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Overtime Hero Jason Robertson Leads Stars to 4-3 Victory Over Jets

The second of the make-up games rescheduled during what used to be the Olympic Break happened tonight between the Dallas Stars and the Winnipeg Jets. It is the second of four meetings between the two division rivals this season. The first was a 4-3 shoot-out loss in November.

While the Stars have been holding steady in the bubble, the Jets have been in free fall. They’ve won only twice in the last nine games, though the two wins came in the past three games. They’re five points behind the Stars in the standings, and there are still 39 games to go after this one.

First Period

The only thing that can truly be said about the first period is that it was not Jamie Benn’s frame.

He whiffed twice on amazing scoring chances, as seen in the tweets below.

And of course, sports being sports, everyone had something to say about it.

The Stars had the first power play of the game off a high sticking penalty to former Star Brenden Dillon, but after just one shot on goal with the advantage from Roope Hintz, Benn took a tripping penalty with 34 seconds left to go in the power play.

The period ended in a tie, but the shots on goal don’t represent the real story in the first, which was how very many times the Stars took a shot and missed.

Shots: Stars 7, Jets 12
Goals: Stars 0, Jets 0

Second Period

After a scoreless first period, the Jets strike first on a deflection from Pierre-Luc Dubois 50 seconds into the period. The Jets got the puck back to Dillon at the blue line who took the slap shot on net that Dubois deflected.

The Stars went back on the power play after Tyler Seguin was cross-checked along the boards. The Stars kept possession in the Jets end, making for some very long shifts for their penalty killers, but ultimately were unable to score with the advantage.

A little over halfway through the second, Alexander Radulov and Jacob Peterson carried the puck into the Jets zone. Peterson lost the puck but it got out to Radulov on the point who passed it back across the zone. Peterson deflected it past Connor Hellebuyck.

Less than a minute later it was Denis Gurianov to Tyler Seguin.

After going up 2-1, the Jets declined to take any chances, and Neal Pionk sacrificed himself on a hooking call rather than allow Tanner Kero to chase the puck into the corner in the Jets end.

After which the Jets tied it again with a passing clinic the Stars could learn a few moves from.

Dillon had a big hit on Klingberg with a little under three minutes to go in the second which Jamie Benn took great offense to. Ended up with a jousting match at center ice that resulted in matching five-minute majors.

Shots: Stars 20, Jets 21
Goals: Stars 2, Jets 2

Third Period

For eight minutes, this period was just a lot of skating back and forth. Then Miro Heiskanen got smacked in the face on what would have been a double minor, except the referees didn’t see it. The crowd and those of us watching on the broadcast were subjected to a very long stint of Garth Brooks’ “Friends In Low Places” while the crew in the AAC scraped blood off the ice.

Play resumed and the crowd booed with all the fervor of the old woman in The Princess Bride.

The Stars got their fourth power play of the night on a hooking call to Scheifele. They didn’t score on the power play, but Jamie Benn did redeem himself shortly after.

With his assist on Seguin’s goal and the fight in the second, Jamie Benn completed another Gordie Howe hat trick.

Despite an actual good amount of effort by the Stars to maintain the lead, they were no match for the desperation of the Jets with 30 seconds to go, six attackers, and nothing left to lose.

Shots: Stars 33, Jets 31
Goals: Stars 3, Jets 3

Overtime

Jason Robertson scored his 20th of the year off a feed from John Klingberg, netting the victory for the Stars.

Another important in-division victory for the Stars, who will be back on Sunday against the Colorado Avalanche. Puck drop will be at 1 pm CST.

Talking Points