Heika’s Take: Stars pick up important point in crazy shootout loss to Kings

Happiness, for the Stars, is the warm blanket of predictable details and secure structure.

So it was a bit unnerving for the lads in Victory Green on Friday to be caught in a tempest of hully gully hockey that turned Crypto.com Arena into a mosh pit of unpredictability. But in navigating a 5-4 shootout loss to the Los Angeles Kings, Dallas picked up a point in the standings and might have even learned a thing or two about its very nature.

“It was an important point on the road,” said Stars coach Pete DeBoer. “We were chasing the game all night, but we showed a lot of resiliency to keep coming back and coming back, and we got an important point.”

That’s huge for a Stars team that is battling several injuries and is careening into the 4 Nations break on some balding tires and the faint whiff of gasoline fumes. Playing without lineup regulars in Tyler Seguin, Miro Heiskanen, Nils Lundkvist and Ilya Lyubushkin, Dallas put up a gritty fight and pushed the Kings to the brink before surrendering the extra point in the shootout. LA scored on both of its chances, while Jason Robertson and Matt Duchene were stopped on their attempts. That pushed the Kings to 29-17-6, while Dallas is now 34-18-2.

“It was a tough loss, but a big point,” said Duchene, who finished with two goals and an assist. “They’re a good team. That team is at a different level this year. I thought the first 15 minutes, we weren’t very good, but I thought we were pretty good after that.”

Los Angeles got the puck into the offensive zone off the opening faceoff and Warren Foegele popped in a shot from in front of the net for a 1-0 lead 11 seconds into the game. The Kings then controlled the pace of the game for the next eight minutes and had a 9-1 advantage in shots on goal at one point.

Dallas pushed back and created a few good scoring chances of its own, but the Stars didn’t really get any traction until the final minute of the first period. Then, the Stars were all over Kings goalie David Rittich, and Duchene finally got a shot to slip through with just two seconds left in the period.

LA got a 2-1 lead in the second period when Lian Bichsel was hampered after blocking a shot and scrambled to get coverage. Kevin Fiala took advantage of the rookie, as he shot a puck through him and past Jake Oettinger for his 21st goal of the season. This time, Dallas bounced right back and scored on the next shift, as Thomas Harley pushed down to the net and whipped in a rebound for his eighth goal of the season.

That made it 2-2, but the Kings once again forced some creative chaos. This time, Quinton Byfield slammed a wide shot off the end boards and Oettinger misread the angle. The puck slipped in front of the net, where Alex Laferriere pushed it in for a 3-2 lead.

Once again, the Stars responded as Mavrik Bourque tied things at 3-3 six minutes into the third period. Duchene then gave Dallas a 4-3 lead three minutes later, and the Stars seemed destined for just their second victory when trailing through two periods. However, Anže Kopitar tied things up on a deflection at the net a few minutes later, and that set up may be the craziest ending of any game this season.

Both teams had great scoring chances in the third period, and both teams danced around potential game-winners in overtime. LA put the puck in the net, but amidst the celebration, the apparent goal was called off for goaltender interference. The two teams then survived a wild 30 seconds to get to the shootout, where the Kings got goals from Adrian Kempe and Fiala.

That sent the locals home happy and sent the Stars to the airport for a plane ride to San Jose for a game on Saturday night. Because of the injuries, Dallas is emptying the tank right now. Harley played 26:06, while Esa Lindell and Cody Ceci each played more than 24 minutes on the back end. Duchene, Wyatt Johnston and Mikael Granlund all logged over 20 minutes up front. It’s taxing.

“It comes with the territory,” Harley said of helping take up the slack of the injured players. “I know with Miro being out, most of the guys have to step up back here, myself included. I thought we have done a pretty good job of that. Tonight, 55 was not fantastic in his own zone, so I’ve got to fix that and get ready for tomorrow night.”

Bourque said he too has to be better.

“Obviously you want to score as many goals as you can in this league, because it’s so hard to score, but I was not happy about my game,” Bourque said. “I feel like I can play better than that.”

DeBoer said that was a good sign, especially with the second half of a back-to-back heading into a two-week break.

“That’s good. It means your team has got a conscience, and that’s important,” DeBoer said. “They’re not all going to look pretty and they’re not going to be all great every night. We’ve played a lot of good hockey lately. We’re coming into the break, we’re adding some new guys, there’s a lot of things going on, and I think that probably explains a little bit about our game. We’ve just got to get through tomorrow night and get through this break.”

The Kings had a 37-30 advantage in shots on goal, and Oettinger stood on his head late to force overtime. LA had a 82-68 edge in shots attempted, and also the better of the scoring chances. It was a reminder of how Dallas has to stay the course.

Lundkvist is out for the season, while Seguin might be ready in time for the playoffs. Heiskanen is listed as “month-to-month” following knee surgery, but he could also return later in the year. In the meantime, the rest could help people like Harley, and could also mean Lyubushkin is ready to play after the break. Dallas will have 27 games remaining when play picks back up.

“That was not the final score you think of, but we stuck with it,” said Harley of the mistake-filled game. “It’s a mental game. It’s going to happen, and you’ve got to pick yourself up and go out and play the next game.”

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.