Then, goalie Jake Oettinger made a huge glove save that prevented the game from going to overtime.

“We had a couple big plays at the end,” DeBoer said of holding onto a 4-3 lead late. “Blackwell dove and broke up a pass, Stankoven blocks a shot, and Jake makes the big save. If you are going to beat a team like that, you have to have those big moments and have guys make those big defensive plays at the right time, and the big saves.”

It was a testament to how the team has grown this season. After making it to the Conference Finals in each of the past two seasons, the Stars have had to adjust this year. They lost Joe Pavelski to retirement and brought in several new faces. Now, 48 games in, they seem like a different team.

“I definitely think things are more confident,” Robertson said of the fact he has 21 points in the past 14 games. “And when you are feeling better and better, I think the puck just finds you in different situations. Ever since December I have really been feeling it and thinking that these pucks are going to come and try to make the most of it, as opposed to not knowing if it ever is. Just have to stay with it.”

That’s a sentiment the entire team can embrace.

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.