DALLAS — In a thrilling game on Sunday, Wyatt Johnson emerged as the star, netting a hat trick that propelled the Dallas Stars to a 6-3 victory over the St. Louis Blues. The triumph marked the fifth win out of the last six games for Dallas.
Roope Hintz delivered an outstanding performance for the Stars, contributing a goal and three assists. Alongside him, Mason Marchment and Matt Duchene also shone with both a goal and an assist each.
Jake Oettinger, the Stars’ goaltender, was pivotal between the posts, recording a season-high 39 saves which secured his 29th win of the season. His efforts have tied him for second place in wins within the league.
The Stars dominated in special teams, achieving a remarkable four out of four power-play goals, while their top-tier penalty kill effectively thwarted two out of St. Louis’s three power-play attempts.
In the midst of this competitive matchup, Zack Bolduc and Dylan Holloway successfully scored for the Blues. Despite their efforts, the Blues concluded their back-to-back games with a split and embarked on a challenging six-game road trip.
Starting as the Blues backup goalie, Joel Hofer had a difficult night, conceding three goals on just nine shots—two of which came from the first four attempts on target. Following the first period, Coach decided to switch to Jordan Binnington, who had led the Blues to victory against Los Angeles on Saturday with a 4-1 triumph. Binnington, however, allowed three goals on 12 shots following his introduction.
Takeaways from the game highlighted Bolduc’s impressive form, having scored four goals in his last four appearances and accumulating five in the preceding eight games after a dry spell of five goals in 44 contests. On the other hand, Dallas revitalized their home power play performance, currently standing at nine goals from 14 opportunities in their last five home games.
A critical point in the game came as Johnson scored with merely 1.3 seconds remaining in the first period, granting the Stars a leading score of 3-2, a position they did not relinquish.
Despite facing a volley of shots, where Dallas was outshot 42-21, they managed to secure the win.
Looking forward, the St. Louis Blues are set to face Los Angeles on Wednesday, while the Dallas Stars are gearing up to host the New Jersey Devils come Tuesday.
