Roope Hintz scored a goal in each period, picking up his first career hat-trick by scoring three different ways, as the Dallas Stars stepped up without Joe Pavelski to get even in their first-round series against the Minnesota Wild.
Hintz scored behind on Dallas’ first shot in Game 2, added an even-force goal in the second period, and then finished with a power play goal in the third period of the Stars’ 7-3 win over the Wild on Wednesday. evening.
Dallas Stars center Roope Hintz, left, celebrates with left wing Joel Kiviranta (25) after scoring in the first period of Game 2 of a hockey Stanley Cup first round playoff series from the NHL vs. Minnesota Wild on Wednesday, April 19, 2023, in Dallas. (AP Photo/Tony Gutierrez)
«He’s elite and he’s capable of taking over games like that. And we needed him,» Dallas coach Pete DeBoer said. «Our team, with what happened with Pavelski the other night, was a bit nervous, we needed our best players to step up tonight and make a statement. And they did. Every one of them, not just Roope.»
PANTHERS TAKES DOWN BRUINS AS THE 1-1 SERIES NOW HEADS TO FLORIDA
Evgenii Dadonov scored twice for the Stars, while captain Jamie Benn and Tyler Seguin had power goals. Miro Heiskanen, their highest-scoring defenseman, had four assists, while 100-point scorer Jason Robertson had two. Hintz also had an assist.
Dallas’ rush of goals came against three-time Stanley Cup champion goaltender Marc-André Fleury, who started even after 24-year-old Filip Gustavsson made his playoff debut with a franchise record 51 saves in the series opener which the Wild won 3.-2 in double overtime.
Minnesota Wild defenseman Jared Spurgeon (46) clears the puck before being hit by Dallas Stars’ Jamie Benn (14) in the first period of Game 2 of a hockey Stanley Cup first round playoff series from the NHL, on Wednesday, April 19, 2023, in Dallas. (AP Photo/Tony Gutierrez)
«It’s what we do, right? We’ve done it all year,» Minnesota coach Dean Evason said of the goaltenders who have split games most of the season. «Nothing was on Fleury tonight, it was all on us… They had a short-handed break with two power play goals. What would you like Fleury to do?»
Game 3 is Friday night in Minnesota.
CLICK HERE FOR MORE SPORTS COVERAGE ON FOXNEWS.COM
The Stars were never far behind after Hintz’s short-handed breakaway just 4 1/2 minutes into the game, after Joel Kiviranta’s takeout on the defensive end. Dallas led 2-0 midway through the first period when Seguin, facing Fleury, redirected a long Robertson run during a prolonged power play.
«When you lose a guy like Joe, it’s a great opportunity for other guys to step up, and I thought we did it as a group here from top to bottom,» Benn said.
Minnesota Wild right wing Ryan Hartman (38) shoots and scores against Dallas Stars goaltender Jake Oettinger (29) in the second overtime of Game 1 of a Stanley Cup first round playoff series hockey game on Tuesday, April 18, 2023, in Dallas. The Savage won 3-2. (AP Photo/Tony Gutierrez)
Seguin started on the top line alongside Robertson and Hintz with Pavelski in concussion protocol after hitting his head on the ice following a crushing blow from Matt Dumba in the second period of the series opener. Dumba was booed almost every time he played the record on Wednesday.
Dadonov and Hintz each scored their second goal of the game within 48 seconds late in the second half for a 6-3 lead. That was the last of three pairs of quick-scoring goals in that interim period: two from the Stars that sandwiched an even faster scoring duo from the Wilds.
Benn had his goal and an assist on Dadonov’s first goal in an 87-second span that put the Stars up 4-1 and ignited the six-goal halftime period.
The two Minnesota goals in quick succession came a short Marcus Johansson backhand on a power play, 11 seconds before Frederick Gaudreau had a similar shot past Jake Oettinger to bring the Wild within one.
Oettinger, the 24-year-old who wears the number 29 after growing up a Fleury fan, stopped 23 shots.
The 38-year-old Fleury had 24 saves in the 168th playoff game of his career. He had gone 8-3-1 in his last 12 regular season starts.
«Embarrassing of me, you know? To allow seven goals like that in the playoffs,» Fleury said. «I want to go in there and give my team a chance in the game and win, and that’s not what I did… Simply put, I didn’t make any key stops in the game.»
CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP
DOUBLE TIME
Seguin’s power play goal came three and a half minutes after Jake Middleton hit a minor double for a high stick against Max Domi, who woke up with a bloody nose. Fleury endured being peppered with four shots in the first two minutes of that power play, with Hintz scoring two of them.
IN ALL DIFFERENT WAYS
Hintz, who has four goals in this series, is the first player with a short-handed, power play, even-force goal in a playoff game since Tyler Johnson did it for Tampa Bay against the New York Rangers in 2015.
EARLY DEPARTURE
There were six 10-minute misconduct penalty issues in the last 5 1/2 minutes of the game. Domi and Kaprizov were thrown out first after their fight. Marcus Foligno, Brandon Duhaime, and Ryan Reaves then left the ice early for the Wild, with Benn receiving a last-minute misconduct penalty.
«That’s playoff hockey, lots of emotions,» Evason said.
UNTIL NEXT TIME
After Game 3 on Friday and Game 4 on Sunday in Minnesota, the series will return to Dallas for Game 5 on Tuesday night.