Dallas Stars Fall Again in OT, 4-3 to Montreal Canadiens

19 seconds. The Dallas Stars' overtime woes continue.

The Montreal Canadiens swept into the AAC Wednesday night less than 24 hours after an emotional overtime battle with the Nashville Predators that saw Max Pacioretty get the game winner. Back-to-back be damned, they did it again. And he did it again.

Dallas, hoping to validate their 5-1-1 stretch of play prior to the embarrassing start against the Florida Panthers on New Year's Eve, started poorly once more, bounced back to force overtime, but comeback is sagging to a 5-2-2 mark after the pair.

Jamie Benn is on injured reserve now, though his injury is not thought to be serious. He must miss at least the club's next game in St. Louis on Saturday and could then become eligible for return on a back-to-back in Southern California next week.

It would be easy to remark that the Stars missed their captain tonight- Who wouldn't? But the truth is Dallas had more than enough scoring chances, and a skittish looking backup netminder at which to fling pucks who looked positively lost.

That wasn't the case to start the game, however, as the Habs raced out to a 16-8 shot attempt advantage and a 1-0 lead- And things looked bleak. The Stars respnded in a big way, however, and a flurry of activity in Montoya's end culminated with a Tyler Seguin tip play on a Stephen Johns wrister to tie things.

And somewhere in there Patrick Sharp lost his mind and engaged in fisticuffs, just off a concussion. It was entertaining, though worrying.

Dallas would attempt 23 shots in less than ten minutes in the middle of the second period, with a beautiful John Klingberg wrister on the power play sandwiched right in the middle of the volley, but the one goal was all they could muster despite Montoya's many lost pucks and odd gyrations.

The dog (the dog?) was not impressed.

He was the star of the game on twitter.

Dallas took a 2-1 lead into the third period and the game felt safe enough until the bad puck luck they'd endured in the offensive end started biting them in their own.

A Cody Eakin clearing attempt was picked out of mid-air by Daniel Carr. A few seconds later Eakin was whistled for a questionable holding infraction, and the Habs went to the power play and scored. Seconds after the goal Stephen Johns was guilty of delay of game- Another bad luck play- And the Habs scored on that one in short order as well.

That marks the sixth time this season the Stars have given up more than one power play goal (a couple of times they've given up three...)

A puck picked out of mid-air. And a delay of game call. And it all comes crumbling down in a heap because of a little bad luck. The special team's faceoff losses did not help much either, but it had to be galling to the Stars that the game turned on those calls in such short order.

During the good luck stretch for Montreal Shea Weber killed one of his own teammates, who left the ice with dispatch and got French twitter all in a tizzy.

With time winding down and the Stars having surpassed the 40 shot mark it was Esa Lindell with a hopeful bid from the point that found its way through the oft-befuddled Al Montoya to salvage a point for the Stars.

You know what happened next. You probably knew it before it happened. 19 seconds is cruel and unusual, however.

A breakaway surrendered on a power play. An elbow to Antoine Roussel’s head (I am sure we will be hearing from Erin on this at some point this week so stay tuned to DBD). Yawning nets. Pucks sitting inches from the goal line with no net drive.

These are the hallmarks of the Dallas Stars’ season. Yet they’re not out of the race by any stretch of the imagination. So we plod along with them- On to St. Louis.