DALLAS — The Dallas Stars blamed the Hockey Gods for their fate last season, one ravaged by injuries and overtime losses, sparse with rest and rife with interruptions. It was a season of divine intervention, and not the good kind.
On Friday night, during a 3-2 overtime win over the Kings, the Stars relied on the Hockey Gods to save them. They obliged, and so did Denis Gurianov and Braden Holtby.
For the first time in 19 months, the Stars played in front of a packed American Airlines Center crowd. It was a homecoming of sorts for the fans, for Tyler Seguin, for Alexander Radulov. It was supposed to be a raucous party conducted by those in Victory Green that echoed through downtown.
That party came in the third period — after 50 minutes of being outplayed and outshot by Los Angeles, after Holtby kept Dallas in the game and after the Stars power play dented the scoreboard three times.
Gurianov scored the game-winning goal with 45 seconds left in overtime. Tyler Seguin and Miro Heiskanen both scored power-play goals for the Stars. Holtby finished his Stars home debut with 43 saves.
That the Stars were able to squeeze points out of Friday night was a minor miracle. The Kings outshot the Stars 45-22 for the game. At the end of the second period, Los Angeles owned a 31-10 edge in shots on goal. The Kings weren’t able to create many significant scoring chances, but they owned possession and stifled any attack Dallas presented.
It was a game the Stars were on the other side of many times last year. They would outplay the opposition only to come away with a loss, either in regulation or in overtime. It was a story re-read to Dallas over and over across the spring, and was part of the reason why Stars coach Rick Bowness was often encouraged last year, despite the mounting losses.
This season has been different.
For vast stretches of the short season, the Stars have been outplayed heavily. There was the second period in New York, the first period in Boston and the opening 40 minutes against the Kings on Friday. Entering the night, the Stars were a bottom-10 team in shot share at 5 on 5.
Holtby has held strong in net, but being outshot, outchanced and outpossessed is no way to go through a hockey season.
Gurianov made sure the result fell Dallas’ way.
He darted down the right wing and shoveled a backhand on net, beating Jonathan Quick and lifting the Stars to their third overtime win of the season.
The game was the third time in five games that has extended beyond regulation for the Stars. They won in overtime in New York. They pulled out a victory in a shootout in Pittsburgh.
— Hakanpää's hit: Stars defenseman Jani Hakanpää was assessed a five-minute major and a game misconduct during the second period on Friday for kneeing Kings defenseman Drew Doughty. Doughty left the ice favoring his right leg and did not return for the rest of the game.
By rule, since Hakanpää was assessed a major penalty, he was also given a game misconduct, which ejected him from the game and subjects him to potential further discipline from the NHL.
Should Hakanpää be suspended, it would put the Stars in a tough position on the blue line. They were without John Klingberg on Friday night and do not have the cap space currently to recall a defenseman from AHL affiliate Texas.
Hakanpää was playing his first home game with the Stars after signing a three-year contract worth $1.5 million annually over the summer.
