Heika's Take: Stars find a way to do it again in overtime

MONTREAL --Maybe the hockey gods are - in fact - looking after the Stars this season.
Dallas led the NHL last year with 14 overtime/shootout losses, a prime reason the Stars missed the playoffs. This year, they're 12-3 when games go past regulation, including 9-1 in overtime.

On Thursday, the skill and the luck mixed again, as John Klingberg scored with 9.7 seconds left in overtime to take a 4-3 win in Montreal. The victory was big for a lot of reasons, mostly because it stopped a three-game losing streak and allowed the Stars to pass Vegas (for the time being) and gain ground on Nashville in the race for a wild card playoff spot.

"It's huge," said forward Radek Faksa, who broke a 40-game goal drought with the game's opening tally in the first period. "Montreal's getting better and better. Last three games in a row, we lost the wild card spot, so that was huge win for us."

Mix in the fact the Stars entered the third period with a 2-1 lead and were down 3-2 with seven minutes remaining, and the drama was pretty intense. But Klingberg flipped in his third goal of the year to tie things up, and that led to a crazy overtime that included power plays for each team.
Dallas failed on its man advantage and then Klingberg was whistled for hooking to give Montreal its chance with the power play. Jake Oettinger and the penalty killers helped keep things clean, and then Klingberg was able to score on his own rebound while driving the net late.
"Klinger takes a penalty in overtime and then he gets the winner in overtime," said Stars coach Rick Bowness. "It was one of those nights."

It's kind of been one of those years. The Stars last week lost in regulation after getting a 1-0 lead against Nashville. They then jumped out 2-0 against the Rangers and still found a way to lose 7-4. They then laid an egg on Tuesday in Toronto when the Maple Leafs were missing their leading scorer and starting a rookie goalie and won 4-0.
It's been pretty taxing, to say the least. So, letting a lead slip away against the last-place Canadiens would've been a tough pill to swallow with back-to-back games coming Saturday and Sunday at the Islanders and Capitals.
"We've been up and down all year, and to get a win like this, it shows we're sticking with it," Klingberg said. "Their goalie played really good. I think we had a lot of chances, so it was great to see us come through with two points."

Dallas moved to 33-23-3 for 69 points and will still have four games in hand on Vegas when Friday rolls around. It also stays within five points of Nashville, which has played two more games. The games in hand are important, but the Stars have to win then.
Thursday was a nice step.
"That was a hell of a hockey game," Bowness said. "Fans got their money's worth, and we found a way to get the two points. What I really liked was the way we bounced back after a bad game in Toronto. I'm very happy with that that. We needed the two points badly."
Bowness juggled his lines and that helped spark some balance. Faksa scored off a nice pass from Michael Raffl and said getting the monkey off his back was a big relief.
"They feel great," he said of scoring a goal. "I had loads of chances before. I've waited for so long. Hopefully, it'll turn around and I'll execute more and score more goals and help the team get to the playoffs."
That's the goal, and the overtime games are certainly playing a big part. Dallas is getting big saves from Oettinger and scoring big goals in the extra session. They seem very confident when the game's on the line.
"Last year, we couldn't catch a break in overtime, we just couldn't," Bowness said of getting just four wins in overtime. "We hit goal posts, we missed nets, and that overtime record was dreadful because of it. This year, our goalie's making saves and we're getting huge goals. There were a ton of overtime games we could've won last year, and they didn't go in. This year, they're going in, so give the guys credit."
And if the hockey gods feel they owe the Stars, well, that's fine with the players. Jamie Benn tallied his 15th goal of the season, but just his second in the past nine games. He said he got a lucky bounce off the end boards and took advantage. When it was suggested maybe he was in the right place to take advantage of a fortunate carom, Benn smiled.
"I think we were due for some lucky bounces tonight, and I think we got them," Benn said.

It's not the worst place to be in the hockey world.
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.