The first 12 minutes of Tuesday night’s contest against the New York Rangers seemed like a typical 2024-25 road game for the Dallas Stars. Jake Oettinger couldn’t buy a save, and the Stars couldn’t buy a goal – status quo for a team that was 8-8-0 on the road this season.
Yet, despite being down 3-0 early, the Stars were the better team, and they got what they deserved, storming back to a 5-4 overtime victory to kick off their five-game road trip. Here are three takeaways from a wild night on Broadway.
Stars Bail Out Oettinger’s Tough Start
Oettinger has had a tough time starting on the road in 2024-25. Heading into Tuesday night‘s game, he had a 5-5 record with a .896 save percentage (SV%) and a 2.80 goals-against average (GAA) – not awful numbers, but the Stars have barely scored three goals a game on the road, so their star goaltender needed better performances.
Against the Rangers, Oettinger allowed three goals on eight shots in the first period. However, the big difference was the Stars picked up the slack and scored big goals throughout the game, starting at 12:57 of the opening frame when Matt Duchene put Dallas on the board. Instead of going into the intermission down three, the Stars found a way to start the second period down 3-2 to make it a brand-new game. From there, Oettinger held down the fort, allowing only one goal in the remaining 48 minutes, giving his team a chance to respond.
Stars’ Power Play Continues Road Success
It is a bizarre fact that the Stars’ power play is 10.4% at home and was 15.4% overall before the puck dropped in Manhattan. Away from home, it was 21.4%, and down 3-1 with five minutes left in the first period, Evgenii Dadonov scored on the power play, the first of two power-play goals on the night to go a perfect 2-for-2 with the man advantage.
It’s been difficult for the Stars to put everything together in one game. If their goaltending is strong, they’re not scoring. If the penalty kill is strong, they can’t score power-play goals. On Tuesday, everything came together, including continuing their power play success on the road.
Stars’ Best Players Were Their Best Players
Down 3-0 after 10 minutes, it would have been easy for the Stars to pack up shop and mentally prepare for the next game. Instead, the team’s best players dug deep and found a way to grind out a win.
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