Joe Pavelski scored 1:39 into overtime to give the Dallas Stars a 3-2 victory over the New Jersey Devils on Saturday night.
Mattias Janmark led the charge into the Devils’ zone and fired the initial shot, with Pavelski swooping in to knock the rebound past goalie Louis Domingue.
“Janni made a great play, using his speed to create a chance, and I just found the loose puck,” said Pavelski, who has now scored in his last six games against New Jersey.
Jason Dickinson and Joel Kiviranta also found the back of the net for Dallas, while Ben Bishop made 29 saves. The Stars improved to 3-4-0 in their last seven games as they fight to secure a playoff spot in the Western Conference.
“Every two points are crucial,” Stars interim coach Rick Bowness said. “We lost the 2-1 lead but fought back, and we need every point we can get. It’s a great way to start a very tough month.”
Kevin Rooney and Nico Hischier scored for New Jersey, and Domingue stopped 28 shots. The Devils, far out of the playoff picture in the Eastern Conference, have earned points in their last three games (1-0-2).
Rooney opened the scoring with a short-handed, unassisted goal at 13:09 of the first period. Blake Coleman set up the play by disrupting the Stars’ breakout, bouncing the puck to Rooney, who hammered it home from the high slot.
The goal was Rooney’s second in the last three games, extending his point streak to three.
Dallas applied pressure late in the second period, and it paid off when Dickinson scored with 1:18 remaining to tie the game at 1-1. Corey Perry delivered a perfectly timed pass to Dickinson, who cut to the net for his seventh goal of the season.
Kiviranta, who was recalled from the minors on Friday, scored his first NHL goal in the third period to break the deadlock. He knocked in his own rebound to give Dallas a 2-1 lead at 5:04.
Hischier tied the game at 11:53 with a screened shot from the high slot. Hischier had missed several shifts earlier in the game after taking a hit from Stars defenseman Stephen Johns.
In overtime, Hischier nearly won it for the Devils on a breakaway, but Bishop made a crucial pad save.
“I was going to go to my forehand side,” Hischier said. “I thought he’d slide away from me and the five-hole would open up. It clearly did not.”
Game Notes:
- The Devils celebrated the 20th anniversary of their second Stanley Cup championship with a pregame ceremony that brought back many players from the team that beat the Stars in six games. The group, including players, coaches, and executives, gathered around the Stanley Cup and Conn Smythe Trophy (won by Scott Stevens that year) for a group photo at center ice.
- The game marked the start of a three-game road trip for the Stars through the New York metropolitan area. They face the Rangers on Monday and the Islanders on Tuesday.
- The Stars recalled Kiviranta from the Texas Stars (AHL) to replace C Justin Dowling, who was placed on injured reserve with a lower-body injury.
UP NEXT:
- Stars: Visit the New York Rangers on Monday night.
- Devils: Host the Montreal Canadiens on Tuesday night.
