Stars Regain Series Lead in an Exciting Game Three
With the series tied 1-1, the Winnipeg Jets went down to Dallas to try to gain a lead in Round Two of the Stanley Cup Playoffs. In Game Two, the Stars were shut out by the Jets and Connor Hellebuyck. With Jason Robertson back on the ice after missing several games due to injury, the Stars were ready to regain their lead in the series. With Jake Oettinger in goal, the Stars were able to win this game and take back their series lead.
The first period was off to a good start for the Stars after Nino Niederreiter was called for high-sticking against Thomas Harley, sending the Stars on a two-minute power play just 22 seconds into the first period. The good luck didn’t stop there for Dallas as they went on another power play following a call against Josh Morrissey for tripping against Mikko Rantanen. With only five seconds of a two-man advantage, Roope Hintz found the net with assists from Rantanen and Harley to bring the Stars to a 1-0 lead just two and a half minutes into the period. The Jets went on a two-minute power play shortly after, but were unable to even the score. However, the Jets came back as Kyle Connor slipped past Oettinger with a wrap-around goal assisted by Gabriel Vilardi, evening the score at 1-1. The Stars were quick to respond, however, as Thomas Harley brought the score to 2-1 in favor of Dallas with a snap shot. At the end of the first 20 minutes, the Stars led the game.
The next 20 minutes were off to a much slower start than the previous 20 until 10 minutes into the period, when the Jets came back to tie the game once again. Morrissey and Colin Miller set up Niederreiter for a beautiful snap shot that made its way past Oettinger, bringing the score to 2-2. The Jets had the opportunity to gain the lead after Rantanen was called for tripping against Dylan DeMelo, giving the Jets a one-man advantage. However, the advantage wasn’t enough, and the game remained 2-2 at the end of the second period.
The Dallas Stars were quick to prove themselves as they regained the lead in the game once again. With an assist from Rantanen and Sam Steel, Alexander Petrovic fired a wrist shot that brought the score to 3-2. The goal went under a lengthy review, but ultimately was deemed a valid goal for Dallas. This was only the start for the Stars as they almost immediately scored again after gameplay resumed. Rantanen fired his ninth goal of the playoffs with assists from Hintz and Granlund, extending the Stars' lead to 4-2. To widen the gap even more, the Stars scored once more with a goal by Wyatt Johnston, assisted by Jamie Benn and Evgenii Dadonov. The Jets were unable to come back, and the game ended 5-2 in favor of the Stars. Dallas now leads the series 2-1.
