Heika’s Take: Stars’ clutch gene reappears in win over Canucks to open trip

Glen Gulutzan has talked a lot this year about his team being comfortable in chaos.

Thursday was a good example why.

Dallas uncharacteristically took five penalties, lost a ton of faceoffs, and just played scrambly through the first two periods in Vancouver. But the Stars received a spectacular performance from goalie Jake Oettinger and got two key goals in the third period to beat the Canucks, 4-2, at Rogers Arena.

It was a sign of just how resilient this team has been in forging a 13-5-3 record.

“You have to be,” Gulutzan said. “You have to get confident and comfortable playing in tight games, that’s just the way it is.”

The Stars have certainly been that – and in a lot of different ways. Oettinger has been a huge key all year, but so has a combination of big names and depth players finding a way to contribute together.

Mavrik Bourque scored off a nice play by Justin Hryckowian in the first minute of the game, and then Jason Robertson followed with his ninth goal in the past five games. In the third period, Colin Blackwell came up huge on a breakaway off passes from Radek Faksa and Oskar Bäck, and then Mikko Rantanen sealed the game with perhaps the prettiest goal of the season – a spin-o-rama backhand that found the top shelf.

“That’s the difference most nights, who buries their chances,” said Oettinger, who finished with 34 saves.

The veteran goalie said that the team is getting great performances from lines like Bourque, Hryckowian and Bäck, as well as Faksa, Blackwell and Sam Steel.

“The Bäck and Ritzy and Bourque line has been great for us,” he said. “They started the game for us and they were out there late in the game too, so it just shows how good they have been for us. Up and down the lineup, it’s going to be different guys.”

Oettinger blamed himself for the two goals that allowed the score to be 2-2 after the first 20 minutes, but he was the key to the game staying in contention. Dallas was outshot 15-6 in the second period, and probably should have been behind. But Oettinger stopped his final 26 shots faced to help seal the win.

“I didn’t think I had my best in the first period and wasn’t happy with the goals that went in,” Oettinger said. “I just tried to bear down. I thought we should have been up 2-0 after the first, so it was time to buckle down and make some saves.”

Coming off a 3-2 loss to the Islanders on Tuesday also provided motivation, he said.

“It’s those one or two saves I feel it always comes down to for our group,” he said. “I like to think I make those more often than not. Last game, I didn’t do that, so I wanted to do that tonight.”

He definitely did, and that allowed his teammates to make the plays they did in the third. The game-winning goal was a nice bit of teamwork. Lian Bichsel won a puck battle to kick the puck out of the defensive zone to Bäck, who fed it up the boards to Faksa, who made a smart, quick read to spring Blackwell, and Blackwell finished with a perfect shot against a hot goalie.

“Our D has been doing a really good job of keeping good gaps and creating turnovers in the neutral zone,” Blackwell said. “Faxy and I, we’re getting more comfortable with one another and he made a great play to send me going. He set me up with a lot of speed and plenty of room, so it worked out.”

Blackwell, who now has two goals on the season, said he believes the team has been more efficient.

“The difference between this year and last year is shot volume,” he said. “We’re not getting as much as last year, but maybe more Grade-A’s. We’re getting to the right area.”

Rantanen was a perfect example. The team’s leading scorer with 28 points had just two shots on goal in the game, but the second was lethal. The spinning backhand with 1:31 left to play took all of the air out of the building and showed just how clutch this team can be.

“We regrouped between the second and third and I thought we came out with some juice,” Gulutzan said. “I thought the third period was ours.”

That’s what good teams do in the face of chaos.

This story was not subject to the approval of the National Hockey League or Dallas Stars Hockey Club.

Mike Heika is a Senior Staff Writer for DallasStars.com and has covered the Stars since 1994. Follow him on X @MikeHeika.