The Jason and Jake Show took over as the Stars defeated the Islanders 2-1 in overtime on Tuesday night, thanks to two goals from Jason Robertson — his last in the OT shootout — and Jake Oettinger, who was as slippery as ever in net.
The Dallas win helps the Stars (25-11-6) maintain a slim three-point lead for first place (56-53), as second-place Winnipeg (26-14-1) lost 7-5 to Detroit on the night. The Stars’ win also secured head coach Peter DeBoer’s slot as a coach for the 2023 All-Star weekend in Sunrise, Florida, in February.
Rick Bowness, the head coach of the Winnipeg Jets and the Stars last season, was edged out for an All-Star spot by DeBoer based on the team’s winning percentage as of January 11 (Stars .667%, Jets .646%). DeBoer is in his first season as Dallas’ coach.
WHAT TO KNOW
Robertson split the pipes in the first period, nearly four minutes into the game. Tyler Seguin flipped a pass while falling forward, hitting Joe Pavelski’s stick across the ice.
Pavelski zipped a pass back across the ice to Robertson in front of the Islanders’ net, who easily scooped a shot past Ilya Sorokin to give the Islanders an early 1-0 lead. Pavelski and Seguin each notched assists on the play.
Oettinger’s lone blemish as goalie for Dallas came 10 minutes later on an Islander goal by Anders Lee, knotting the game at 1-1.
For the remainder of the regulation, both goalies were unbeatable.
Roope Hintz did not make the New York travel trip as he is out with an upper-body injury.
Denis Gurianov, out of the Dallas lineup since taking an indefinite leave for family reasons Christmas week, was back in the lineup against the Rangers. Gurianov played nearly 11 minutes in the game and had his shot denied by Sorokin.
BY THE NUMBERS
Robertson was the lone Star to score in the overtime shootout session after the teams skated to a tie after the overtime session. Robertson’s goal in the first was his 29th of the season (fourth-best in the NHL). His goal in the shootout was his third of the year.
WHAT THEY SAID
“Having less penalties and managing the clock,” Robertson told Bally Sports of the Dallas strategy heading into the third period. “I think if we manage the clock, you know, kind of eliminate some of their offense and eliminate the turnovers, and just get more stuff on net.”
“He was awesome tonight,” Stars head coach DeBoer said of Oettinger’s night in net. “If not his best performance of the year, one of them. You kind of get used to the level he plays at, but he was exceptional. I mean, we’re probably down three nothing in the first if he’s not back there.”
NEXT UP
Dallas stays in the Big Apple and takes on the New York Rangers at Madison Square Garden on Thursday. The first puck between the Stars and Rangers drops at 6 p.m. CT.
