DALLAS — In a thrilling matchup on Tuesday night, Wyatt Johnston netted the decisive goal during his 200th NHL appearance, leading the Dallas Stars to a 4-2 victory over the Buffalo Sabres.
Johnston found the back of the net by redirecting a pass from Thomas Harley over the shoulder of Sabres’ goalie Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen, granting the Stars a 3-2 lead at 11:32 of the third period.
The Stars showcased a strong performance with Jason Robertson contributing a goal and two assists, Roope Hintz scoring his team-leading 16th goal, and Esa Lindell sealing the game with an empty-net goal. The win marked the Stars’ fourth game in a row where they earned points, with a record of 3-0-1 during that span. Casey DeSmith, in his ninth start of the season, made 21 saves and also notched his second career assist on the goal scored by Lindell.
For Buffalo, Jason Tucker and Beck Malenstyn scored, but their three-game winning streak came to an end. Luukkonen managed to stop 29 shots in the losing effort.
Key takeaways from the game included Luukkonen’s impressive performance, as he made several critical point-blank saves before Dallas managed to score on its first 20 shots. Tage Thompson assisted on Zucker’s goal and has continued his strong play with points in four consecutive games, totaling 10 points in his last eight encounters against Dallas. Zucker has been finding the net frequently as he has scored in three of the last four games.
For the Stars, despite a rocky month with a power play success rate of just 10.4% in December, they managed an 8-5-1 record. Dallas went 0 for 1 on the power play against Buffalo, failing to net goals on their last 16 power play attempts. Meanwhile, Robertson continues to shine with 14 points over the last 12 games, including four goals and ten assists.
The pivotal moment of the night came when Harley’s precise pass from the left boards trickled along the ice, allowing Johnston to easily redirect it toward the net.
A significant statistic from the game was that the Stars did not commit a penalty for the first time this season, which is noteworthy against a Sabres team that had previously capitalized on power plays, scoring two for the win against St. Louis just days earlier.
Looking ahead, the Sabres are set to take on the Colorado Avalanche on Thursday, while the Stars will welcome the Ottawa Senators for their next matchup.
