Sam’s Story: Stars Load Up Mistakes, Comeback Falls Short in Loss to Sharks

While it wasn’t quite the 5-1 shellacking in Winnipeg, the Dallas Stars allowed five goals and dropped their second straight game in regulation, falling 5-4 to the San Jose Sharks on Friday. 

As they did on Tuesday, Dallas got on the board first, as Jamie Benn ripped a wrister over the glove of James Reimer. But it was quite obvious early on that the Stars were not on their game. They fumbled pucks and finished with seven giveaways, many of which ended up in the back of their net.

San Jose quickly answered the Benn goal and minutes later, they were on top 2-1. Despite Benn scoring another late in the period to tie the game, the Sharks came out with all of the momentum in the second while the Stars fell flat. 

Just 29 seconds into the middle period, Timo Meier gave San Jose back the lead and 36 seconds later, it was 4-2. Dallas pushed back, outshooting San Jose 11-4, but they were on the wrong end of a 2-0 score where it mattered most. 

As the third period began, things only got worse. For the second straight period, it only took the Sharks 29 seconds to find the back of the net, this time Tomas Hertl on an odd-man rush. The tally meant a three-goal lead for San Jose, and in the end, it was simply too much for Dallas to overcome. 

“Regardless of what the shot clock said, I thought we just handed them three or four goals,” Stars Head Coach Pete DeBoer said. “Mistakes, or mismanagement, missed assignments. If you are going to hand the other team three or four goals, you are going to be in a game like that. That’s what it looks like.” 

The Stars did make their push, scoring two goals in the third period and outshooting the Sharks 11-3, making it a 22-7 shot differential in the final forty minutes. But the hole was too deep and Reimer and the Sharks held on for a 5-4 victory. 

Jake Oettinger struggled to get into the game, as the Sharks were held to just 12 shots through 40 minutes and 18 overall. When he was tested, it mostly came from in tight off of an odd-man rush. He finished with 13 saves on 18 shots in his first game back from a lower-body injury. The 23-year-old was clearly disappointed in his performance after the game. 

“I mean, they only had like 20 shots,” Oettinger said. “So it’s my job. We scored four goals. You score four goals, you expect to win. I definitely could’ve made another save or two and at least helped us get to overtime. I know I have better and I just have to do it next game.” 

Bright spots: Jamie Benn finished the game with two goals, his fifth and sixth of the season, and a fight, as he stepped up for teammate Ty Dellandrea after a big hit from Logan Couture. The captain did not record an assist to finish the Gordie Howe Hat Trick, although Couture did for San Jose. 

Jason Robertson and Roope Hintz both extended their point streaks to seven games. 

Blumel watch: Matej Blumel was minus-2 and did not record a point in 14:07 of ice time. 

Sam’s Three Stars 

• First Star: Logan Couture, SJS (1 goal, 1 assist, 1 fight)
• Second Star: Tomas Hertl, SJS (1 goal, 1 assist)
• Third Star: Jamie Benn, DAL (2 goals, 1 fight)

He Said It 

“I really didn’t like our first period,” DeBoer said. “But after that, I thought we were actually pretty decent other than a couple of bad decisions that ended up in our net. For the last forty minutes, I actually thought we played pretty well. So I guess that’s the silver lining.”