Jake Oettinger turned aside all 30 shots he faced, and Jason Robertson scored his 17th of the season as the Dallas Stars shut out the New Jersey Devils 3–0 on Wednesday night.
Robertson opened the scoring on a smooth give-and-go with Esa Lindell, continuing to strengthen his case for a spot on the U.S. Olympic team. From there, Dallas’ Finnish contingent took over offensively:
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Roope Hintz set up Miro Heiskanen for the game’s first goal, and
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Mikko Rantanen buried a rebound to cap the Stars’ scoring.
Oettinger Finishes Off the 32-Team Sweep.
The shutout marked Oettinger’s first career win against New Jersey, the final NHL team he had yet to beat. He was stellar throughout, making highlight-reel pad saves on Luke Glendening and Juho Lammikko late in the first period, then shutting the door on prime chances from Dawson Mercer (twice) and Connor Brown in the second.
Stars Stay Perfect When Leading After Two
Lindell and captain Jamie Benn each recorded two assists, helping Dallas extend its penalty-killing run to 19 straight kills over the past six games. The Stars also improved to 12-0-0 when holding a second-intermission lead.
The win came under tough emotional circumstances: it was Dallas’ first game since losing longtime forward Tyler Seguin to a season-ending ACL tear suffered Tuesday against the Rangers.
Devils’ Struggles Continue
Jacob Markstrom stopped 25 of 28 shots for New Jersey, which has now dropped three straight and six of its last nine. The Devils remain without superstar Jack Hughes, who is expected to miss at least another month following surgery to repair a non-hockey-related finger injury.
Up Next
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Stars: Host the San Jose Sharks on Friday.
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Devils: Welcome the Vegas Golden Knights on Friday night.
