Heika’s Take: Stars triumph over adversity in comeback win over Kings

Adversity really can make you better.

If you use it right.

The Stars were coming off two of their more concerning games of the season in losses to Minnesota and Florida, and really wanted to make a statement against Los Angeles at American Airlines Center on Monday night.

But the Kings controlled the shot clock early, and Dallas had a couple of goals disallowed, and the frustration probably started to ramp up a little bit. Mix in some controversial penalties and a fumbled puck by goalie Casey DeSmith that ended up in his own net, and there could have been some real panic for the lads in Victory Green.

Instead, Dallas roared out of the second intermission dressing room and took charge of a 1-1 game. Oskar Bäck scored a gritty fourth line goal, Mikko Rantanen danced between two defenders and powered home a beauty insurance goal, and Wyatt Johnston tacked on a rare empty-netter, as the Stars made a bit of a statement to themselves and the league in a 4-1 victory.

“That’s the stingiest hockey team in the league and we just came off the Florida game and we’re talking about staying with it when there is tight checking,” Stars coach Glen Gulutzan said, laying out the challenge. “I thought our guys did a really good job of just staying with it and finally started to break through.”

It’s not surprising for a team who has done that for most of the season while rolling up a 22-7-5 record, but it was nice to be reminded just how cold-blooded the Stars can be.

They took control, they put their stamp on the game and, for a day at least, put a stop to any of the negative thoughts that were swirling in the chilly Texas wind.

“I liked how we stayed with a killer instinct to end the game,” said veteran Matt Duchene, who had a goal and an assist and played his best game since returning from a concussion. “That’s something I don’t think we’ve done enough of. We win a lot of games by a goal or even two goals, but I think we can do a better job of continuing to end games early when we’re feeling it and have that hunger.”

The Stars have some of the best numbers in the NHL, including the second-best record and the second-best goal differential at plus-25. Still, there has been no shortage of drama as injuries, close wins and unspectacular possession statistics (Dallas ranks 31st in SAT at 44.5 percent) have created the desire to “do more.” On Monday, that team played a beautiful game.

Yes, the Kings dominated the shot clock for the first two periods with a 24-14 advantage in shots on goal. Yes, Dallas had some mistakes that either led to penalties or created scoring chances. DeSmith was stealing the game until he misplayed a puck right in front of the net with the Stars on a penalty kill. That gave Los Angeles a 1-0 lead and could have easily initiated a downward spiral.

Instead, the veteran backstop buckled down, and the Stars tied things up on a beautiful pass from Rantanen to Duchene. That was huge after Dallas had their first two goals waved off and it set the tone for an inspiring chat from Gulutzan before the third period.

“He just said finish this one off by outworking them, and I think we did a great job of that,” DeSmith said. “Obviously, we didn’t give them much in the third and finished the game off right. That was a good team over there and they came hard, but we played harder.”

Dallas had a 12-4 advantage in shots on goal in the final 20 minutes and really did find a different gear. The Bäck goal was fantastic, as the young forward had taken a puck to the throat as well as two penalties in the game. But he flashed to the net and tipped in a Radek Faksa shot. Also on the ice for Dallas was Colin Blackwell, Ilya Lyubushkin and Nils Lundkvist, so it was truly a depth goal. It was also the second even strength goal of the game after Dallas went more than two games with no 5-on-5 scoring.

Rantanen then made it three even strength goals when he took a pass from Duchene and worked his magic. Confidence then grew further that this team can do some very good things.

The schedule has been brutal, and Monday’s contest ended a stretch of 12 games in 21 days with seven flights mixed in. After a two-day break, the team heads to San Jose and Anaheim, and the adversity lurks in every bush.

But, when Dallas seems to be able to overcome these hurdles, the belief gets stronger and stronger.

“It's been great,” Rantanen said when asked about his first full-season with the team. “Obviously, it helps when you're healthy. Getting Dutchy back, [Thomas] Harley, it helps a lot. They're elite players and when we're healthy, we’ve got a really deep lineup and a good four lines that can roll games. So, it's good for our coaches, too. Roll four lines and it's going to pay dividends in the end of the year.”

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.