The Dallas Stars wrapped up the four-game road trip with a measly 1-2-1 record in a 6-3 loss against the Boston Bruins at TD Garden on Tuesday.

Stars lines

• Benn – Johnston – Rantanen
• Robertson – Duchene – Bourque
• Erne – Hryckowian – Blackwell
• Bäck – Hyry – Hughes

• Lindell – Heiskanen
• Harley – Lundkvist
• Bichsel – Lyubushkin  

• Oettinger
• DeSmith

Scratches: Petrovic, Capobianco, Myers (injured), Steel (injured), Bastian (injured), Hintz (injured).

Top story

Are you worried right now?

I am genuinely curious about the thoughts of the fans, players, and even the coaching staff. Are they truly concerned? What about their thoughts on Jake Oettinger’s play and his ability to avoid the bad goal in big games? Is there concern that they can’t get past Minnesota in round one? Or do they believe they will flip the switch again and make a run?

Short and sweet… I don’t have the answer. But I am intrigued to try and find out.

Live game notebook

Period 1

• Good defensive play leads to a 2-on-1 with Colin Blackwell and Justin Hryckowian. Blackwell had space to shoot, but opted to drop a pass to a covered Esa Lindell trailing. A dangerous pass that could have led to an odd-man the other way.
• Both teams are turning pucks over early.
• Lian Bichsel made a perfect seam pass far side to Wyatt Johnston, who hit the side of the net.
• Stop me if you’ve heard this before: The Stars are being outshot and allowed the first goal. Lindell blocked a point shot, but it fell right to Marat Khusnutdinov, who slapped home the rebound from the slot.

• Wow, David Pastrnak can really hammer a one-timer from the left circle… Even while somersaulting backward. Good save by Oettinger.
• Jason Robertson took an awful, awful penalty, hacking and whacking on the forecheck before stopping his feet and diving at the puck. Tripped him up, and here comes Steve Spott’s power play from Boston.
• Pastrnak had a chance coming downhill on his strong side as the PP expired, but opted to pass to the covered slot. Stars did a good job breaking it up, but the puck bounced back to him, and he somehow slipped a shot pass through the crease and onto the stick of Viktor Arvidsson for a dunk. Not sure why Thomas Harley didn’t do a better job defending Arvidsson, as he didn’t box him out or tie up his stick.

• Dallas, for whatever reason, loves to allow the first goal. Tonight marks the eighth straight time they have done so. Yeesh. Lately, though, it feels like the Stars cannot get to Game 83 soon enough. Wading water over the final stretch because the seeding is all but set for the playoffs. I don’t blame ’em, let’s get there.

Bruins 2, Stars 0

Period 2

• Jamie Benn decided he had had enough of this shutout bid from Boston. Benn won two battles in the corner, crashed to the net, and buried a shot five-hole after a deflected pass bounced off Johnston’s chest. Good shift from the captain. Dallas looked very close to being offside on the entry.

• This game has settled in. Quiet, not much pace, low chances either way.
• Oettinger fought a shot off from the left circle. He waved with his glove, but it hit him in the shoulder, as he didn’t look like he tracked it well from distance.
• Robertson takes a great stretch pass from Bourque and tries to go five-hole or maybe just inside Joonas Korpisalo’s left skate. He didn’t hit his spot either way, and Korpisalo stopped two attempts down low.
• The theme of goals right on top of the crease continues tonight. This time, Robertson takes two Bruins with him behind the net as he banks the puck off the back of the net and back the other way, or maybe it was poked off his stick. Matt Duchene pulls it quickly in front on his forehand and tucks it in to tie the game.

• I will say this: no matter how bad Dallas plays to start games, they never go away. 20 minutes to win a game.

Stars 2, Bruins 2

Period 3

• Oof, Elias Lindholm rips a wrist shot from the top of the right circle past Oettinger’s blocker. I am not sure if that shot ramped up Lindell’s stick at all, but the way Oettinger reacted tells me it just wasn’t a good goal to get beaten on. Tough one, too, because Oettinger usually locks it down at two goals agaisnt. This one puts them down 3-2 immediately to start the third.

• Mikko Rantanen nails the near post on a PP one-timer. Had Korpisalo beat to the glove side. Feels like a big power play for Dallas.
• Dallas has been having a lot of trouble with power-play entries during this little slump. They got a couple of chances on this PP, but nothing on the board.
• Cameron Hughes has played just over four minutes through two and a half periods in his first NHL game since 2021.
• This has not been the Stars night. After a nice behind-the-back pass from the wall gets tipped, the puck falls flat for Henri Jokiharju to rip it through a double screen and past Oettinger. That one was ugly on the defensive side and puts Dallas in a tough spot.

• That Lindholm shot really changed this game. Dallas has just had nothing going on in the third period.
• Just about as soon as Dallas pulled Oettinger for the extra attacker, Arvidsson scored long range into the empty net.

• Johnston tallied a pretty PP goal, but then Arvidsson finished the hat trick with the Mavrik Bourque special, two empty-net goals.

Final: Bruins 6, Stars 3