Heika's Take: Stars hit 100 points after overtime loss to Flyers

The grind is real, as both the Stars and Philadelphia Flyers found out Sunday night.

Both teams played on Saturday, both teams flew in for the game, and both teams looked tired at times. The Flyers were able to secure a 2-1 overtime win thanks to a Trevor Zegras goal in overtime to keep their playoff hopes alive. The Stars got a standings point for the overtime loss and hit 100 points on the season – a bit of a milestone for a team that has already clinched a spot in the postseason.

“One hundred points is not something you take lightly in the league,” Stars coach Glen Gulutzan said. “Tonight was a hard game, symbolic of how hard it is to get here. I thought it was a real stingy contest and I thought both teams looked tired. It was a pretty even affair and they got the extra point, so we’ll just move on.”

The Stars are 1-1-1 on this four-game road trip, which is a step up from the losing skid that preceded it. Yes, the performances have been uneven at times, but Dallas is missing some key players and seems to be losing more every day. Forward Michael Bunting left Sunday’s game and is day-to-day. Forward Nathan Bastian missed Sunday’s game after blocking a shot with his hand Saturday. He is also day-to-day. Forward Sam Steel suffered a lower-body injury against the Islanders on Thursday and returned home. Mix that with injuries to Roope Hintz, Radek Faksa and Tyler Seguin and the team is thin right now.

It’s a good thing Mikko Rantanen is back after missing five weeks with a lower body injury.

“You can see the schedule is taking its toll on teams, and it’s certainly taking its toll on us,” Gulutzan said. “When you’re playing this many games against quality teams . . . we’re getting these hard heavy games and we just have to keep moving.”

The Flyers desperately needed a win Sunday. They pushed themselves to 37-24-12 by winning their third straight game and now are just two points back of a playoff spot. It was clear how hungry they were.

“Every night we want two, but we probably weren’t deserving of two,” Stars captain Jamie Benn said. “They played a good game and they’re a desperate hockey club right now.”

The Flyers had a 30-18 edge in shots on goal Sunday and won the battle of hits (31-14) and the faceoff circle (27-21). Philadelphia scored on the power play and kept Dallas silent on its two, and that was enough to overcome a great performance from Stars goalie Casey DeSmith. The veteran backup was fantastic in getting the game to overtime.

“He was excellent,” Gulutzan said. “When you don’t have your best legs in a game and you see your goalie competing like that, it makes a difference in the game. He’s been like that all year.”

Benn added, “Casey was really big. I don’t think we get that point without him.”

DeSmith moves to 14-7-6 on the season.

“Bummed about the last goal, but other than that I was pretty happy,” he said. “Any time you can be feeling good and playing well in this league, you feel good, because this is the best league in the world.”

Another player celebrating that message was rookie Arttu Hyry. The 24-year-old from Finland scored his first NHL goal, scoring unassisted and shorthanded to tie the game in the second period.

“It was a big goal for us, it got us a point,” Gulutzan said. “It was a big league shot, a great shot, and he’s going to score more goals in this league.”

Hyry signed a two-year free agent contract before last season and played with the Texas Stars, accumulating 49 points (24 goals, 25 assists) in 67 games. He played 27 games in the AHL this season and was called up and has played 13 for the Stars.

“What a shot,” said DeSmith. “I see his shot every day in practice and it’s just a matter of time. I don’t think he has many clean looks before tonight, but tonight you saw what I see in practice. I’m really happy for him. Good kid. He plays really hard.”

Hyry said he was excited for the goal, but said he is realistic about his path. Asked if the injuries could create opportunities, he said he doesn’t think that way.

“It’s shift by shift,” said Hyry. “That’s how I like it to be. That’s how you stay in the present and not look too forward too much.”

As for the injuries, the Stars will have to adjust. They have managed their record (44-18-12, 100 points), despite long stretches without Rantanen, Benn, Seguin, Matt Duchene, and Lian Bichsel, in addition to Hintz and Faksa.

“It’s a next man up mentality,” Benn said. “I think that’s what makes our group good. We’ve got a lot of depth and when guys come in, they do a great job.”

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.