The Dallas Stars stick around the New York City Metro area for a Sunday night game against the New York Islanders. The Stars came into the game on a second night of a back to back, after a decisive 6-2 victory against the New Jersey Devils last night.
The biggest news out of the Islanders organization is their decision to bolster their ailing defense by . . . *checks notes* . . . firing their head coach and hiring Patrick Roy who, yes, did win a Jack Adams Trophy in 2014. He followed that trophy in the bottom of the division the following two seasons before quitting the NHL. This is is first NHL coaching job since then. Should fix everything wrong with the Islanders.
Also, Scott Wedgewood started in net, having played a full game last night. This was a last minute change as Jake Oettinger had been expected to play tonight.
First Period
Despite early and constant pressure from the Stars, the Islanders drew first blood off a turnover by Evgenii Dadonov in the offensive zone.
The Stars had two power play opportunities during which they gave up half as many shorthanded chances as they had shots on goal, which is less than ideal. Despite outshooting the Islanders through the first, their transitions through the neutral zone were a struggle, and they couldn’t seem to shoot anywhere but straight into the body of Ilya Sorokin.
Shots: Stars 16, Islanders 13
Goals: Stars 0, Islanders 1
Second Period
The Stars kept the Islanders to only five shots on goal in the second period and that’s almost all anyone really needs to know about it. The Islanders may as well have not been on the ice at all, except Sorokin, who is the only reason the Stars didn’t finish the period up about 6 goals.
The second period also gave the Stars their two goals for the evening. The first from Jason Robertson started on the other end with a really close miss from the Islanders broken up by Jani Hakanpaa. The Stars carried it through the neutral zone into the Islanders where Joe Pavelski found Robertson in front of the net.
Sam Steel created the the second scoring chance, hustling into the corner to retrieve the puck. He found Nils Lundkvist at the top of the offensive zone and Lundkvist had a clear shot at the net.
The Stars had another power play opportunity here but while they absolutely hammered pucks on Sorokin during it, they couldn’t score.
Shots: Stars 30, Islanders 18
Goals: Stars 2, Islanders 1
Third Period
Did the Islanders have more shots on goal than they did in the second? Yes. Did they score more goals than they did in the second? Yes. Did the Stars score at all? No. They did not. Did they continue to outshoot and outpossess the Islanders? They did.
The only goal of the third period belonged to the Islanders, a shot through traffic from Hudson Fasching. It’s very possible Wedgewood never even saw the puck.
Despite chances, the Stars were not able to break ahead again, and to overtime the game went.
Shots: Stars 43, Islanders 26
Goals: Stars 2, Islanders 2
Overtime
Matt Duchene lost the puck in the offensive zone and it ended up in front of Wedgewood on Bo Horvat’s stick and then it ended up in the net.