NASHVILLE, Tenn. — The Dallas Stars scored 47 seconds into Saturday night’s game at Bridgestone Arena and did not score again, falling 2-1 to the Nashville Predators as Steven Stamkos and Nils Hoglander converted first-period power plays and Juuse Saros made 29 saves. Dallas has dropped its first two games of the season.
Miro Heiskanen gave the Stars the lead on their second shot of the night, finishing a scramble in front with a wrist shot from the right circle after Mikko Rantanen and Wyatt Johnston got the puck to the net. It was the first goal of the season for Dallas, which had gone 60:47 without one after being shut out in its opener.
The Stars arrived in Nashville less than 24 hours after a 4-0 loss to the St. Louis Blues on Friday at American Airlines Center. After that game, Stars coach Glen Gulutzan said the details that decide games this early in a season are small ones, like winning battles and getting pucks into the right areas.
“We got some looks on the power play but didn’t get a lot of looks 5-on-5,” Gulutzan said. “We’ve got to get a little greasier in those hard areas. The start to an 84-game season is a little chaotic, and we’ve got to get our sea legs here, get to the right areas a little quicker.”
Steven Stamkos Ties Joe Sakic, Jarome Iginla On Career Goals List
Nashville tied it at 4:46 of the first period. Ryan O’Reilly found Stamkos with a cross-slot pass, and Stamkos one-timed it from the left faceoff dot past Casey DeSmith. The goal was the 625th of his career, tying Joe Sakic and Jarome Iginla for 17th on the NHL’s all-time list. O’Reilly’s assist was the 899th point of his career, and Roman Josi picked up the second assist.
Hoglander put Nashville ahead at 15:49 of the first, redirecting a point shot on another power play. It was his first goal with the Predators, who acquired him from the Vancouver Canucks in an offseason trade. Defenseman Jack Ahcan and forward Alexander Kerfoot assisted, and both points were their first with Nashville.
The Predators went 2-for-3 on the power play. Dallas had killed all four St. Louis power plays on Friday. The Stars have not scored a power-play goal through two games, after going 0-for-4 against the Blues.
Neither team scored over the final two periods. Saros stopped 12 shots in the third as Dallas pushed for the tying goal, and he finished with 29 saves on 30 shots.
Gulutzan changed his forward group from the opener. Colin Blackwell entered the lineup, and Joel Kiviranta was scratched. Center Matt Duchene remains on long-term injured reserve with a lower-body injury.
Former Stars center Mavrik Bourque faced Dallas for the first time since the Stars traded him to Nashville in the summer along with defenseman Ilya Lyubushkin. Bourque had 20 goals and 21 assists in 82 games for Dallas last season. Nashville defenseman William Trudeau, claimed off waivers late last month, made his NHL debut.
Casey DeSmith Makes 24 Saves In First Start Since Extension
DeSmith stopped 24 of 26 shots in the second game of the back-to-back, after Jake Oettinger started the opener. The loss kept DeSmith one win short of the 100th of his career. Earlier in the week, he signed a two-year, $5 million contract extension that keeps him in Dallas through the 2028-29 season.
DeSmith went 15-8-6 last season with a 2.43 goals-against average and a .907 save percentage, and Dallas finished second in the NHL in goals against. His goals-against average was lower and his save percentage higher than Oettinger’s.
“I think it’s huge, because if you’re not giving up goals, then you’re in every game,” Gulutzan explained. “It’s a big part of who we are.”
Oettinger went 35-12-6 last season as the starter. DeSmith is entering his third season with the Stars.
“I have no control over how many games I play,” DeSmith said. “I want to support Jake and win games for this team, but I don’t have much control. So I just try to do my best when I’m in there. That’s the best mindset to have. So I just try to be someone the team can depend on when I am in there.”
DeSmith turned 35 in August. Gulutzan said the way DeSmith conducts himself as a professional helps every day.
“He’s competitive. Not that competitive you see on the surface, but right under the surface. It’s a slow burn,” Gulutzan said. “That helps in the situation he’s in, how he practices, how he gets fired up. I’d say that’s his greatest attribute.”
Dallas opens the season with three games in four nights, and Oettinger and DeSmith split the back-to-back. Monday’s game against San Jose is the third.
“It gets dangerous when you get into five nights in a row, with a back-to-back, three-in-four, with players,” Gulutzan said. “We built in a lot of tolerance early with the legs and stuff, but if you keep going too long, the groins and everything start to come into play.”
Dallas won all three meetings with Nashville last season and had won seven of its previous eight games in Nashville before Saturday. The teams meet again Nov. 25 and March 27 in Dallas, and April 10 in Nashville.
The Stars host the San Jose Sharks at 7 p.m. CT Monday at American Airlines Center on Prime Video. Dallas then plays Thursday, Oct. 8, at the Buffalo Sabres at 6 p.m. CT.
