The Dallas Stars snapped a two-game losing streak with a dramatic 3-1 victory over the Columbus Blue Jackets on Saturday night, powered by late-period heroics from their defense. Thomas Harley delivered the decisive blow with 0.2 seconds remaining in the first period, whistling a shot from the left half wall into a sliver of space between Jet Greaves’ right skate and the post. The goal, Harley’s first of the season, extended Dallas’s lead to 2-0 and set the tone for a dominant home performance that concluded a six-game homestand with a 4-2-0 record.
Dallas ends two-game slide with dramatic period and game-clinching strikes
Mikko Rantanen opened the scoring just 33 seconds into a power play at 2:16 of the first period, tapping in a backhand pass from Wyatt Johnston for his team-high seventh goal of the season. The Stars maintained control throughout, with goaltender Jake Oettinger bouncing back from a rough stretch by stopping 25 of 26 shots. Oettinger, who enters the game fifth in the NHL with a 1.69 goals-against average, secured the win after allowing seven goals in his two previous outings, proving crucial in preserving the narrow margin of victory.
Arttu Hyry added an empty-netter with 0.3 seconds left in regulation to seal the result, while Damon Severson scored for Columbus in a losing effort. The Blue Jackets dropped their final two games of a three-game road trip, with Greaves stopping 14 shots but unable to prevent the defeat. This win marks a significant momentum shift for Dallas, ending a streak where they never led and reasserting their home ice advantage before the next stretch of the schedule.
Source: Yahoo Sports
