DALLAS — Mikko Rantanen had a goal and two assists, including one on the tiebreaking goal off defenseman Alexander Petrovic’s skate that was finally confirmed after a lengthy review as the Dallas Stars beat the Winnipeg Jets 5-2 on Sunday to take 2-1 lead in the second-round Western Conference series.
Officials looked at Petrovic’s goal for well over five minutes after the NHL’s situation room initiated a video review to determine if he kicked the puck into the net for a 3-2 lead with 16:09 left. The final decision was that replays supported the referee’s on-ice call that goalie Connor Hellebuyck propelled the puck into his own net.
“At that point, you want them to take as much time as they need to get it right,” said Stars coach Pete DeBoer, adding that the explanation he got was that Hellebuyck was trying to make a play on the puck.
Jets coach Scott Arniel certainly didn’t agree. “The rule states that if the puck gets kicked, if it hits a body or a stick of anybody else other than the goaltender, it counts as a goal. It hit our goaltender’s stick and went in the net. That is no goal,” he said. “So they said that Helly propelled the puck in, and I haven’t seen the word propelled in the rulebook.”
Then only 49 seconds after play resumed, Rantanen scored his ninth goal of the playoffs — all coming in the last six games.
For Petrovic, who has played has played in all 10 postseason games after only five in the regular season for the Stars, got his first playoff goal since 2016 for Florida.
Roope Hintz had a goal and an assist for the Stars, and Wyatt Johnston added a late goal. Sam Steel and Mikael Granlund each had two assists.
Rantanen, who has 18 points this postseason, had the primary assist on a power-play goal by Hintz only 2:27 in for a 1-0 lead. When Dallas scored again late in the first period for a 2-1 lead, Rantanen was on the ice for defenseman Thomas Harley’s goal, but the assists went to Granlund and Steel.
That ended Rantanen’s NHL playoffs-record streak of consecutive goals involved in at 13 in a row for the Stars since Game 5 of their first-round series against Colorado.
“Obviously I’m happy to help the team, I’ll try to keep doing that as much as I can on both ends of the ice,” said Rantanen, who was traded to the Stars on March 7. “I’m just trying to stay in the moment and even keel after wins and good games.”
Stars goalie Jake Oettinger stopped 23 shots. Hellebuyck, the odds-on favorite to win his third Vezina Trophy as the league’s best goalie and also among three finalists for the Hart Trophy that goes to the MVP of the NHL regular season, dropped to 0-4 with a 6.65 goals against average in road games this postseason after giving up the five goals on 26 shots.
Nino Niederreiter got Winnipeg even at 2 midway through the second period on his shot from the bottom of the right circle after Josh Morrissey made a nifty move to get around Stars center Colin Blackwell before making the pass for the score.
The Stars had gone ahead 2-1 late in the first after Niederreiter tripped Granlund, who slid with the puck along the boards behind the net and got his knees to swipe it to Harley in the slot.
Kyle Connor scored for Winnipeg on a wraparound goal that got under Oettinger’s extended glove.
“I don’t think (the game) got away from us. We were right there in the game,” Connor said. “One deciding goal that may or may not be a goal and we are right there in the game.”
Game 4 is Tuesday night in Dallas.
