Comments / New

Dallas Stars Daily Links: The Big Rig Rises

Posted on by Tyler Mair

The Dallas Stars’ best player last night was Miro Heiskanen, as it is most nights. But it was his partner, Jamie Oleksiak, who saved the Stars from a potential overtime loss when he fired home the game-winner less than a minute left:

“[Corey Perry] made a great pass,” Oleksiak said. “He really had eyes and I was able to somehow get it in. It was close. Another goalie might have gotten a paddle, might have missed the net, but it worked out that time. It was a great feeling. Great play by Perry.”

The goal capped off another solid game from the “Big Rig”, which has become the new norm ever since the Stars traded back for their 2011 first rounder from the Pittsburgh Penguins. Once written off by most as a “bust,” Oleksiak has established himself as a true Top 4 defenseman this season:

“He’s a dominant, dominant player for us,” Bowness said. “He’s a huge part of this team, as he has been all year. It’s great to see him rewarded with that big goal. Good for him for having the poise, the confidence to jump in there.”

You can read more from Matthew DeFranks here.

More Stars Stories

Here are the highlights from last night’s win in case you had to call it a night before you finished watching:

Here’s Rick Bowness on how his team played against the Calgary Flames:

And here’s everyone praising the aforementioned Heiskanen:

And honestly, who can blame them?

Sean Shapiro offers his analysis of the win with his latest 20/20:

Around the League

Dallas wasn’t the only team to tie up their playoff series last night:

  • Joonas Korpisalo continued to stand on his head as the Columbus Blue Jackets took a 3-1 victory over the Tampa Bay Lightning.
  • The Carolina Hurricanes weren’t happy with some of the calls (again), but they still managed to pull off a 3-2 win over the Boston Bruins.
  • Lastly, the Chicago Blackhawks took the Vegas Golden Knights into overtime… but ultimately lost 4-3 and failed to even the series./

Speaking of Vegas, are they becoming the team to beat this postseason?

The Montreal Canadiens will be without their head coach for the foreseeable future, as Claude Julien has left the bubble due to medical issues:

Bruins goaltender Tuuka Rask raised some eyebrows yesterday when he compared the current playoff games to exhibition matches:

Finally, Miro Heiskanen has seven points in five games, tying him for the most points among defensemen. The other leader? Fellow young-gun Quinn Hughes:

Talking Points