Having won three of their last four road games, the Stars looked to continue their success Wednesday night at Casey’s Center in Des Moines, Iowa. After falling behind 2–0 in the first period, Texas found its footing in the second frame, scoring three goals and never trailing for the remainder of the game. A complete team effort saw all four lines find the scoresheet as the Stars defeated the Wild 6–4 to earn their second straight win.
A two-on-one led to the Wild’s first goal of the game. Dylan Gambrell beat Remi Poirier with a one-timer from the left circle to give Minnesota a 1–0 lead just under five minutes into the opening period. The goal marked a reversal of a recent trend in which the Stars had scored first in 13 of their last 15 games.
Later in the period, Gerry Mayhew drove to the net and slipped a shot past Poirier’s blocker side to put the home side up 2–0. Despite outshooting the Wild 13–9, the Stars went into the first intermission trailing by two.
The second period started with a bang for Texas as a Stars rookie defenseman Tristan Bertucci took a pass from Cameron Hughes at the point and blasted a slap shot past Wild netminder Samuel Hlavaj to cut the deficit in half just 24 seconds into the frame.
Not looking to let up, the Stars continued to pressure the home side. The effort quickly paid off when another shot from the blue line found the back of the net, with Luke Krys scoring his second goal of the season to tie the game. Aidan Hreschuk earned his first professional point on the play.
Just 36 seconds later, Cross Hanas buried his eighth goal of the year to give Texas a 3–2 lead. In a span of just over six minutes, the visitors scored three times, putting Iowa on its heels and firmly swinging the momentum in their favor. With an emphasis on execution and intensity, the Stars seized control of the period.
Prior to the game, Stars play-by-play voice John Peterson asked head coach Toby Petersen about facing such a familiar opponent. Petersen said:
“Not a whole lot of curveballs are being thrown, usually. It’s just a matter of execution, will, and determination. That’s what we’re trying to stress to these guys — we have to play our system to the best of our ability at a very high level, with tons of intensity. If we do that, we know we’ll have a very good shot to win this game.”
That message appeared to be received, as the Stars maintained control in the beginning of the third period. Texas added an insurance goal when Antonio Stranges beat Hlavaj glove side with a wrist shot from the left circle. Less than two minutes later, Cameron Hughes scored his eighth goal of the season, slipping a shot through traffic to give the Stars a 5–2 lead.
Just when it appeared Texas had the game in hand, the Wild came roaring back, scoring twice in a 40-second span. Jaxon Nelson crashed the net to cut the lead to 5–3, before Carson Lambos followed moments later with a goal from the right circle to make it 5–4.
After Cross Hanas was called for slashing with 1:37 remaining, Iowa pulled Hlavaj for two extra skaters, shifting momentum in the Wild’s favor and putting pressure on the Stars’ penalty kill.
As if on cue, Michael Karow took possession of the puck with his back against the boards in his own end and fired a 200-foot shot into the empty net to put the game on ice and seal the 6–4 victory.
Next up: The Stars will face the Rockford IceHogs at the BMO Center in Rockford, IL at 7:00 PM CT on Friday.
Stranges-Scott-Lind
Hanas-Becker-McDonald
Martino-Chisholm-McKenzie
Taylor-Krys
Bertucci-Karow
Hreschuk-Bergsland
Poirier
Injuries, scratches and notes
Punnett, Ertel (scratches)
White (lower body), Hyry (upper body), Wheatcroft (upper body), Tuomaala (lower body), Looft (upper body)
Tonight's attendance was 2,996
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