When the Dallas Stars last visited the Minnesota Wild, things weren’t pretty. The team lost 7-2 in a game already marred by off-ice controversy when Rick Bowness scratched Minnesota native Riley Tufte at the eleventh hour after he had bought a large number of tickets for friends and family.
This time, Tufte made it into the lineup, and while he barely got seven minutes of ice time in a 6-3 victory, he still managed to score his first NHL goal:
“I kind of blanked out there,” he joked. “I was kind of falling down when I scored, so I wasn’t sure it went in, but it was an awesome feeling.”
Fellow Minnesotan Jake Oettinger also got his chance to shine with his first NHL start in the state. He had only let up a single goal all game until two late scores by Kirill Kaprizov, but still ended up with a .914 SV% and his eighth win in his last ten starts:
“I’m happy for both of the Minnesota kids to come in here and get that, good for them,” Stars coach Rick Bowness said. “We played really well, simple as that. Specialty teams were really good, and we got the timely saves and the timely goals.”
You can read more from Mike Heika here.
Stars Stories
Of course, the real star of the show was Jason Robertson, who scored a hat trick… again:
Jason Robertson becomes first player in Dallas Stars history with hat tricks in back-to-back games
✍️ @MDeFranks | #TexasHockey https://t.co/vgvXjob18T
— SportsDay Stars (@dmn_stars) March 7, 2022
Saad Yousuf breaks down the game and its various storylines in a deep dive:
Jason Robertson makes Stars history, Jake Oettinger keeps rolling and Riley Tufte enoys a (delayed) homecoming
On the big win yesterday 👇https://t.co/tzkOP7YTDg
— Saad Yousuf (@SaadYousuf126) March 7, 2022
Stars Stories
Jason wasn’t the only Robertson to shine this weekend — his brother Nick Robertson scored his first NHL goal:
It was a big weekend in the @NHL for players of Asian and Pacific Islander heritage thanks to strong performances from @nsuzuki_37, @JasonRob1999 and @nickrobertson01
✍️: @IanKennedyCK https://t.co/hKMFV9A0rU
— The Hockey News (@TheHockeyNews) March 7, 2022
The NHL Stanley Cup Playoffs are getting a rebrand:
Introducing: The Next Era of the Stanley Cup Brand 🙌
Learn more ➡️ https://t.co/3wvMsWuGXc pic.twitter.com/RznYQB8byC
— NHL (@NHL) March 7, 2022
The Toronto Six of the PHF are getting some new owners:
The Toronto Six women’s hockey team has been sold to a group of investors led by former NHL player Anthony Stewart, coach Ted Nolan and Hockey Hall of Famer Angela James.https://t.co/Lx9Dz3ohYa
— Sportsnet (@Sportsnet) March 7, 2022
It’s been a long journey back to the ice, but Jack Eichel has been killing it with the Vegas Golden Knights:
Vegas acquired Jack Eichel earlier this season in anticipation of moments just like Sunday’s.
His game-winning shot marked the culmination of months of rehab from neck surgery and hours of shooting to sharpen his skills.
✍️ @JesseGranger_
📚 https://t.co/O5N5BQ84jU pic.twitter.com/jbzi4bcdpD— The Athletic NHL (@TheAthleticNHL) March 7, 2022