Wyatt Johnston recorded a pair of goals as the Dallas Stars earned a 5–3 road win over the San Jose Sharks on Thursday night at SAP Center.
Roope Hintz finished the game with one goal and one assist, while Justin Hryckowian and Jamie Benn also found the back of the net for Dallas, which improved to 23-7-5 on the season and has gone 3-2-0 over its last five contests. Esa Lindell and Mikko Rantanen each chipped in two assists, and Jake Oettinger anchored the victory with 34 saves.
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San Jose was led by Collin Graf, who scored twice, and Shakir Mukhamadullin, who added a goal of his own. Macklin Celebrini contributed two assists for the Sharks, now 17-15-3, as their three-game winning streak came to an end. Alex Nedeljkovic stopped 25 shots in defeat.
Dallas set the tone early and carried a 2–0 lead out of the opening period Hintz opened the scoring at 12:25 when he finished a feed from Rantanen, who threaded a pass from below the goal line to the front of the net. Hintz slipped his shot past Nedeljkovic’s right skate to give Dallas a 1–0 advantage.
San Jose thought it had an equalizer midway through the period when Zack Ostapchuk redirected a point shot past Oettinger. However, after a video review, the goal was overturned because Ostapchuk made contact with the puck above the crossbar.
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Dallas capitalized shortly afterward. At 17:38, Johnston took a cross-ice pass from Miro Heiskanen and snapped a wrist shot from the slot over Nedeljkovic’s glove, doubling the Stars’ lead before the first intermission.
The Sharks responded early in the second period to cut into the deficit. Just 1:43 in, Mukhamadullin fired a wrist shot from above the left circle that deflected off the skate of Dallas defenseman Ilya Lyubushkin and slid through Oettinger’s pads, making it 2–1.
Dallas answered on the power play midway through the period. At 8:40, Johnston struck again, finishing a quick-touch sequence involving Hintz and Rantanen. Positioned in the low slot, Johnston snapped the puck over Nedeljkovic’s right shoulder to restore a two-goal cushion.
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San Jose pulled back within one late in the period. At 16:44, Celebrini Graf in front of the net from the left corner. Graf’s initial attempt was stopped, but he stayed with the play and buried the rebound past Oettinger’s left pad.
The Stars regained momentum in the final minute of the period. With 43 seconds remaining, Nedeljkovic mishandled the puck behind his net, sending it directly to Justin Hryckowian in the right circle. Hryckowian immediately fired into the open net, giving Dallas a 4–2 lead heading into the third.
San Jose made another push early in the third period. At 4:32, Graf scored his second goal of the night after taking a pass from Igor Chernyshov near the goal line. Crashing the net, Graf finished the play by slipping the puck five-hole on Oettinger to pull the Sharks within 4–3.
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Despite the pressure, Dallas held firm defensively and relied on Oettinger, who finished the night with 34 saves. The Stars sealed the victory late when Jamie Benn scored into an empty net at 18:42, securing a 5–3 road win.
The Sharks (17-15-3) take on the Seattle Kraken Friday night as they finish off a back-to-back at SAP Center. Coverage begins at 9 p.m. local time.
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