Headbutts all around.
Don’t call it a comeback bounce back. It was a weird one though, right? I haven’t gotten to watch the broadcast yet, but from inside the AAC, there were strange vibes all around.
After a mostly uneventful first period, things started to get chippy toward the end of it, when a goal was called off as Mikko Rantanen ran into Darcy Keumper just outside the crease. (There’s a lot of discussion about that one, as you can imagine.) Things continued to be chippy throughout the second, with the Stars and Kings trading penalties – and a couple goals.
Late in the third, with the Stars up 2-1, I leaned over and told my son that we needed one more. Within minutes, Rantanen delivered the third goal for the good guys, and we were pretty much set. There’s a lot to unpack here, but overall, the boys needed a little turnaround from the last few days, and they came out with energy and supplied it. We’ll take it.
In the Starsverse
This was a heck of a throwback effort.
Add it to the Mikko Rantanen highlight reel 😮💨 pic.twitter.com/fc2t1A057E
— Dallas Stars (@DallasStars) December 16, 2025
I want to take a moment to shout out Casey DeSmith. Backup goalies don’t always get their flowers, but Casey is well-deserving of them. Aside from a goal when he got puck-jacked – just a weird play all around – he was pretty lights-out last night, like usual.
Casey DeSmith this season for Dallas: 8-1-3 record and a .923 save percentage
— Derek Neumeier (@Derek_N_NHL) December 16, 2025
His cap hit? Only $1,000,000, barely above league minimum
The difference between good NHL organizations and the truly great ones is the latter's ability to maximize value everywhere in their rosters https://t.co/dw2guvhSMt
Elsewhere in the #MDK
Just a couple other games in the MurderDeathKill Central last night.
- The Jets continue to struggle, now having lost 10 of their last 13, with another heartbreaker late against Ottawa. They dropped it in OT 3-2. (NHL.com)
- Meanwhile, the Predators seem to be figuring some things out, winning 5 of 7 in January, including an even split with the Avalanche. They picked up another win last night in St. Louis, beating the Blues 5-2. (ESPN)
Finally
I was in the building last night and this girl 100% stole our hearts. She was AMPED.
Cuteness meter off the charts 🥹 pic.twitter.com/tW65ZSWCIh
— Dallas Stars (@DallasStars) December 16, 2025