Heika’s Take: Stars shine bright throughout lineup, take down red-hot Caps

Three Stars of the Game weren’t enough for the lads in Victory Green on Monday.

In defeating one of the top teams in the league – as well as the flu bug – Dallas needed some huge performances from big players.

Roope Hintz tallied two goals, Jason Robertson had two assists, Jake Oettinger made 25 saves, rookie defenseman Lian Bichsel scored his second goal in his third NHL game, and Esa Lindell played more than 30 minutes, including 7:58 shorthanded. That all added up to a 3-1 win over the Washington Capitals, who came in as one of the hottest teams in hockey.

“It was a gutty win,” said Stars coach Pete DeBoer. “We’ve got a little bit of the flu bug going through with some key guys out. I thought our group dug deep. That’s a really good team that can make you look bad if you don’t compete. I didn’t love our first, but I thought we got better as the game went on.”

Defenseman Thomas Harley missed the game with the flu while defenseman Nils Lundkvist, who missed Saturday’s game with the flu, was limited to 10 minutes. But Lindell stepped up big, Miro Heiskanen played almost 28 minutes, and Dallas was able to hold off the high-flying Capitals, who rank second in scoring at 3.87 goals per game. Oettinger was critical as he ran his record to 5-0-0 against the Capitals and also took a win over his hometown buddy Charlie Lindgren. The two grew up in Lakeville, Minn., and games between the two are always memorable.

“He played great for them,” Oettinger said. “He gave them a chance to win and made some big saves. I thought he played really well tonight and it was fun to play against him.”

The game was rugged and uneven at times, but the Stars made it fun for everyone. After going down 1-0 on a tipped shot in the first period, Dallas scored twice in the second. Jamie Benn drew a high-sticking penalty 13 minutes in and then helped the power play cash in by feeding Hintz in the slot for his 12th goal of the season. The man advantage has had its ups and downs all season, so to get a tying goal like that was significant.

Hintz then helped create the go-ahead goal four minutes later as he raced in on the forecheck, won a puck battle, and secured a key possession for Dallas. Robertson and Mavrik Bourque got the puck to Bichsel and the 20-year-old rookie lifted in a shot from long distance that deflected off a Washington skater.

It was a big-time play by some of the team’s key players. The fact it was Bichsel’s second goal in three games certainly puts a bigger spotlight on the hulking defenseman, who had three goals in 21 games at the AHL level this season.

“He’s a big man and hard to play against,” DeBoer said. “He’s got better offensive instincts than people give him credit for. He finds a way to get his pucks through to the net. It was a tight checking game, like a playoff game, and that’s how you have to score. He’s got a good release.”

With Matt Dumba sidelined by an upper-body injury, Bichsel has a chance to impress the front office and potentially stick around.

“I’m fighting for a job here,” Bichsel said. “I’m doing all I can to make their decision hard. Every day is an opportunity for me and every day you have to show them that I’m worth playing here.”

He did a good job of playing 16 minutes on Monday, and then Lindell and Heiskanen filled in effortlessly. Lindell had several shifts over two minutes in length and Washington was able to get just three power play shots on goal in eight minutes.

“I told him he’s like the Ovi of the penalty kill – he stays out there the whole time,” Oettinger joked about Washington superstar Alex Ovechkin, who is sidelined by injury but has a reputation for playing a lot of power play minutes. “When you’re that good at it, why get off?”

Lindell said he enjoyed the extra ice time.

“I’ve always felt that the more you play, the more you are into the game, so I liked it,” Lindell said.

As did his teammates. Washington (21-7-2) saw a 10-game road winning streak and nine-game point streak (8-0-1) come to an end, while the Stars (19-11-0) moved their record at American Airlines Center to 13-2-0. In a lot of ways, it was a statement win for the locals.

“We needed that,” DeBoer said. “The power play had a goal. When you’re down some guys, you’re shorthanded, you’re playing the best team in the league and the hottest team in the league . . . your best players have to be your best players and I thought ours were. Roope, Robo, Otter, Miro, Lindy – we needed that tonight.”

If only they had a few more spots on the Three Stars of the Game list.

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.