Heika’s Take: Herculean efforts help Stars best Oilers

To win on the second night of back-to-back games, you typically need a special performance or two.

Scott Wedgewood and Roope Hintz stepped up on Thursday.

Wedgewood stopped 46 of 49 shots and Hintz had two goals and an assist to lead the Stars to a 4-3 win over the Edmonton Oilers at Rogers Place. The victory moved Dallas to 7-1-1 on the season and continued the trend of overcoming incomplete performances to obtain points in the standings.

“He was exactly what we needed,” Stars coach Pete DeBoer said of Wedgewood, the team’s backup goalie. “We needed some energy in the back-to-back. He came in and gave us a big game, and I think the guys fed off of that. We ran out of a little bit of gas down the stretch, but we grinded one out.”

Dallas actually controlled the game at times and took a 4-1 lead on goals from Matt Duchene, Joe Pavelski, and two from Hintz. The Stars continued a trend of dominance in the second period. They outscored opponents 14-4 in middle frames and, as a result, have given themselves a real chance to win every game.

They needed it on Thursday, as they ran out of gas and were outgunned 25-9 in shots on goal in the third period. Edmonton got two goals from Sam Gagner to make the contest much closer than it needed to be. Wedgewood came up with big save after big save, and that was crucial.

Wedgewood said he was excited to face Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl, who finished 1-2 in scoring last season.

“I love going against the top players in the league and they’ve got those two and throughout their lineup they’ve got some talent,” Wedgewood said. “When you put your best against the best in the league, it’s always a fun challenge.”

The Stars have been a work in progress, as they have yet to play a complete game. On Wednesday in Calgary, they were outshot 22-5 in the third period and Jake Oettinger saved the day. Still, being able to win while you fix your problems is a good challenge to have, DeBoer said.

“It wasn’t the prettiest game, but for less than 10 games into the season, we’ll take a win on the road here anytime,” DeBoer said.

The Stars are also finding silver linings every night. The Duchene line with Tyler Seguin and Mason Marchment continues to improve. Duchene now has five points in a five-game point streak, and his ability to score first helped really put a hungry Oilers team (2-6-1) on its heels. The top line, meanwhile, was simply fantastic. Hintz missed all of training camp and the first game of the season, but now has 11 points (5 goals, 6 assists) in eight games. He had two fantastic set-ups in Calgary and then was able to convert off two great passes from Pavelski in Edmonton. That combination, with Jason Robertson, has been deadly for three seasons, and Hintz said Pavelski continues to drive the line.

“I’ve said this 100 times: He’s been in this league for so many years and he’s such a good player,” Hintz said. “He’s so smart and he’s great with the puck and he wants to win so bad. He’s just a great mentor there.”

DeBoer, who has known Pavelski for more than a decade, said he’s always impressed by the 39-year-old forward.

“He’s an amazing athlete, and always in big moments too,” DeBoer said. “We’re in a back-to-back and you’d think he’d be the one guy who wouldn’t have an impact on the game based on his age, and he was one of the best players out there. That tells you the story.”

But, as it has been all year, it takes a village for the Stars. And Thursday was no exception. As good as Wedgewood and Pavelski were, the press in Edmonton felt Hintz led the victory for Dallas.

"The best compliment I can give Roope is I have more coaches from other teams that I sit and talk with or chat with just talk about how underrated he is. He doesn’t get the credit nationally or internationally," said DeBoer. "This guy is one of the best in the world. He’s physical, he’s fast, he’s hard, he makes plays, he can play defense, he can play offense, and he’s a prototypical number one center. There’s probably maybe 10 in the League, in the world, in that category, and he’s one of them. He brings it all."

And on the second night of a back-to-back, the Stars needed all of it.

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 Twitter @MikeHeika.