It ended just past midnight, deep into a second overtime period, when Wyatt Johnston redirected a power-play shot past the Minnesota Wild goaltender at 12:10 to give Dallas a 4-3 win. The goal completed a dramatic comeback and handed the Stars a 2-1 series lead in their first-round playoff matchup.
Johnston's deflection was the decisive moment in a game that stretched well past its scheduled length. The Stars had needed a power play late in extra time to create the opportunity, and Johnston converted it cleanly, sending Dallas to the edge of a second-round berth with two wins in hand.
The game was tied 3-3 through regulation and a full first overtime period before Johnston ended it. Minnesota had kept pace through most of the contest, but the Wild could not hold off Dallas when it mattered most.
Dallas now controls the series heading into Game 4. Minnesota faces the task of winning on the road to even things up before the series returns to the Wild's building. Johnston's goal was his most significant of the postseason so far, and it came at the moment his team needed a hero.
The Stars have shown throughout this series that they can grind out results in difficult conditions. A double-overtime road win is exactly the kind of result that can shift the momentum of a playoff series decisively in one direction.
