Heika’s Take: Perseverance once again pays off as Stars pull ahead late to beat Sharks

The Magical Mystery Tour continued for the Stars on Friday with a game that was Here, There and Everywhere.

In the end, the lads in Victory Green took a 4-1 win over the San Jose Sharks at American Airlines Center. It was just one more reminder of how fabulous they have been this year.

“We stuck with it,” Stars coach Glen Gulutzan said of Dallas breaking up a 1-1 tie midway through the third period on a Sam Steel goal. “It was hard, they’re coming off a loss at home that was a tough loss. I thought we started off good, and then I thought they had a little bit of a push. Our penalty kills, the two kills in the third period were massive. That’s a good power play over there. I thought the penalty kill was the difference there. And, obviously, we got some timely scoring.”

There were so many things that were true to the identity of the 2025-26 Stars, and so many things that were different. Gulutzan and the coaching staff pushed for a good start against a motivated Sharks team and got just that – holding San Jose to no shots on goal in the first 16 minutes of the game.

Dallas took a 1-0 lead on Jason Robertson’s 18th goal of the season in the first period. This one came on a power play rebound. The Sharks tied the game in the second period as they started to find their legs, and then they dominated the early portion of the third frame.

The Stars were whistled for five penalties, putting the Sharks on four power plays, but San Jose wasn't able to get anything going. That was early in the third, and Dallas seized momentum from there.

“I mean we had chances right, two power plays there, but we didn’t get anything out of them, momentum or anything, that can’t happen in this game,” said Sharks coach Ryan Warsofsky.

Dallas then received a good grinding shift from Steel, Mikko Rantanen and Wyatt Johnston and found a way to get a goal.

“I think we were out there a little bit late, we turned over the puck in the offensive zone, when you’re late on your shift you can’t do that,” Warsofsky said. “When we came back in the D-zone, we were actually in decent spots, but we couldn’t get to a net. Story of the season basically.”

And the story of the season for the Stars, as well. Rantanen had an uneven game, taking three minor penalties but finishing with a goal and two assists. Rantanen was part of the chaos around the net that allowed Steel to shovel in the go-ahead goal midway through the third, and then Rantanen added the insurance goal six minutes later on a beautiful sweeping shot off a turnaround.

It was the kind of play the Stars have been making at the right time while pushing their record to 19-5-5 this season.

“Our structure was pretty good. So, we don't give up too much, even though they might have some O-zone time and stuff,” Steel said. “I think we just stuck with it and came out with it at the end.”

It’s a trick this group seems to repeat while turning out hit after hit. They can do pop, they can do rock, they can even mix in the sitar when needed. And the harmonies seem perfect almost every night.

The penalty kill has now stopped 25 consecutive opposing power play opportunities. The goaltending continues to be stellar as Jake Oettinger stopped 16 shots and moved his record to 13-4-2.

“It is tough,” Gulutzan said of the uneven pace of the game. “Those games are not easy. It’s a credit to goalies that can have a performance like he did. He made some key saves.”

Mix in that performance with an empty-net goal from Miro Heiskanen (just the third of the year for the Stars) and it was a perfect ending to a bit of an odd game.

It wasn’t so much A Hard Day’s Night as the team telling everyone to just Let it Be.

“It's not always going to be pretty, but we've played a lot of hockey lately, a lot of games and feel like everyone's contributing,” said forward Justin Hryckowian. “I think we've been patient in all of these games and we’re finding different ways to win.”

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.