Advertisement

Stars Streak Snapped With Loss to Senators

taylor newby
·3 min read

The Stars seven game win streak and nine game point streak could not survive a brutal back-to-back as Dallas lost to the Ottawa Senators 3-2 in the second game in less than 24 hours.

After defeating the Montreal Canadiens 2-1 in a physical, intense game Saturday night, Dallas turned around and headed to Canada's capital city for a puck drop only 19 hours after Jason Robertson scored the game-winning shootout goal. Ottawa came off a 3 p.m. EST start in Pittsburgh that resulted in a 5-0 shutout, with Leevi Merilainen posting his first career shutout.

Related: Stars Win Seventh Straight, Take Down Habs in 2-1 Shootout Victory

Ottawa chose to stick with the hot hand and trotted out Merilainen for his second game in two days and second against the Stars this season. Just 10 days prior, Merilainen took the loss in Dallas, allowing four goals on 25 shots.

The game had plenty of similarities to the game in Dallas. The Stars once again opened the scoring with Robertson converting on a wrist shot from the slot in the first period. Robertson has been heating up during the Stars streak.

Dallas had an early 8-2 shot advantage before it looked like the fatigue of playing so recently caught up to them. Starting in the second period, Ottawa looked like a different team and began to dictate play. Dallas had no answer.

Josh Norris snuck one past goaltender Casey DeSmith to level the score 1-1, and Ottawa did not stop there. The Senators took a 2-1 lead in Dallas with two goals in 24 seconds, and this time did the same bang-bang lead change in 39 seconds when Tim Stutzle caught DeSmith out of position and found the back of the net.

It looked like the similarities would continue with Dallas then tying the score (which led to two more goals and a win in Dallas) but a power play goal by Roope Hintz was wiped off the board as Hintz himself had entered the zone offside seconds earlier.

That changed the complexion of the game, and with Dallas trailing after two periods, the odds were much more in Ottawa's favor. The Stars were 0-10 trailing after two, and Ottawa was 16-1-1.

Ottawa opened the third period with a goal inside the first minute, with Matthew Highmore batting the puck out of mid-air for his first goal of the season. Dallas now faced a two goal deficit and looked too exhausted most of the third to threaten that two goal lead.

Just as it seemed like time was up on a Dallas comeback, Evgenii Dadonov scored a power play goal with 53 seconds left in the game to cut the lead to 3-2, but the Stars couldn't muster any more chances as time ran out.

Three Takeaways:

  • This was the Stars first loss in 2025. It wasn't much of a surprise to those following trends, though, as Dallas has not beaten the Senators in Ottawa since Kari Lehtonen backstopped the team to a 2-1 win in 2016.

  • Dadonov scored his 12th goal of the season, matching his season total from last year. He was -6 last year but is +12 this season and needs only one more assist to match his point total from last year. His play at 35 years old is better than ever, and his contributions have gone a long way in carrying the Stars offense while other top forwards have struggled at times this year.

  • Games are not slowing down for Dallas, with one more road game on Tuesday before a quick home game Thursday, road game Saturday, and then right back home Sunday. DeSmith has played two of the past three games and getting Jake Oettinger consistent rest through the thick of the schedule before the Four Nations Face-Off is imperative for the final stretch of the year.

Make sure you bookmark THN's Dallas Stars site for the latest news, exclusive interviews, breakdowns, and so much more.

Oettinger Continues Hot Streak With 30-Save Performance In Montreal

Stars Win Seventh Straight, Take Down Habs in 2-1 Shootout Victory

How Casey DeSmith Could Play Pivotal Role in Dallas Stars Stanley Cup Run

Stars Win Sixth Straight, Blow Past Flyers in 4-1 Rout