The Dallas Stars will aim for a fourth straight victory when they visit division foes the Utah Mammoth on Saturday night.
This Central Division standoff marks the third time this season these rivals have faced each other. The Stars won the first contest in Dallas 4-3, and the Mammoth won the second meeting in Salt Lake City 2-1. The Stars have a 4-2-0 record in the overall series since the Mammoth moved to Utah.
Dallas has relied on late-game heroics throughout its current winning streak. A Jason Robertson goal with one minute left in regulation lifted the Stars to a 3-2 home victory against the St. Louis Blues on Jan 23. Matt Duchene scored twice as the Stars rallied for three third-period goals to defeat the Blues on the road on Jan. 27. Most recently, Dallas gave up three third-period goals to the host Vegas Golden Knights but emerged with a 5-4 shootout win.
The Stars took a 4-1 lead into the final frame in Sin City, but Mitch Marner scored the game-tying goal with 49 seconds left in regulation. Robertson and Mikko Rantanen found the back of the net in the shootout, while Jake Oettinger stopped both shooters he faced for Dallas to secure the road win.
“You look at the way the league is with all of the comebacks,” Stars head coach Glen Gulutzan said. “[Vegas is] a good team. We’re not going to dominate them for 60 [minutes], they’re not going to dominate us for 60. It’s about sticking with it. That’s just the way it is. You’ve got to be confident and comfortable playing in those tight games.”
Utah also surrendered three third-period goals Thursday night. However, that error landed the Mammoth behind the eight ball in a 5-4 loss to the host Carolina Hurricanes. Utah had a 4-2 lead, but Carolina scored three goals in the final 1:59 of regulation. Jordan Staal scored the game-winning goal against Karel Vejmelka with 30 seconds left on the clock.
“I felt we had no patience,” Mammoth head coach Andre Tourigny said. “We became really passive 6-on-5 and even on the 5-on-5 after. … You want to be patient, but you don’t want to be passive. We became passive, and we paid for it.”
The Mammoth had previously won six of seven games, including the 2-1 win against the Stars in Utah on Jan. 15. Vejmelka made 26 saves in that contest, and John Marino scored the game-winning goal at 4:03 of the third period.
