Heika's Take: Momentum was as real as ever in Dallas' thrilling comeback

DALLAS --Momentum is real.
Well, at least it was Tuesday night.
The Stars and Edmonton Oilers exchanged massive punches throughout an edge-of-your-seat bout in front of a sellout crowd of 18,532 at American Airlines Center, and the Stars finished with a flurry that resulted in a huge 5-3 win and a bump up into a playoff spot.

It was a wild evening that had a little bit of everything.
"It was a great hockey game," said Stars coach Rick Bowness. "That's an excellent hockey team over there. That was a fun game to be a part of. It was back-and-forth, it was fast and it had a lot of good chances at both ends."

Edmonton dominated early play, holding a decided edge in shot attempts and taking a 1-0 lead late in the first period. That seemed like a death knell for the home team, as the Oilers were 21-0-0 when scoring first this season. But there was nothing sure on Tuesday.
Just when it looked like Dallas couldn't hang with the speedy Oilers, Jamie Benn found Jason Robertson in transition, and the second year forward swept in his 31st goal of the season. A minute after that, the Stars found themselves on the power play, and Joe Pavelski popped in a rebound shot to make it 2-1.
It was a stunning turn of events, and the score stayed that way until the third period. There, Dallas gained another power play and looked ready to put the game away. But Connor McDavid made a great play to dig a puck off the end boards, feeding Evander Kane for a slam dunk shorthanded goal to tie things up.
And 40 seconds after that, Leon Draisaitl gave the Oilers the lead in transition.
Crazy stuff.
But instead of folding up the tent, the Stars went to work. They understood the importance of a game with the Oilers, who are battling for playoff positioning in the West, and they found a way to both dig in and stay calm all at the same time.
"It's emotional," said Robertson. "When we were up by one goal, and then we get a power play, we're feeling good. Then they score two quick goals there, and you have to change that mindset. Everyone on that bench had the same attitude that we were going to get another one."

While McDavid and Draisaitl continued to make life tough every shift they were on the ice, Dallas found a way to pick its spots. John Klingberg made a spectacular pass to Roope Hintz, who was racing into the offensive zone, and Hintz split the defense to score his 26th goal of the season to tie things up with 5:22 remaining in the third period.
That would've seemed enough for a Stars team that's dominated in overtime this season, but the tide was turning, and Dallas rode the wave. Tyler Seguin made a great play in transition, finding an open Denis Gurianov, and Gurianov (who had several scoring chances on the night) cashed this one in for the game-winner just 24 seconds after the Hintz goal.

A full house erupted in applause, and the Stars held on, adding an empty-net goal at the end from Seguin (the 300th regular-season goal of his career).

"Great hockey game," said Seguin. "From the start and the drop of the puck, I thought it was chippy, it was intense, it was fast, and they have a lot of skill. They're playing a lot different than maybe the first time they were in here. I don't know if it was from the coaching change or what, but they're a lot more defensive in ways and a lot more structured, and they're a good hockey team. It was a good game."

Vegas lost to Winnipeg and fell to 34-28-4, or 72 points in 66 games. Dallas moves to 35-24-3, or 73 points in 62 games. The Stars are in a playoff spot, which they've been before, and they certainly have to maintain their position. But they have games in hand on most of the teams close in the standings and they seem to be in control of their own destiny.
"It's big to win games," said Seguin. "With this league, you can be in and out every game from a playoff spot, but once you get it you definitely want to hold on to it."
After all, the Stars are showing they can be competitive with some very good teams. Edmonton was on a 5-0-1 run coming in and now is 35-24-5.
"We've been saying from day one that our team, on paper, is really good," Seguin said. "Paper doesn't mean anything, so, it's about putting it all together at the right time. We have a lot of vets on this team, and we know what that means. Once the trade deadline's gone, it's the exciting part of the year. You have 20-ish games left. It's the push and it's getting ready to try to get into that dance and then get in. Once you're in, I don't want to face us."
Especially if they get a little momentum.
This story was not subject to the approval of the National Hockey League or Dallas Stars Hockey Club.
Mike Heikais a Senior Staff Writer for DallasStars.com and has covered the Stars since 1994. Follow him on Twitter @MikeHeika.