‘A Methodical Game’: Dallas Stars Blank Chicago Blackhawks 4-0 As Arttu Hyry Scores Twice, Jake Oettinger Earns Third Shutout

CHICAGO — Jake Oettinger made 19 saves for his third shutout in six starts, and Arttu Hyry scored twice for the first multigoal game of his NHL career on Saturday night. The Dallas Stars beat the Chicago Blackhawks 4-0 at United Center for their second straight win.

Dallas improved to 4-3-1 and is 4-1-1 over its past six games. The win was also the 200th of Stars coach Glen Gulutzan’s NHL coaching career. Chicago dropped to 3-6-0, and the loss ended a two-game Blackhawks winning streak. It was the second time this season Chicago has been shut out.

The Stars outshot the Blackhawks 32-19 and had twice as many scoring chances. Gulutzan said Oettinger’s save on an early breakaway kept the game scoreless.

“It’s nice when you have a methodical game,” Gulutzan said. “We were patient even when it was 0-0, we got a big save on a breakaway early by Jake, and we stayed with our game and got rewarded.”

Dallas outshot Chicago 12-5 in a scoreless first period, but Spencer Knight made several saves in close. Jason Robertson appeared to open the scoring at 12:10 of the first, but a video review showed Roope Hintz had entered the Chicago zone offside, and the goal came off the board.

Blackhawks coach Jeff Blashill said his team did not create much after the first period.

“They’re a good defensive team,” Blashill said of Dallas. “I think the numbers bear that out, that’s definitely what I would say. We had enough chances in the first to score. After that, we didn’t create a ton. But in the first, I think we outchanced them 6-4, 5-2 at even strength. We have to find a way to have one of those end up in the net just from a momentum standpoint.”

Jason Robertson, Arttu Hyry Solve Spencer Knight

Robertson broke the scoreless tie with a power-play goal at 4:58 of the second period on the Stars’ 14th shot of the night. He took a short return pass from Mikko Rantanen at the bottom of the left faceoff circle and fired over Knight’s glove into the upper right corner. Thomas Harley picked up the second assist.

On the entry, Robertson was looking for open ice after giving the puck to Rantanen.

“We just entered in the offensive zone,” Robertson said. “Mikko is a passer. I’m just trying to find space, give it to him, got it back and put it in. His passes are top-notch, one of the best passers in the league. Obviously, he has an elite shot, but anytime he gives it to you, you try to put it in.”

Hyry doubled the lead at 14:10 of the second. He and Sam Steel broke out on a 2-on-1, and Hyry finished Steel’s pass with a wrist shot from the right circle. With 52.9 seconds left in the period, Knight stopped Hyry on a shorthanded breakaway.

Hyry got his second goal 1:27 into the third period. Nils Lundkvist sent him in with a stretch pass, and Hyry gained a step on defenseman Wyatt Kaiser, cut into the left circle, and roofed a backhand over Knight’s glove.

That goal gave Hyry three in his past two games. Lundkvist spotted him as he came off the bench on a line change.

“I was coming off the bench and saw Nils looking up, trying to make a pass,” Hyry said. “Nils made an incredible pass there.”

“I felt like we kept pushing until the end, which has been our theme here,” Hyry continued. “Even though you’re four goals up, just keep pushing, keep pushing and trying to improve your game.”

Hyry finished with 5 shots on goal and won 9-of-14 faceoffs. Gulutzan said the 25-year-old’s confidence has been building in practice.

“You can tell he looks very comfortable in practice, almost dominant,” Gulutzan said. “That’s kind of the first step and as that confidence grows, you can see the benefits.”

Robertson pointed to Hyry’s work on defensive-zone draws and the penalty kill over the Stars’ past two games, including overtime of Wednesday’s shootout win in Colorado.

“These past two games were fantastic, not even including the goals,” Robertson said. “The overtime last game, the big D zone draws, penalty killing, everything. The goals are a bonus, but he’s playing a solid role and I hope he keeps it going. When you’re hot, stay hot.”

Hintz made it 4-0 at 9:40 of the third, burying a wrist shot under the crossbar from the left faceoff dot. Tyler Seguin and Robertson assisted, leaving Robertson with 1 goal, 1 assist, and 2 points on the night. Hintz later took a puck to the right hand or wrist area and left late in the third period. He was examined after the game, and Gulutzan did not have an immediate update.

Jake Oettinger’s Third Shutout And A Six-Game Homestand

Oettinger stopped all 19 shots he faced, including a point-blank chance from Cole Smith with six minutes left. No goaltender in Stars history had recorded three shutouts through his first six appearances of a season. His three shutouts lead the NHL, and the 19th of his career lowered his goals-against average to 1.00.

A couple of posts went Dallas’ way Saturday, by Oettinger’s count.

“I think there’s a lot of things that go into it,” Oettinger said. “You got to get lucky, a couple of posts tonight. Guys have played well in front of me. I feel like my game is in a good spot. Yeah, guys have played really well, committed to playing good defense, and that’s what happens.”

Dallas entered the night allowing 21.6 shots per game, second-fewest in the NHL. Gulutzan said a night with few shots and an early breakaway tests a goaltender mentally.

“It’s a hard game, because not a lot of shots and then a breakaway early,” Gulutzan said. “It kind of challenges the goalie mentally. He’s been real strong in that area. He’s carrying himself a little different, so he’s on the right path.”

Knight made 28 saves on 32 shots in his fourth straight start for Chicago. Blackhawks captain Connor Bedard said a couple of unforced errors left Knight in a tough spot.

“We’ve got to create more,” Bedard said. “We [had] a lot of power plays in the first [two], it would’ve been nice to capitalize on that, but I thought we had a few good looks where it didn’t go in. It obviously changes the game. But I think we have to find a way to create more. A couple of unforced errors where we put [Knight] in a tough spot. Eventually, a team like that is going to score.”

Wyatt Johnston returned for Dallas after missing two games with an illness and played 20:25 with 5 shots on goal. Chicago defenseman Bowen Byram missed his second straight game with an upper-body injury and is listed as day to day.

The Stars are 3-1-1 on the road and 1-2-0 at home, and their next six games are at American Airlines Center. Oettinger said Dallas started slowly this season.

“We’ve got two great wins in a row, and it’s a good homestand for us,” Oettinger said. “We started out slow, but now we have a chance to get our record to where it should be.”

Forward David Perron signed a one-year, $850,000 contract with Dallas on Friday and joins the team Monday. Gulutzan said practices this week will target how the Stars start games at home.

“We’re pretty good on the road,” Gulutzan said. “I think one area of improvement for us is our home record and how we start at home, so that’s one area that we’re going to harp on this week.”

Dallas hosts the Boston Bruins on Tuesday at American Airlines Center. Puck drop is set for 7 p.m. CT on ESPN.