Tying a franchise-record, 15-game points streak wasn’t as easy as it could’ve been for the Dallas Stars Saturday night.
The Stars survived overtime with a 3-2 win against the Detroit Red Wings, as Thomas Harley took a defender 1-on-1 to lead his team to victory. The Stars, however, squandered a 2-0 lead entering the third period against a heavily depleted Detroit roster that lost four of its forwards in the last three days to injury.
Nevertheless, this Stars team matched the franchise record that it only shares with the 1999 Stanley Cup-winning team. Dallas has also won 14 of 15 games in the process, while the 1999 team won just 12.
“We’re gonna be in a lot of these games here coming up. You can’t get too low when teams tie it. It’s gonna happen,” Stars forward Matt Duchene said. “We’ve got different guys stepping up at different moments for us right now, and that’s why we’re going like we are.”
Sports Roundup
Related
Dallas built a two-goal lead by late in the second period. Wyatt Johnston scored his 36th goal of the season in the first period. It was his 72nd point of the year, which is a new career high for the 22-year-old, still with 16 games to go.
Then, Michael Bunting, whom the Stars acquired from the Nashville Predators at the trade deadline, scored his first goal as a Star on the power play early in the second period. He extended Dallas’ streak to 12 consecutive games with a power play goal — the Stars’ longest streak since 2005-06.
Detroit came out firing in the third period, outshooting Dallas 14-6 and completely erasing the Stars’ lead. Stars goalie Jake Oettinger had stopped the first 12 shots he faced before deflecting a puck into his own net. Simon Edvinsson was credited with the Detroit goal to make it 2-1. Then, with just 3:26 remaining, Lucas Raymond deflects his own rebound past Oettinger to tie the game at 2-2.
Harley saved the day 2:06 into the overtime period to secure Dallas’ fourth straight win. The goal was Harley’s second overtime winner this season and seventh of his career.
“There’s a lot of open ice out there, and speed and skill are at the forefront of it. That’s two things I do pretty well,” Harley said.
The Colorado Avalanche might want to start watching their backs.
The Stars closed Colorado’s Central Division lead to a mere three points Saturday night, as both of their top divisional rivals — Minnesota and Colorado — lost.
The Stars still face the Avalanche twice, on the road Wednesday and at home on April 4.
If their points streak can continue, catching Colorado in the Presidents’ Trophy race doesn’t seem that unrealistic after all.
“We can still grow,” Stars coach Glen Gulutzan said. “Other teams are going to push us at different points. We’ve got to stay mentally strong.”
Twitter/X: @Lassimak
NHL playoff tracker: Can Dallas Stars finally get over the hump in 2026?
Live updates on the Stars’ spot in the Western Conference, the Central Division and their potential first-round matchup
3 things to know about Stars-Red Wings: Dallas can tie 1999 team’s record streak with win
The Stars have points in 14 consecutive games, putting them in rarified air in the franchise’s history.
Find more Stars coverage from The Dallas Morning News here.