Heika’s Take: Shorthanded Stars grab valuable point in overtime loss to Lightning

Statistically speaking, the Tampa Bay Lightning probably deserved to win a 2-1 OT game against the Stars on Thursday night in Florida.

But situationally speaking? You could certainly argue for the lads in Victory Green.

Despite losing the shots on goal battle, 32-21, and the shot attempts battle, 69-45, the Stars had a real chance to win the game both in regulation and in overtime. Dallas had a long 5-on-3 power play midway through the third period and couldn’t cash in, and then fumbled the puck in the offensive zone to give up the rush that led to the overtime winner.

“When you have a chance to win and you don’t take advantage of it, it’s a waste,” said an obviously disappointed Jake Oettinger.

The big goalie was spectacular, playing one of his best games of the season. He allowed just one goal in regulation on a power play, and it even had to be reviewed because it barely got fully across the goal line. Oettinger extended a strong stretch that started in a 1-0 shutout win over Wahington on Tuesday and earned the praise of his coaches and teammates.

“He was very good right from the get-go,” Stars coach Glen Gulutzan said. “He kept us in it.”

Dallas was outshot 21-10 through two periods, and was lucky to be down just 1-0. Then, the fourth line created a beautiful goal as Adam Erne tipped in a shot from Alexander Petrovic two minutes into the third, and the Stars had a new outlook.

That was Erne’s first goal since December 2023 (he missed all of last season) and it came against the team that drafted him, so it was a big deal for the 30-year-old.

“It’s been a while. It feels good to get that,” he said. “It’s bittersweet not getting the win, but I think we showed a lot of resilience coming back against a tough team on the road. To get a point is good.”

The Stars move to 6-3-2 and are in good shape when you consider they were missing Roope Hintz, Matt Duchene, Jamie Benn, Oskar Bäck and Nils Lundkvist to injury for the second straight game. That’s forced the team to play more defensive hockey, but they have done a good job.

The only problem is they have scored just two goals in the past two games, and that is a concern.

“When you get it that far . . . We had our chances, 5-on-3, to get something out of it, but we didn’t,” Gulutzan said.

After the Erne goal, the Stars tilted the ice in their favor and drew a couple of penalties. But they couldn’t cash in, and that opened the door for the Lightning. The game went to overtime and Mikko Rantanen lost a puck in his own end. That started a breakaway up the ice, and Anthony Cirelli was able to push the game-winner past Oettinger.

“We had tons of chances to win, so it’s disappointing,” the goalie said.

Tyler Seguin hit a milestone by playing in his 1,000th game, and that was a nice highlight. The 33-year-old had his family in attendance and received all manners of praise from friends and teammates during the day.

“I didn’t know that today was going to be like this,” Seguin said. “I didn’t know the brain would be racing with different memories. I had fun throughout the day. I appreciate the guys in here a lot.”

The bonding goes beyond just Seguin, too. As the Stars transition to a new lineup and new coaching staff, players like Erne and Petrovic and Kyle Capobianco get to share their stories, as well.

“He’s done so much behind the scenes, and he’s an incredible human, too,” Seguin said of Erne, who had hip surgery last year and earned a spot on the team through a professional tryout. “We love having him, and I’m glad he got rewarded.”

Seguin said that’s just one of the team’s good stories – and added that even more good will come when the injured players get healthy.

“I feel like we’re very proud of what we have in this locker room,” Seguin said. “Having some of that culture not playing right now, but not feeling like our culture has been lost, that’s huge. But hopefully some bodies start trickling back into the lineup soon.”

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.