Heika’s Take: Stars take advantage of home ice, dominate in Game 3 win

The Stars did a lot of good things on Sunday, and they did them in a most Stars-like manner.

Dallas took a 5-2 win (and 2-1 series lead) over the Winnipeg Jets on Mother’s Day at American Airlines Center. Mikko Rantanen had another three-point game, Jake Oettinger out-dueled Connor Hellebuyck down the stretch, and the Stars took over in the third period with the score tied at 2-2. It was a very nice return to normalcy for a squad that has proven to be very flexible in the playoffs.

The lads in Victory Green were coming off a 4-0 loss in Game 2 and were seeking both more intensity and better execution.

They got both.

“It was big, it was a response,” said Stars coach Pete DeBoer. “It's the best response team that I've coached in my time here. Coming off a loss, rectifying that quickly, it's one of the reasons why we haven't had extended losing streaks around here.”

The Stars had scored first in just one of their first nine playoff games this season, and still was 5-4 in those games. On Sunday, Thomas Harley and Rantanen drew penalties in the first two minutes of the game and Roope Hintz responded with a power play goal for a 1-0 lead. Winnipeg eventually tied the game, but then Harley scored to make it 2-1 at first intermission.

Winnipeg pushed back with a strong second period and tied it up at 2-2 going into the third period, and that’s when the fun started. Dallas has seen some unique activation from defensive-minded defensemen in recent games, and this time Alexander Petrovic was on the good end of a rush up ice. Buzzing near the doorstep, the 33-year-old defenseman found a loose puck and tried to kick it from his skate to his stick. However, the frenetic vulcanized rubber bounced off of a Winnipeg defender, off of Hellebuyck’s stick and then into the net.

The goal was reviewed for a lengthy amount of time. If Petrovic sent the puck directly at Hellebuyck with a kicking motion, the goal could be negated. The league decided that Hellebuyck propelled the puck into the net, and so the goal was allowed to stand.

It was the first playoff goal for Petrovic since 2016 with Florida, and the fact it wasn’t easy was actually fitting. The veteran defenseman has had to fight his way through the minors in recent seasons and played just five regular-season games for Dallas this year. He was a steady replacement in the playoffs last season and then drew in to help replace injured Miro Heiskanen this year. He has been a great partner for rookie Lian Bichsel, and is showing he can make big plays at big times.

Still, that was a weird goal.

“Usually, I’m not in that position, but I just thought we had good control,” Petrovic said of his decision to go to the net. “Mikko made a nice pass, and I made a pass back to him. Shot on net, rebound, kind of went off my skate. It was a pretty lucky goal.”

As for the review, that was also a bit unusual. The league has a central replay office in Toronto and both the on-ice refs and off-ice reviewers have a say in the decision. In the end, the goal was allowed to stand.

“It's a long review, but I think you want them to take as much time as they need to get it right,” DeBoer said. “I don't want them to rush and not get it right. So I think you have to have some patience in that. I felt fairly confident it was a goal, so did our group, so did our video guys that were watching it.”

Once the Stars got a 3-2 lead, they took advantage of the momentum. Players were skating all over the ice during the review to keep their legs fresh, and when play resumed, Rantanen, Hintz and Mikael Granlund came out and combined on a goal less than a minute later. It was Rantanen’s ninth goal of the playoffs, and gave the Stars a 4-2 lead with 15 minutes to go in the third period. Wyatt Johnston added an insurance goal 10 minutes later, and the Stars had a huge confidence boost.

“It obviously gave us energy, but I think no matter which way it goes we are pretty good at keeping it even keel and just keep working,” Rantanen said of the team that has found ways to step up when the pressure is highest. “I think we had a pretty good third before, so I think we would have still played well, but who knows what happens after that.”

Well, it seems the Stars have some ideas. They are pushing the right buttons at the right times, and that’s giving them the opportunity to play more “Stars” hockey. Oettinger finished with 23 saves on 25 shots, the power play scored a goal and the penalty kill went 4-for-4. Harley had a goal and an assist, Hintz had a goal and an assist, Sam Steel chipped in two helpers, and Granlund also had two assists.

It was a well-earned win for a team that has a history of stepping up like this.

“I thought we had a lot more guys look a lot more dangerous tonight, up and down the lineup,” DeBoer said. “You know, that's a credit to our group. We looked at last game, we made some adjustments, and our whole group was more dangerous. We got some great contributions from some unsung heroes. Our penalty kill, I thought Sam Steel was outstanding tonight, Colin\] [Blackwell had a couple of blocked shots. A lot of work by guys that don't get noticed a lot.”

And that is what they have done for a good part of the season.

“You have to, it’s that time of year,” DeBoer said. “Winnipeg is a great team, they don’t give you much, they defend well. There’s not going to be games that are runaways. You have to settle in and be comfortable in those types of games.”

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.