The Dallas Stars were down 2-1 to the Nashville Predators on Saturday when they had the comeback for the ages. The Stars became the first National Hockey League team in history to be down by one goal with 15 seconds left in the third period and win the game in regulation. With the 3-2 Dallas Stars win over the Predators in Tennessee, Dallas moves into the Christmas break in a first place tie with the Colorado Avalanche in the Central Division.
Game-Tying Goal
Craig Smith of Madison, Wisconsin tied the game at two with 15 seconds left in the third period. Jason Robertson of Arcadia, California and Joe Pavelski of Plover, Wisconsin notched the assists on an All-American goal. It was only Smith’s third goal of the 2023-24 NHL regular season. His other goals came in a 3-2 Stars shootout loss to the Vegas Golden Knights on October 17, and in a 5-2 Stars win over the Columbus Blue Jackets on November 9.
Game-Winning Goal
The game-winning goal was scored with four seconds left in the third period by defenseman Jani Hakanpaa of Kirkkonummi, Finland. It was an unassisted marker, Hakanpaa’s first goal of the season, and only the third game-winning goal of his career. Hakanpaa’s first game-winning goal came on April 17, 2021 for the Carolina Hurricanes in ironically a 3-1 win over the Nashville Predators, and his second game-winning goal came on October 17, 2022, in a 4-1 Stars win over the Winnipeg Jets.
Unable to Clear the Puck
This could be a tough Christmas for Predators defenseman Jeremy Lauzon of Val D’Or, Quebec. He was simply unable to clear the puck out of his own zone in the dying seconds. Hakanpaa got possession of the puck and scored past fellow Finn Juuse Saros of Forssa, for his fourth shot of the game. The Stars next play the St. Louis Blues on Wednesday.
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