No Mikko, no problem as Dallas Stars end 3-game skid with blowout win over Boston Bruins

Playing without your points leader often isn’t a recipe for offensive success, but that’s just how unpredictable the Dallas Stars have been lately.

Despite Mikko Rantanen missing Tuesday’s game with an illness, his team cruised to a 6-2 win over the Boston Bruins, playing its best offensive and all-around game in a month to get back on track after losing 10 of 12 prior and its last three.

“That’s a testament to our guys,” Stars coach Glen Gulutzan said. “We didn’t know he wasn’t going to play until right before the game. We changed the lines around from what we had this morning. Good for our guys.”

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Rantanen ranks third in the NHL in power-play points (27), but Dallas was still able to capitalize on a trio of early penalties by the Bruins, scoring two power-play goals in the first period. When Elias Lindholm interfered with Esa Lindell, Roope Hintz found Wyatt Johnston with a cross-ice pass. Johnston, who still leads the league in power-play goals (16), buried the one-timer.

Dallas earned another opportunity on the man-advantage late in the first period. Bruins goalie Jeremy Swayman made a diving stick save to stop Mavrik Bourque on the doorstep, but the Stars forward followed up the shot to finish with 13 seconds left in the second period.

The Stars led 2-0 after the first 20 minutes and had scored more goals in that one period than they had in each of their last three games. It was Dallas’ first game with five or more goals since its last quality win on Dec. 21 against Toronto before the losing streak began two days later.

In the second period, Dallas doubled the lead, capitalizing on 5-on-5 opportunities that were there all game. Esa Lindell scored on a seeing-eye shot off a face-off from the blue line. Then, again in the last minute of the period, Justin Hryckowian snuck a puck past Swayman that barely crossed the line.

The Stars had 32 shots on goal by the end of the second and 20 by the midway point of the game. Over the last month, they’ve sometimes been scraping to get 20 shots on goal in a night.

“We got rid of all the micro stuff there, and we got into the macro stuff — working and winning your battles,” Gulutzan said. “We talked about doing everything tonight that your dad told you to do when you’re growing up.”

Jason Robertson added two goals early in the third period, leading the Bruins to pull Swayman for backup Joonas Korpisalo with over 13 minutes remaining. He also finished with eight shots on goal.

Miro Heiskanen assisted on Robertson’s first goal, his third helper of the night. Thomas Harley and Hintz each finished with two assists. Hryckowian had a goal and two assists for a three-point night, and Bourque had a goal and an assist.

Defensively, Dallas made it easy on goalie Jake Oettinger, who faced just 18 shots. He let in two Bruins goals, but not until late in the third when the game was already out of reach.

Oettinger looked especially solid across the ice from his fellow countryman, who he will likely compete with for the backup role on Team USA in the Winter Olympics next month.

“It just goes to show us we’re still one of the best teams in the league,” Oettinger said. “We’ve had a rough patch, but every team goes through that for the most part. Hopefully we can kind of carry the swagger we got from tonight into the next seven games until break.”

The Stars will look to carry some momentum into a back-to-back on the road at Columbus Tuesday before facing St. Louis at home Friday.

Twitter/X: @lassimak

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