Wyatt Johnston scored 1:59 into double overtime Wednesday and the Dallas Stars beat Minnesota to take a 2-1 lead in their first-round series. It was the kind of finish that can tilt a playoff round, and it came after Dallas survived a long night to put itself back in control.
Johnston has three goals and two assists in the series, and he was blunt about what that means in April: it matters. He said the Stars need game-breakers in playoff time and called it special when everyone on the roster chips in. That was the shape of Game 3, with Jason Robertson scoring in every game of the series and adding two assists, Matt Duchene posting two goals and three assists, and Mikko Rantanen contributing one goal and two assists.
Duchene’s night was especially important. He had a three-point game in Game 3 and also saved a critical goal against in the third period, a play that helped Dallas avoid handing Minnesota the kind of break that can flip a series. Johnston later described the win as huge, and it had that feel for a team trying to make a fourth straight deep run in the Stanley Cup playoffs.
The Stars have built this series on more than one line and more than one moment. Minnesota is facing two top lines and two of the best defensemen in the league, and Dallas has answered with an effective power play, a resilient penalty kill and a physical style. That mix has given the Stars the ability to push games into their lane even when the score stays tight.
Miro Heiskanen has been at the center of that effort. He returned in Game 1 from a lower-body injury that cost him more than a week of practice, and he has had an assist in each game of the series. In Game 3, he logged 43 minutes, 5 seconds overall, including 9 minutes, 54 seconds on the penalty kill, and Dallas gave up zero goals while he was on the ice. The workload was huge, but the defensive result was even bigger.
His impact showed up in the numbers Minnesota could not force. Over more than 92 minutes of play, the Wild did not have a single shot on goal from the inner slot, according to Sportlogiq’s Mike Kelly. Dallas outchanced Minnesota 24-8, out-high-dangered it 10-2 and outscored it 3-0 while Heiskanen was on the ice in Game 3. That is the kind of possession edge that turns a series from even to dangerous.
There was also a smaller reminder of how connected this group has become. In Game 2, Johnston celebrated a goal with Esa Lindell, Heiskanen and Rantanen, a snapshot of the depth Dallas has leaned on to this point. A player this young is already at the center of the moment, and the Stars keep finding ways to make him part of the answer. A recent prank clip featuring Johnston has also circulated around the club, underscoring how familiar he has become as a face of the room. Dallas still has work to do, but the first three games have shown a team with enough scoring, structure and endurance to make Minnesota chase it.