The Dallas Stars head into a Thursday road clash with the Calgary Flames on a winning note but not feeling all that proud of themselves.
The Stars, who have earned points in six consecutive games (4-0-2) and are pushing for the top spot in the Central Division, arrive in Calgary after a 4-3 road victory over the Edmonton Oilers, though it was not a win to relish.
Dallas staked a four-goal lead but needed to hang on for dear life while the Oilers mounted a comeback attempt that fell just short.
“I haven’t had many disappointing wins in my career, but this would be one of them,” Stars coach Pete DeBoer said. “I thought we played a really immature, sloppy game, especially in the first and third (periods). It’s concerning. Playoffs are around the corner.”
Penalty problems resulted in the Stars eking out the win. Edmonton capitalized on a pair of third-period power plays, then made it a one-goal game thanks to a tally that came with the goalie pulled for an extra attacker.
“We didn’t do a good job of closing it out, but at the end of the day, we won. That’s the best part,” Stars forward Jason Robertson said. “It was definitely a stressful moment, but it was one of those few times we’ve had a big lead in the third period … and got into a ton of trouble.”
Robertson was the offensive catalyst in the victory, scoring a natural hat trick in the second period. He has 32 goals on the season, including 17 in his past 24 games.
“He really didn’t get his legs under him until almost Christmastime,” DeBoer said, noting that Robertson underwent offseason foot surgery. “Once he got healthy and caught up, you see now what he’s doing.”
The Flames return to action after a roller-coaster 4-3 overtime victory over the Seattle Kraken on Tuesday that kicked off a two-game homestand.
Calgary is riding a four-game winning streak, with all four victories requiring comebacks.
“We don’t want to put ourselves in that position, to come back, but sometimes you have to do that,” Flames defenseman Joel Hanley said after practice on Wednesday. “It feels good, especially coming back in the third period. … There’s a lot of belief in that room.”
The Flames, who have 12 games remaining in the regular season, trail the St. Louis Blues by four points for the Western Conference’s second wild-card position, but Calgary has three games in hand.
Leading the Flames’ offense at the moment is forward Nazem Kadri, who has scored five goals in a four-game spree. Kadri has netted the overtime winner goal in consecutive games, on Saturday against the New York Islanders and Tuesday vs. Seattle, becoming the first player in franchise history to achieve that feat.
“What I would hope rubs off onto, especially the younger players, is that the bigger the stage, it’s not something to be afraid of. Run to it,” Calgary coach Ryan Huska said of Kadri. “That’s what Naz does, all the time.”
The Flames continue to believe they can make the playoffs.
“We’re enjoying it, and I think you have to. That’s a big part of it because if you don’t, then it just becomes a job along the way,” Huska said. “… We know the magnitude of all the games, as well. And when the margin for error is so slim, when you find a way to get that extra point, you know it gives you that much more of an opportunity to get to where we want to be.”
–Field Level Media
