'We played our hearts out': Stars give it all they can in overtime loss

The season series between the Dallas Stars and Nashville Predators is truly mind-boggling.
Dallas went 3-0-5, taking 11 points in the eight-game set. Nashville had 10 points at 5-3-0. After the latest extra frame victory - a 1-0 overtime win for Nashville on Saturday at Bridgestone Arena - the Predators now sit three points ahead of the Stars in the battle for the final playoff spot in the Central Division.

That's a rough reminder of just how frustrating this 21-17-13 season has been for Dallas.
"It's tough," said center Radek Faksa. "We lost so many overtimes this season, it's tough."
If the Stars could've taken just two of those overtimes against the Predators, the run to the end of the season would look a lot different right now.
Dallas had won three games in a row past regulation, including a pair of overtime winners by Jamie Benn in recent weeks. However, they never got untracked against the Predators. Jason Robertson was whistled for hooking 58 seconds in, and while Dallas killed the penalty, Nashville finished with a 5-0 edge in shots on goal in overtime, eventually winning on an Erik Haula goal at the 3:32 mark.

"I thought we did pretty good the last couple of overtimes, so we have pretty good confidence, especially after the PK," Faksa said of the vibe in Saturday's overtime. "It was a tough bounce, and we just have to look for other games."
It was especially tough in this one. Dallas could have tied Nashville with a win in regulation. It could have been just one point back if it had won in overtime or the shootout. Instead, the Stars sit three points back with five games remaining. Nashville has four games - two against Columbus and two against Carolina. Dallas plays at Florida on Monday, at Tampa Bay twice and then at Chicago twice. If the Stars are tied with Nashville in points, the Predators have a 19-16 edge on the first tiebreaker, which is regulation wins.
In other words, this OT loss hurt Dallas a good deal.

"We played our hearts out, we did," Stars coach Rick Bowness said. "We didn't give up much, obviously we didn't score and we're trying to score. In terms of the effort and the commitment to the team, 100% satisfied. Our guys played very, very hard and they played their hearts out tonight."
Robertson's hook on Roman Josi was a tough pill to swallow, but "it's a penalty," said Bowness. "It's unfortunate, but it's a penalty."
The coach did add that the timing was tough. Nashville had three days off before this game while Dallas played Monday, Tuesday and Thursday. Dallas had a 12-6 edge in shots on goal in the first period, and then was outshot 28-16 for the remainder of the game.

"That team has had five days off in the last week, they're coming off a three-day break," Bowness said. "So we knew they were going to have a little more energy than us at times."
And that's why the defeat is so disheartening. The condensed schedule caused by a four-game postponement for COVID and a four-game postponement for weather is making it tough for a Stars team that was without Denis Gurianov (upper body) and lost Jason Dickinson (lower body) during the game. Both teams played a cautiously intense contest that included strong defense, limited scoring chances, and a lot of physicality.

"It was playoff intensity, like Game 7," said goalie Anton Khudobin, who finished with 33 saves.
The Stars continue to be solid in net and with team defense. Still, the lack of scoring is a concern. Dallas scored one goal in a 5-1 loss to Carolina and then has been shut out twice in losses at Tampa Bay and Nashville. The Stars struggled with offense during lean times earlier in the season, so seeing the offense stymied is a tough reminder.

"We're in the grind of the season here where we're trying to get points," John Klingberg said of the defensive mindset. "We'll get our looks. This team is built by playing good team D. We did that tonight. We'll get our chances, we've got to bury some."
Bowness echoed those sentiments.
"Clearly, we're not scoring, what are you going to do?" Bowness said. "We're going to keep putting pucks at the net, we're going to keep driving the net until we get some breaks. It's dried up a little bit, and we're just going to keep putting as many pucks as we can to the net and we're going to keep getting bodies to the net. We're doing to do what we can. That's all we can do."
It's what they have to do. The loss puts them in a tough spot, and now they have to win hard games on the road against good opponents. If they do that, they still have a chance to push past the Predators.
"We've got still five games to go and we've got still a good chance to make the playoffs," Faksa said. "We have to keep our head up and keep working hard."
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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, and listen to his podcast.