The Dallas Stars didn’t lead until the third period and overcame a late tying goal in a 4-3 overtime win against the Chicago Blackhawks at American Airlines Center on Sunday.

Stars lines

• Robertson – Johnston – Bourque
• Steel – Hryckowian – Benn
• Bunting – Hryckowian – Erne
• Blackwell – Bäck – Bastian

• Lindell – Heiskanen
• Harley – Lundkvist
• Bichsel – Myers  

• DeSmith
• Oettinger

Scratches: Petrovic, Capobianco, Hyry, Lyubushkin, Hintz (injured).

Top story

Finding a way.

Dallas had every excuse to lose this game. Before the puck even dropped, they were playing a sleep 5pm start home game, were coming off an emotional loss against Colorado Friday, were still fresh off the trade deadline with two new skaters in the lineup, and they were playing one f the worst teams in the NHL.

Once the puck dropped, they had a bad bounce and a tough start that quickly put Dallas down 2-0. Again, every excuse to have trouble finding your game and losing 3-1 despite outshooting the opponent. And to be honest, that’s what it felt like.

Instead, they stayed calm and confident after playing good hockey through 20 and 40 minutes, and their veteran confidence and team mentality pushed them back into the fight and eventually into the lead and win.

This is impressive. Finding a way to win this game despite everything that happened is important. It’s the team mentality that can carry you through tough times and deep playoff runs.

“If we’re talking the games against Chicago… The way we were playing, we’ve been playing good hockey,” Stars coach Glen Gulutzan said. “But of the last three, the third game here against Chicago, we were much better tonight than the previous two… The guys got some confidence off that, they have confidence, obviously, coming off the winning streak. We’ve been really good, actually, at just staying with it in these types of situations.”

Live game notebook

Period 1

• The puck has dropped, and Tyler Myers is now the first Texas native to play for the Dallas Stars (not including preseason). He also becomes the first player to ever wear No. 58 in franchise history.
• Michael Bunting has also made his debut for the Stars.

“I thought they were good,” Gulutzan said. “Both guys getting acclimated, coming in to a team that doesn’t have the pop, I thought, that we could’ve had. I thought they did well. The way they adapted to the system, kudos to them.”

• The buzz around this game is so different than Friday vs Colorado. It will be interesting to see if this game grows in intensity or if it is a bit sleepy with an early start against a bad team.
• Certainly not the Start the Stars wanted, as Tyler Bertuzzi gets the shaft of his stick on a point shot and makes it 1-0.
• Matt Duchene gets a great chance on a drive by tip after Jamie Benn found him to the left of the net. Good pressure from Dallas.
• In the blink of an eye, it’s 1-0 and 2-0 Chicago. First goal was Dallas not handling an offensive set well and not defending enough on Tyler Bertuzzi in front of the crease. The second was an awkward feet-first collision into the end boards between Colin Blackwell and Oliver Moore — Both looked injured, but only Moore left the game, as Blackwell actually stayed on the ice for another shift — The puck just popped out to the slot and Chicago pounced. 2-0 Hawks early.

• Bunting replaced Sam Steel on the second power-play unit.
• OOOOOOO, pure goal scorer Nathan Bastian tallies another. And not only was it another deflection, but it was a blocked shot that he turned around and batted out of the air against the grain from the slot. That was slick.

• Stars could have been better, especially with intensity in the defensive zone. But they still doubled up Chicago in shots and got back in the game with Bastian’s goal.

Blackhawks 2, Stars 1

Period 2

• “Hot To Go” is so 2024. Playing that song in 2026 is like bumping to Rebecca Black in 2013. What a song that was, eh?

• Chicago just recorded its first shot of the period with 5:23 to go. They were stuck on six shots for a long time.
• Wyatt Johnston looks like he is always thinking, and he probably is. His evaluation and understanding of what’s happening around him is what makes him really special.
• Johnston gets a 2-on-1 pass to Bourque, but Arvid Soderblom made a good pad save sliding left to right. He has been good in the game and kept his team ahead during this extended Dallas push.
• Soderblom with another two big saves, both this time on Blackwell in tight.

Blackhawks 2, Stars 1

Period 3

• Really intrigued to know what the vibe was in the room at both intermissions. They have played well and controlled a lot of the game. But they have trailed 2-1 after both. Feels like they can either come out hot and understand what’s in front of them or it’s just one of those games that doesn’t make much sense. Now, there is a third option… But it involves murder.

• They didn’t make us wait long to find out which choice they made… Bourque took a puck hard to the net on the backhand, hit the far post, then got the fortunate bounce off Frank Nazar, who was sliding into his netminder.

• The trust is obviously there for Justin Hryckowian and his line. Gulutzan has matched Hryckowian, Bunting, and Adam Erne against Connor Bedard and the Hawks top line tonight.
• Speaking of Hryckowian — He makes the right play to get the puck to the net in tight on the power play, and both he and Bourque swat the rebound past Soderblom. In fact, they helped each other push the puck over the line for the Stars first lead.

• Bedard sold a call — at least from my view — and put Johnston in the box with four minutes left in a one-goal game. Doesn’t feel like the time to call that when it’s a “hook” after the puck is gone in the Chicago zone and doesn’t affect the play at all.
• Regardless… Dallas bends but doesn’t break and kills the penalty. A couple of nice saves by DeSmith and blocked shots.
• Unfortunately, a late shot by Bedard banks in off Myers left shin pad and ties the game with just over one minute left.

• Real test here. Can Dallas shake off the late tying goal and avoid the second blown lead in three days? They cannot lose this game.

Stars 3, Blackhawks 3

OT

• Miro Heiskanen knew we all wanted to get home in time to get a good night’ sleep. After putting himself in a tough spot along the wall, Heiskanen wins a battle against Bedard, and heads up ice on a 2-on-1 with Duchene. They play catch, then Duchene tosses a perfectly tippable pass to Heiskanen for the game winner. It took all of 21 seconds. Thank you for that.

Final: Stars 4, Blackhawks 3 (OT)

Quotable

Stars coach Glen Gulutzan on his team’s depth

“We’ve got a really good character group. And in the hard times of this year, when they sat eight, nine games in a row… That’s when adversity’s, conditions are bad, you see character. They’ve been great… The whole group has always reposed when they came in, and that’s just credit to those young men’s character.”