5 Takeaways: "Holtbeast" is back, Radulov heats up and Stars find a way

It wasn't that long ago when the Stars couldn't buy a win in overtime or the shootout. Now, they come home from a season-opening four-game road trip with two wins in extra time. Go figure, right?

Tuesday's 2-1 shootout victory over the Pittsburgh Penguins was big for multiple reasons.
One, it gave the Stars a split on the road. Two nights ago, Jamie Benn said the goal was to at least be a .500 club on the road, and now the Stars are coming home feeling good about themselves after a hard-fought win.
Two, they beat a Pittsburgh team that came into the game with a 2-0-1 record. The Stars also hadn't won in Pittsburgh in nearly six years (Oct. 22, 2015). They were 0-4 in their previous four visits to PPG Paints Arena and 0-5 in their past five meetings against the Penguins overall.
One thing is for certain - the Stars like to keep things interesting.
Here are five takeaways from the game.

HOLTBEAST IS BACK

This is the Braden Holtby so many of us remember. No stranger to the Penguins having faced them 26 times prior, Holtby was once again terrific in goal. The veteran netminder calmy turned aside 27-of-28 shots in regulation/overtime and delivered two more in the shootout.
In his three appearances with the Stars, Holtby is 1-1-0 with a 1.75 goals-against average and .947 save percentage.

FINDING SUCCESS IN THE SHOOTOUT

Last season, the Stars played in 19 extra session games. They won five of them (two of which in the shootout). Fast forward to this season, and both of their wins have come in the extra frame.
What's the difference? In the season opener last Thursday, Anton Khudobin (who came in cold in the third period), was a brick wall and kept the Stars alive long enough for Miro Heiskanen to do Miro Heiskanen things.
On Tuesday, not only did Holtby come up large in overtime, but he also got offensive support in the shootout with goals from Joe Pavelski and Alexander Radulov. Pavelski's goal opened the scoring in the shootout, and while Holtby allowed a follow-up tally to Jeff Carter, Radulov came through with the game winner. Timely goal.

RAFFL LIGHTS THE LAMP

Michael Raffl had four goals in 44 games last season. He has two goals in four games this season. Time will tell if he can get back to double digits (his career high is 21 goals in 67 games with Philadelphia in 2014-15), but for now, the Stars will gladly take his offensive production.
His goal against the Penguins was a beauty and a buzzer beater. He got every bit of the one-timer from the right faceoff dot that beat goaltender Tristan Jarry before he could make his way to the left post.

Raffl's been one of the team's most consistent forwards through four games and has two goals and three points over that span.

HEALTHY FAKSA IS A DANGEROUS FAKSA

No longer hampered by a nagging wrist injury, Radek Faksa has been Dallas' best two-way forward. Not only is he producing at a point-per-game clip (one goal, four points in four games), but he's also coming up huge on the defensive side of the puck.
He had a great blocked shot in Tuesday's game when he slid across to get in a shooting lane to eliminate a scoring chance from the point. It might not make the highlight reel, but you better believe it means something to his teammates and coaching staff.

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RADULOV'S HEATING UP

It wasn't his best game of the season on Tuesday, but Radulov delivered when it mattered the most - in the shootout.

He was arguably the team's best player on Sunday in Ottawa. He scores the game winner in a shootout two nights later. Can he elevate his game even more on Friday in the Stars' home opener against LA? We'll see.
Be there when Texas Hockey comes home this Friday as the Stars face the Los Angeles Kings at American Airlines Center! The festivities begin with Party on PNC Plaza at 5:30 p.m. and all fans are encouraged to be in their seats by 7 p.m. Don't miss out, get your tickets now!
This story was not subject to the approval of the National Hockey League or Dallas Stars Hockey Club.
Kyle Shohara is the Digital Manager for DallasStars.com and writes about the Stars/NHL. Follow him on Twitter @kyleshohara.