Heika’s Take: Stars resiliency shines through during furious comeback against Rangers

Tuesday’s overtime win at Madison Square Garden was far from perfect.

But sometimes it’s better that way.

The Stars fell behind 3-0 to the New York Rangers, then rallied to tie the game, then fell behind 4-3 in the third period, then rallied to tie the game, and then secured a 5-4 win in overtime on a power play goal. It was a tilt-a-whirl ride for the lads in Victory Green, and it revealed some things the coaching staff wanted to see.

“Any time in this league where you’re down 3-0 and come back and win, especially on the road, it’s an identity, character, gut-check kind of win,” said Stars coach Pete DeBoer. “I thought we didn’t panic, we stuck with it. I don’t think it was a 3-0 deserved deficit, but that was the hole we were in. We just kept battling and chipping away.”

New York got goals from Alexis Lafrenière (twice) and Vincent Trocheck to build that 3-0 lead less than 12 minutes into the game. Stars goalie Jake Oettinger wasn’t off, but he didn’t stop two deflections and a breakaway, and that could have weighed on him.

“It’s not the start I dreamt about last night, but I just felt we were getting a lot of chances and I thought if I could keep it there, over the course of 60 minutes, we could tie it up,” Oettinger said. “The guys were resilient.”

In truth, the Stars controlled the game and the scoring chances from the start of the game. So when they tallied two quick goals to make it 3-2 after 20 minutes, it wasn’t a surprise. After all, Dallas had an 18-8 advantage in shots on goal in the first period.

Matt Duchene scored just more than a minute after New York made it 3-0. Duchene coasted up the left wing and sent a puck on net that was directed toward a charging Jamie Benn. The puck deflected off a Rangers defender and in for Duchene’s 16th goal of the season.

Dallas then got a power play two minutes later, and Evgenii Dadonov converted on a rebound from a Mavrik Bourque shot for his 11th goal of the season.

The Stars then tied it up in the second period, as a Rangers player lost his stick and the Stars showed a hungry diligence in cycling in the zone. Dadonov, Jason Robertson and Roope Hintz moved the puck around skillfully, and Robertson whipped in a backhand for his 10th goal of the campaign.

The score stayed that way until Thomas Harley threw a puck over the glass in his own end during a Rangers forecheck to give New York a power play. Trocheck scored with seven minutes left, and the Stars once again had some work to do. The line of Sam Steel, Bourque and Logan Stankoven created a turnover and then fed Harley, who had sweet redemption by scoring the tying goal.

While Harley said it was torture waiting in the penalty box while New York scored, he said he was determined to get the goal back.

“I was just glad to see it went in,” he said. “Hell of a job by Steel on the forecheck. It all worked out.”

Harley also was part of the game-winner. The Stars received a power play in overtime and once again cashed in as Harley sent a pass to Robertson in the right circle, and Robertson whipped a pass to the front of the net that Benn tipped past Rangers goalie Jonathan Quick.

That gave Dallas its second straight OT victory and moved them to 6-0-1 in their past seven. That’s tied for the second-longest point streak of the DeBoer era.

Asked about Harley bouncing back from the penalty, Oettinger said, “That’s a bad break, and you need guys to step up and make big plays and it was his turn tonight.”

Harley had a goal and two assists, Dadonov had a goal and an assist, and Robertson had a goal and an assist. Harley led the team with six shots on goal.

“I like our group’s ability to stay with it,” said Duchene. “We had guys come up with big plays. We had Thomas Harley with a goal and two assists, what an absolute snipe on the tying goal, and a great play by Sam Steel. We had different guys contributing tonight, kind of up and down the lineup. That’s what it takes.”

Especially when you’re down 3-0 to start the game. Dallas moves to 25-13-1, good for a .654 points percentage that ranks sixth in the West. The Stars entered the game 8-8-0 on the road, and DeBoer said there was much talk about carrying over the momentum from a 10 of 12 stretch at home to this five-game road trip.

“Our road record hasn’t been great,” DeBoer said. “We have kind of climbed back in the standings with a really good homestand, so we wanted to start this road trip off right, and to be in that hole, and then find a way to get out of it was really important for our group.”

Heck, they might even start getting a little confidence.

“A lot of good stuff tonight, a lot of stick-to-it-tiveness,” said Duchene of a 39-25 advantage in shots on goal and twice as many scoring chances. “It was good. You’re going to have to win them all different ways in this league. All in all, I think we deserved that game.”

This story was not subject to the approval of the National Hockey League or Dallas Stars Hockey Club.

Mike Heika is a Senior Staff Writer for DallasStars.com and has covered the Stars since 1994. Follow him on X @MikeHeika.