By Miguel Mike Medina
Photo Credit: AP Photo/Gareth Patterson
Dallas Stars survive Game 3 on the road thanks to a double overtime goal by Wyatt Johnston.
Mikko Rantanen and Jason Robertson got off to a hot start with the Stars by scoring the first two goals in the first period. Rantanen scored on a tip-in, and thanks to an assist by Matt Duchene, who had two assists in the game. Dallas went 3-for-8 on the power play. Rantanen has 44 career playoff goals.
Marcus Johansson put the Wild on the board with a wrist shot. The first period brought a lot of toughness and urgency from both teams. Minnesota would continue the same urgency in the second half. Joel Eriksson scored on a snap shot to tie the game. It’s Eriksson’s third goal in the series. Twelve minutes later, Michael McCarron gave Minnesota the lead and scored his first goal of the series.
Duchene is one of the heroes in this game. Without him, Dallas might have lost this game. He tied the game in the third period thanks to assists from Rantanen and Johnston. It’s Duchene’s second goal of the series. Jake Oettinger made 28 saves.
If Minnesota had taken more opportunities to put one on net during the power play, it would have been a different story. Minnesota went 1-for-7 on power-play possessions. Jesper Wallstedt made 32 saves.
Dallas won 53 percent of their faceoffs and had more shots on goal (36 to 31). The Stars blocked 30 shots, and both teams combined for 81 hits. The Stars received 16 penalty minutes, while Minnesota received 18.
Stars are looking to take a commanding 3-1 series lead for Game 4 on Saturday at 5:30 p.m at Grand Casino Arena.
Miguel Mike Medina is the publisher of The MMM Journal. He can be reached at medinamiguelmike@gmail.com and themmmjournal@gmail.com
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