5 takeaways: Robertson, Heiskanen, Oettinger lead Stars over Vegas

DALLAS -- You can't ask for much more than what you got from the Stars and Golden Knights at American Airlines Center on Tuesday. It had the look and feel of a playoff game with so much on the line for both teams.

By holding on to win in the seventh round of the shootout, the Stars simply need one point in their game against Arizona on Wednesday to punch a ticket to the playoffs. They can also get there if Vegas loses in Chicago, but it'd be nice to see them take care of it themselves.
Here are the five takeaways of the game.

PLAYOFF ATMOSPHERE

Like in the playoffs, the air inside American Airlines Center was thick with tension. Fans exhaled at every whistle. Every shift was amplified with good reason. This was a playoff game just without the playoff tag attached to it.
The sold-out crowd of 18,532 roared when Miro Heiskanen scored the lone goal in the shootout and reached an even higher level when Jake Oettinger denied William Karlsson to seal the deal.

ROBERTSON DOUBLES UP

Jason Robertson scored goals No. 39 and 40 on the season, becoming the first Stars player since Tyler Seguin in 2017-18 to reach that mark.
Both goals were equalizers and proved once again that the big stage doesn't faze him.

Give the Golden Knights credit - they kept Robertson, Joe Pavelski and Roope Hintz in check for nearly half the game. But the top line broke through at the 13:31 mark of the second period and 3:13 into the final frame.

OETTINGER SAVES BEST WORK FOR SHOOTOUT

Round after round, save after save. Oettinger kept his team alive long enough for Heiskanen to score the game-deciding goal in the top of the seventh round. From there, he simply had to make one more stop.

Oettinger was outstanding in the shootout, but let's not forget the glove save he made on Shea Theodore with 2:37 remaining in regulation in a 2-2 game. The shot was ticketed for the right side of the net, but Oettinger reached back and denied the offensive-minded defenseman with the glove.

TOUGH WAY TO END THE OPENING 20

Both teams were gridlocked in a tight-checking, playoff-style scoreless game for the first 19 minutes and change until the Golden Knights got on the board with a bit of friendly fire from the Stars.
As William Carrier raced into the zone and attempted to send a pass through the crease, it caromed off Luke Glendening's stick and past Oettinger with 48.3 seconds left in the period.

VEGAS SCORES IN FINAL SECONDS … TWICE

It's never good giving up goals in the final minutes of a period, and the Stars were guilty of it twice.
Carrier opened the scoring with 48.3 seconds remaining in the first, and Chandler Stephenson added a go-ahead goal on the power play with 3.3 seconds left in the middle frame.
Both goals, unfortunately, were self-inflicted. Carrier's went off Glendening's stick on his backcheck, and the Golden Knights' power play scored on his hooking penalty.
The Stars' final homestand of the regular season continues Wednesday against the Arizona Coyotes at 7:30 p.m. 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.