Oettinger backstops Dallas to 2-1 win over Sabres Oettinger makes 47 saves in win

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In Buffalo, the Sabres tried in vain to get a win on Tuesday night when the Dallas Stars paid a visit.

Jake Oettinger made 47 saves for Dallas in a 2-1 win over the Sabres.

“I feel like I was due for that,” Oettinger said. “I got the bounces tonight, a couple posts, a couple of times I looked like a goalie in the ’80s. So, just got lucky sometimes. And that’s what you need. I feel like I haven’t got that up to this point, so, played good and got the bounces and got the ‘W.’”

Sam Steel  hit for the game-winner midway through the second period to give the Starts a 2-1 lead that Oettinger protected.

“Good goalie win,” Dallas coach Peter DeBoer said. “No doubt. But we haven’t had, many nights where we needed those this year. We haven’t had a lot of them, but tonight he was by far our best player, and we needed him.”

Dallas improved to 31-13-6.

Matt Duchene opened the scoring in the first period when he off a power play to give Dallas a 1-0 lead at 3:58.

The Sabres dropped to 22-24-4, snapping a two-game win streak.

“I think we outplayed them the entire game,” the Sabres’ Tage Thompson said. “… I thought defensively we were strong. We played a pretty tight game, didn’t really give up too much. I think their goalie won that one for them, obviously. That’s the way we’ve got to play though. I think we finished off the last few games before the break pretty strong and that’s something we’ve got to continue — just continue to play the right way.

“I think you look up and down the lineup — I think the compete and the work ethic was there, and the intensity. So, that’s really all you can ask for. Obviously, you want to win. You need those points, especially down the stretch here. But I feel like we play like that, we’re going to have success.”

Thompson tied the game ,1-1, off a power play strike at 5:53 of the middle frame.

“I don’t know what I would do on that shot,” Oettinger said. “Like, that’s unstoppable. You know it’s coming. It’s scary.”

Steel hit for the game-winner at 9:04 of the second period.

“I passed it to ‘Smitty’ and I was driving the middle, so I was hoping for a rebound,” Faksa said. “I knew the goalie was kind of out, so I tried to just put it in the net. I had no idea ‘Steeler’ was even there, so I was hoping for some bounce and luckily ‘Steeler’ was there.”

Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen made 28 saves in the loss.

“I think I’d be lying if I said we weren’t getting frustrated,” Buffalo’s Casey Mittelstadt said. “But at the same time, I thought we stuck with it. I mean, look at ‘Ras’, I think he had a ton of chances himself so maybe a little frustration, but he was going to the areas and trying to score. That’s all you can ask. Like I said, I think if we get that many chances and that many shots a night I think we’re going to win a lot of games here down the stretch.”