Photo Credits: Photo by Glenn James/NHLI via Getty Images
DALLAS, TEXAS- Two Playoff caliber teams met in what could potentially be a postseason matchup.
The Dallas Stars, who entered Tuesday just one point outside a Western Conference Wild Card spot, played host to the No.3 team in the Pacific Division, Edmonton Oilers.
In a back-and-forth battle, three unanswered goals pushed Dallas over the top to defeat the Oilers 5-3, bringing the Stars into a Wild Card Spot.
The Oilers struck first late in the first period. Kailer Yamamoto (10) scored with 3:29 to play in the opening period of play.
When scoring the game’s first goal, Edmonton held a perfect 21-0 record before running into the Stars tonight.
Jacob Robertson evened the score for Dallas in the second period. His 31st goal of the season came with 13:23 to play in the second period.
Joe Palevsky (24) gave the Stars the lead shortly after in the second period, on a power-play goal.
Evander Kane (14) came through in the third period with a shorthanded goal for Edmonton to tie the game up with 13:46 to play, and only 43 seconds later, Leon Draisaitl (42) regained the lead for the Oilers 3-2.
A back-and-forth game proceeded with Dallas tying and reclaiming the lead within 24 seconds.
Roope Hintz (26) tied the game up, and only moments later, Denis Gurianov (11) put the Stars back in front, 4-3 with 4:58 to play in regulation.
An empty-net goal that marked a career 300 goals for Tyler Seguin with 19 seconds remaining on the clock was enough to secure the win for Dallas over Edmonton.
Red Hot Robertson, Leading Leon
Scoring goals is nothing new for Jacob Robertson this season, as the forward recorded his 31st of the season in the second period.
https://twitter.com/DallasStars/status/1506454724962365449
The goal on Tuesday against the Oilers marked his ninth goal in the past ten games.
Robertson is the fastest Dallas player to reach 30 goals on a season since Hall of Famer Mike Modano did in the 1993-94 season.
Leon Draisaitl added another goal to his scoring tally as well in this matchup. The Oilers leading goal scorer recorded a big goal in the third period that briefly gave Edmonton the lead.
Draisaitl’s 42nd goal of the season gives him sole possession of the No.2 spot for goals amongst all Skaters in the NHL.
Wild, Wild West
It has been known for the past month or so that the Western Conference Wild Card will be a battle until the end of the season.
The Stars’ victory over the Oilers moved them into the second wild-card slot at 73 points, but chasing close behind are the Las Vegas Golden Knights with 72, the Winnipeg Jets with 70, and the Vancouver Canucks with 68.
The Nashville Predators hold the No.1 spot in the Western Conference Wild Card, but even they only lead Dallas by five points at 78.
With just a little over a month to play in the regular season, a lot can still happen to reshape the Western Conference playoff picture.
Up Next
Edmonton heads home to host the San Jose Sharks on Thursday, March 24.
Dallas will travel to play the Carolina Hurricanes on Thursday, March 24.
These two teams will meet one more time on Wednesday, April 20, in Edmonton.
