The Dallas Stars wrapped their regular season in style on Wednesday night, slipping out of KeyBank Center with a 4-3 shootout win over the Buffalo Sabres that stretched their season-ending streak to five games and locked in a 50-20-12 finish. Jake Oettinger turned away 21 shots in regulation and overtime, then stayed locked in during the shootout when it mattered most. Mavrik Bourque struck early to get Dallas on the board, and a parade of special-teams swings kept the game knotted through 65 minutes.
Stars Take The Extra Point
As reported by The Dallas Morning News, Jason Robertson, Wyatt Johnston and Matt Duchene all cashed in during the shootout, with Oettinger snuffing out two Buffalo attempts in the tiebreaker to lock down the victory. The result hands Dallas a little extra momentum on the way into the playoffs, and the club got through the finale without adding any new names to the injury list.
How The Game Unfolded
According to ESPN, Bourque wasted no time, scoring less than three minutes into the first period for his 20th goal, only for Josh Norris to pull Buffalo even before the first intermission. The Stars answered with a shorthanded marker from Zach Benson and a power-play deflection by Esa Lindell, but Alex Tuch and Justin Hryckowian pushed Buffalo back on top late in the second period.
In the closing minutes of regulation, Tanner Pearson rang a shot off the post that came within inches of changing the script, and Dallas then survived a 4-on-3 Sabres power play in overtime to drag the game to the shootout.
Playoff Health And The Road Ahead
The Stars will not be at full strength when the postseason starts. Coach Glen Gulutzan said Roope Hintz is out for the first two games of the upcoming series, and Miro Heiskanen, who missed the final three regular-season contests, is still hoped to be ready for Game 1, according to the team’s Game Day notes. The Dallas Morning News also reported that the Sabres rested several top players in the finale as Buffalo gears up for its first playoff appearance in 14 seasons.
With the win, Dallas now turns its focus to a first-round matchup with the Minnesota Wild that begins this weekend, according to NHL.com.
What It Means
The Stars leave Buffalo with a 50-win regular season in their back pocket and a bit of extra swagger as they head into what they hope is a long spring run. Oettinger’s poise late and in the shootout, combined with contributions from depth scorers like Bourque and Johnston, gives Dallas some welcome flexibility for a tight first-round series.
For Buffalo, the night served as a controlled tune-up for a long-awaited return to playoff hockey. For Dallas, it was the tidy, confidence-building finish to the regular season they were looking for before the stakes go up.
