Jamie Oleksiak scored a game-winner for the Stars, just 40 seconds before the end, erasing the fantastic comeback of the Flames made in the fourth period.
Oleksiak netted after Corey Perry’s cross-ice pass, raising his Stars to 5-4 and getting them a first win in the series.
“I was able to somehow get it in. It was close. Thought the goalie might’ve got a paddle, or missed the net. It worked out that time. It was a great feeling,” Dallas’ hero stated.
Previously, the Flames scored to goals to level the result at 4-4, and create a swing, hoping that they might win this one.
At 12:24 of the last, Calgary scored shorthanded, with Tobias Rieder executing a solid breakaway. That seemed to be a big boost of the morale for Geoff Ward’s boys, who kept on pressuring Dallas. Eventually, with some 2:49 to go, Sam Bennett brought an equalizer, using the powerplay situation on the ice and spicing things up.
Nevertheless, the flams didn’t have the power to make a complete comeback.
I think we were sitting back a little too much,” said Elias Lindholm. “But we battled back, and at the end it was tight, and it could have gone either way. But tomorrow we’ve got to be ready from the beginning.”
Flames opened the game superbly, scoring after just 19 seconds, when Dillon Dube hit the back of the Stars’ net. It was his third straight playoff game in which he opens the show, becoming the first-ever player in Calgary’s history to reach this achievement and the first in the NHL after 12 years.
Dallas replied through Alexander Radulov, a little bit more than two minutes later. From that moment on, Miro Heiskanen had his show. The 21-year old defenceman scored twice, becoming the youngest ever Star with multiple goals in the postseason.
His first score was at 11:14 of the first and the second 4:50 into the middle frame. Right now, Heiskanen has two goals and five assists since the restart of the league and is one of Dallas’s best players.
Derek Forbort made it 3-2 at 13:00, and Corey Perry brought back a two-goal advantage to the Stars exactly 2:05 later.
Flames and Stars are in Edmonton, which is the hub city for the Western Conference. Their Game 3 is set for this Friday at 10:30 pm ET, and you can watch it at NBSCN, CBC, SN, TVAS.
“Take a little bit out of this game. Whether it’s a win or a loss, on to the next game. We play tomorrow. Forget about it and move on,” Jonny Gaudreau explained.
The Stars are the third-seeded team in the West, while on the other side, the Flames are No.6. According to many, this matchup could easily see all seven games, as both sides seem fired up and ready for most delicate challenges.
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