DENVER — Roope Hintz scored in the fourth round of the shootout Wednesday night at Ball Arena, and Casey DeSmith stopped Brock Nelson on Colorado’s final attempt. The Dallas Stars beat the Colorado Avalanche 3-2.
The win split a home-and-home set that opened Tuesday at American Airlines Center, where Colorado won 3-2. Dallas (3-3-1) had lost two straight, including a 2-1 shootout loss at Pittsburgh on Saturday. The Avalanche fell to 4-2-1.
Arttu Hyry put Dallas ahead 2-1 with a short-handed goal 1:20 into the third period. He intercepted a play from Cale Makar at the Dallas blue line, outskated the Colorado defenseman to the net, and went forehand to backhand past the glove of Scott Wedgewood. It was Hyry’s first goal of the season. Dallas had not scored short-handed in its first six games.
Hyry scored three goals in 20 games during his first NHL season, one of them short-handed. He met reporters after the game in an availability reported by NHL.com’s Ryan Boulding.
“My dad used to always tell me to do that move, so I guess it was maybe just instinct,” Hyry said. “I feel like I’ve had a lot of chances recently and just haven’t been able to score them. So felt nice to finally be able to put one in.”
Hyry nearly ended it in overtime, but a bouncing puck he shot went off the post.
“He deserved that, obviously,” Hintz said. “He’s had so many good looks now. Just haven’t been going in. So yeah, he deserved that tonight.”
Jason Robertson scored on the first attempt of the shootout. Nazem Kadri answered for Colorado in the second round. Wedgewood stopped Tyler Seguin, and Mikko Rantanen missed the net before Hintz’s turn in the fourth round. DeSmith stopped three of Colorado’s four shooters, including Martin Nečas.
Hintz did not score on his only shootout attempt last season, according to Hockey Reference. Wednesday’s goal came on his first attempt of this season.
“I just tried to come a little bit slower from the left side and tried to pick my spot and just get a shot there,” Hintz explained.
“Always a good match against them, and I think we played really good yesterday,” Hintz continued. “Just didn’t get the result we wanted, so I think it was good to come back today and get the win.”
Two Colorado Goals Overturned Before Gabriel Landeskog Scored
Colorado had two goals taken off the board in the first period. Jaden Schwartz scored less than two minutes in, but Dallas challenged for offside and won the review. At 9:29, officials ruled that Gabriel Landeskog used a distinct kicking motion to direct the puck into the net.
Between the two reversals, Wedgewood made a save on Hyry’s shot from the right slot off the rush at 8:29 of the first period.
“One, it’s annoying, but two, you found ways to put the puck in the net,” Wedgewood said of the overturned goals. “So just keep kind of doing what you’re doing, and it’ll find a way to get back in there.”
Landeskog put Colorado ahead 1-0 at 4:55 of the second period. Kadri shot from the left circle, and Landeskog tipped it past DeSmith while cutting across the crease.
Miro Heiskanen tied it 1-1 at 15:03 with a wrist shot from the left dot that went short side, over Wedgewood’s right shoulder. Rantanen set it up from outside the right circle.
The goal was the 70th of Heiskanen’s career. It moved him past Daryl Sydor for sixth among defensemen in Stars franchise history. Heiskanen is the seventh Finland-born defenseman to reach 70 goals. Through seven games, he leads Dallas with three.
Dallas went 35:03 without a goal before Heiskanen scored.
“Miro’s shot was great, and also ‘Rants’ in the corner, working their ‘D,’” Hyry explained.
“That’s kind of just a little push we needed, like just to show us that maybe, hold on to the pucks and not just play to the blue line and rim it,” Hyry continued. “Try to cycle it. Just hold on to them and plays will open.”
A couple of minutes after Hyry’s short-handed goal, Gavin Brindley began celebrating what he thought was the tying goal. Officials never signaled a goal, and replays showed his shot hit both posts without crossing the line.
Nelson tied it 2-2 at 8:21 of the third. Artturi Lehkonen fired the initial shot, which caromed off Dallas defenseman Thomas Harley to Nelson on the left side. Nelson finished it short side around DeSmith’s right leg.
Casey DeSmith Reaches 100 Career Wins, Oskar Back Leaves With Injury
DeSmith made 25 saves on 27 shots for the 100th win of his career. He is the 26th American-born goaltender in NHL history to win at least 100 regular-season games, and the sixth active one.
Wedgewood made 20 saves on 22 shots. Colorado outshot Dallas 27-22, while Dallas won 31 of 57 faceoffs and outhit the Avalanche 27-18. Neither team scored on the power play. Colorado went 0-for-4 and Dallas went 0-for-2.
Tuesday’s game in Dallas was the first of four meetings between the Central Division teams this season. Dallas went 2-1-1 against Colorado last season, and three of those four games were decided in a shootout.
“That was a big boy game last night,” Stars coach Glen Gulutzan said. “I thought last night we slightly outplayed them and didn’t get any points. I thought tonight they slightly outplayed us in the third (period). I thought the first two were even. They came out hard in the third, made a push. ‘Case’ was real good, and I thought it was a really even six periods.
“Actually, probably we won three, they won three,” Gulutzan continued. “We got two points. They got three points. I think it was pretty even, but it’s a big win for us.”
The teams meet twice more, on Jan. 22 in Dallas and Jan. 24 in Denver.
“Every time we play these guys, it’s a close game. It’s a hard-fought game,” Avalanche coach Jared Bednar said. “Loved the first (period), loved the third. I didn’t love our habits and discipline, I guess, in the way we want to play in the second period. I liked our response in the third period.
“We just came up a little bit short, but overall effort from our guys two nights in a row was pretty solid,” Bednar continued.
Makar returned to the Colorado lineup after missing Tuesday’s game. He and his wife welcomed twin boys Wednesday morning. Makar finished plus-1 with two shots in 22:54 of ice time.
Avalanche forward Nicolas Roy did not play because of an upper-body injury. Bednar said Roy would be reevaluated Thursday and called him day to day.
Oskar Back left in the first period with an upper-body injury and did not return. Gulutzan did not provide an update after the game.
Wyatt Johnston missed a second straight game with an illness. Johnston had not missed a game in his NHL career before Tuesday, and he did not travel to Denver. Dallas is hopeful he can play Saturday, according to The Dallas Morning News’ Lia Assimakopoulos. Joel Kiviranta returned to the lineup Wednesday.
Dallas visits the Chicago Blackhawks on Saturday, with puck drop set for 6 p.m. CT. The Stars return home Tuesday to host the Boston Bruins at 7 p.m. CT.
