Dallas Stars game notes: Rantanen returns, Robertson is oh so clutch in win vs Blues

The Dallas Stars scored a late goal for their first lead, and it held in a 3-2 win against the St. Louis Blues at American Airlines Center on Friday.

Stars lines

• Steel – Duchene – Johnston
• Robertson – Hintz – Rantanen
• Benn – Hryckowian –  Bourque
• Bäck – Faksa – Blackwell

• Lindell – Heiskanen
• Harley – Lundkvist
• Capobianco – Lyubushkin  

• Oettinger
• DeSmith

Scratches: Adam Erne, Nathan Bastian, Alex Petrovic

Top story

The return of Mikko Rantanen. But not because he dominated the game per usual.

Rantanen was questionable for tonight’s game. He missed the past two games with the flu and didn’t even travel to Columbus on Wednesday. Rantanen skated this morning with a few others earlier today, but Dallas did not have an official morning skate.

Then Rantanen walked into the arena and was featured on the Stars social media page. Then, he took warmup. So, he’s in, right? Well, he then sat out during line rushes, with Adam Erne instead slotting in place of Nathan Bastian. So, he’s out, right? Well, then the official roster report came out, and there was No. 96 listed in the lineup.

Is this gamesmanship? I am not sure how. How would that possibly mess with the Blues in a regular season game. Really, how would it affect them in a playoff game? It seems a bit silly, if it was. But it also could have been something simple like Rantanen was taking it slow — The team tracks every aspect of each player’s health and could have wanted him to slow his heart rate or something similar.

Either way, he’s back.

In the game, Rantanen looked a bit gassed, which is totally understandable. The flu not only takes it out of you while you are down bad, it also lingers in your system and can take a while to get back to 100 percent.

Rantanen actually played a lot (22:28), but did not record a point. Still, he was out there late for the final 1:16 when the Stars were defending a one-goal lead. He nearly drilled the empty net from long distance. This team could use some Mikko Rantanen in their lives.

Live game notebook

Period 1

• Wyatt Johnston is a power-play machine. I can’t help but think he learned so much from his mentor and RA, Joe Pavelski. Johnston has become one of the better net-front and bumper players in the NHL. He arrives at the right time, has his stick available at all times, and can tip a puck in, catch passes and elevate, or score on a rebound in tight. He has the hands to put it in the right spot. Here, he tipped a shot by Miro Heiskanen and buried his own rebound. Johnston now has 16 power-play goals this season, trailing only Mike Modano for most in Dallas Stars history (18).

• Blues tie it up with a power-play goal of their own. It came on their first shot of the game.

• The Arena looks less empty than I thought, but certainly not full tonight with all the weather coming in.
• Dallas really had St. Louis on its heels before the penalty. But the tide switched after the tying goal, good period.
• Just like they did in the game last night, the Stars did dominate chances and high-danger chances. Just not getting rewarded for it right now. Or not enough, at least.

Stars 1, Blues 1

Period 2

• As I was just about to brag on how well the Stars were keeping the Blues to the outside with only six shots despite having two power plays… Dallas turned the puck over up ice, and the Blues did a great job driving the defense back and finding the late forward changing off the bench. Such a good example of the simple hockey I would love to see more from Dallas.

• Jake Oettinger with a cheeky glove save, trailing the glove as Cam Fowler pounced on a loose puck in the slot and ripped it against the grain. That was not the first time a loose puck has popped into the Stars slot tonight. As Owen Newkirk knows well, it’s silly that NHL stats doesn’t count that as a shot on goal because it was technically going wide by their measurements. If it’s a save, it’s a shot. Get out of town with that.
• Nils Lundkvist tried to do what we have been wanting to see from him. He used a fake slap shot to jet down the right wing, but Jimmy Snuggerud poked it away. Then, he did the exact same thing again. While it didn’t create much off the hop, the Stars kept the puck in and Jason Robertson drew a slashing penalty to Snuggerud. Good shift.
• Matt Duchene needed to get going. ICYMI, here is the article I wrote on that exact topic today. He remained on the top line tonight, but was bumped back down to power play two with Rantanen’s return. Turns out, that worked perfectly. Roope Hintz went for a change (which he does rather quickly) as PP1 chased down a loose puck and regrouped in their own end. Duchene jumped on, raced down the left wing, and buried the tail end of an excellent passing play from Robertson and Johnston. Sometimes, you just really have to love hockey. It’s a beautiful game.

• A penalty party has begun at the AAC, but this time the Stars power play is unable to cash in. Dallas really took over the game for a few shifts there before drawing the call.
• Robertson has now drawn three penalties, and Hintz has drawn two. They have two power-play goals and will get 0:51 of power-play time to start the third.
• Unfortunately, Dallas still only has 15 total shots, nine at 5-on-5.

Stars 2, Blues 2

Period 3

• Per Stars PR, Ilya Lyubushkin will not return due to a lower-body injury. Lyubushkin blocked a shot early in the second, but took a few shift before leaving near the end of 40.
• Jordan Binnington has had an up and down season, but he has been real good tonight when needed. I think he stopped Rantanen this time with the top of the paddle. Could this be USA vs Canada in goal tonight?
• Justin Hryckowian turned a puck over on a heavy forecheck, but his work after was great. Instead of getting eager and spinning to try to make up for a mistake, he pressured the puck, switched when the Blues interchanged up top, then pressured it again and eventually defused the forecheck and chipped the puck out. He is a hound.

• Sam Steel made a great read and barely got a stick on a loose puck that bounced into the slot. Steel saved a goal. Then, Nils Lundkvist was called for “holding,” which certainly felt like officials trying to even out the power plays (now 5-3 Dallas).
• Just as the PP expired, Brayden Schenn chipped a puck up into the left arm of Oettinger, who did a great job coming out to the top of his crease to cut down the angle.
• Miro Heiskanen is ridicolous defensively. He had no gas left in the tank, but hustled back using the perfect angle to end the rush up the ice. He is so smart.
• Binnington makes another good save, flailing the pad out on Jamie Benn in tight. Benn and Binnington… I feel like there is a story there.
• After a Blues icing, Robertson found a way AGAIN with exactly one minute left. And it is another goal-scorer’s goal, finding the loose puck off a draw and elevating perfectly into the top corner from in tight. Could be what keeps us from overtime. Aren’t these the clutch goals that something like, say, an Olympic team, could benefit from? Maybe. Just maybe.

• Rantanen came within inches of an empty-net goal in his return.
• Not a great game overall, but a dramatic finish and an important win.

Final: Stars 3, Blues 2

Stay safe, stay warm, Dallas.