In Winnipeg, the Dallas Stars’ Jason Robertson finished off a hat trick with an overtime goal on Friday to defeat the Jets, 4-3.
“I was out there for a while,” Robertson said of his goal on a shift that lasted 1:37. “When the puck turns over, I didn’t stop, I kept moving my feet and you just find that extra ounce of energy to go down there and, I can’t lie, I love breakaways. I want a breakaway, so I find whatever energy is left to get that.”
Braden Holtby made 39 saves in the Dallas win.
“Listen, he’s a natural goal scorer,” Dallas coach Rick Bowness said. “He’s got a great touch around the net and he loves to score. His poise with the puck and where to put it and when to put it, you can’t teach those instincts that he has. You just can’t, and he has those natural instincts goal scorers have.”
Paul Stastny hit for a pair of goals in the Jets loss.
“It was a big game for us, especially when they came out hard,” Holtby said. “You could tell they were a desperate team. We held our ground and got some big goals and big plays. This point in the season, it doesn’t matter how you beat them.”
The Stars improved to 31-20-3.The Stars trailed, 2-3, in the third period, but Denis Gurianov scored with under five minutes left in regulation to force the extra session.
“These two points are very important to us,” Robertson said. “It’s just a big win for our team and our PK played outstanding and we got rewarded with that win.
“[Holtby] made some huge, key saves, especially in overtime and we wouldn’t have had the win without him.”
Kyle Connor added a single marker for Winnipeg.
“[Wheeler] knows I’m open, so for him it’s about just finding that spot between the defenseman and the net,” Stastny said. “It’s quick plays like that, that’s what ‘Wheels’ is really good at, those little 2-on-1 plays down low. He made it real easy for me.”
The Jets fell to 24-21-10.
“It’s frustrating, but you get a point and you’ve got to regroup,” Jets forward Adam Lowry said. “I think it’s frustrating that we had a pretty solid game, had a lot of chances and, obviously, we liked this one more than we liked the two in Dallas. … We’ve got to get ready for New York (Rangers on Sunday).”
Connor Hellebuyck made 30 saves in the Winnipeg loss.
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