5 takeaways: From Robertson to Holtby, Stars find a way to win

The Stars opened their three-game road trip just the way they wanted - with a win.
With two points, they jumped up to the first wild card in the Western Conference. They're also just two points behind Minnesota for third place in the Central and five points behind St. Louis for second place. My, how things have changed.

Here are the five takeaways from a wild game in Winnipeg.

WHAT A NIGHT FOR NO. 21

Just when you think you've seen the best of Jason Robertson, he comes back with something even bigger.
It's not just that he scored three goals on Friday - a feat that's worthy of high praise. It's the way he scored them that stood out.
Silky hands on his first goal. Five-hole on his second goal. All-out determination on his third.
Incredible performance from the second-year man.
What's he going to do next?

HOLTBEAST EMERGES

Braden Holtby looked pretty darn good for not playing in three weeks. He and Robertson were the team's best players. Holtby made key saves at key moments. If not for him, the Stars wouldn't have come away with two points.
His best work came in the third period when the ice was heavily tilted in Winnipeg's favor. Maybe it was the parade to the penalty box earlier in the game, but the Stars looked drained over the final frame. Holtby, however, was on top of his game.

DIRTY DANGLES IN GAME NO. 100

In his 100th career NHL game, Robertson pulled off one of the niftiest set of moves you'll see. After corralling a puck at the left post, Robertson did his best Patrick Kane impersonation with rapid-fire dangles to freeze Jets goalie Connor Hellebuyck.

It marked Robertson's 95th point (41 goals, 54 assists) in 100 games.

PAVELSKI REACHES MILESTONE

With an assist on Robertson's goal, Joe Pavelski earned career NHL point No. 900 (415 goals, 485 assists). The 37-year-old became just the 14th American-born player to reach the milestone.
It's been a decorated 16-year career for Pavelski, who has 139 points (60 goals, 79 assists) in 177 games with the Stars since signing as a free agent in the summer of 2019.

PK COMES TO THE RESCUE

It was one of those games when it seemed anything and everything was getting called. Because of that, the Stars went to the box six times by the 12-minute mark of the second period.
Fortunately, their penalty killers came to play. They nearly went 6-for-6 had it not been for Paul Stastny's goal with a second left on the Jets' sixth power play.
Their best penalty killer? Holtby. He was fantastic.
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.