Stars 6, Islanders 3: Dallas scores three straight in the third for a fifth win in a row
A 3-3 game after two periods turned on a Dallas third period in which Johnston, Robertson and Rantanen scored in succession.
The Dallas Stars beat the New York Islanders 6-3 on Sunday at American Airlines Center, pulling away with three consecutive goals in the third period for their fifth straight win, according to NHL.com's game recap.
The game was level through two periods, 3-3, and Stars coach Glen Gulutzan said afterwards that it had been even to that point: "Even through two (periods), it was even." The third period was not.
A back-and-forth first two periods
Tyler Seguin opened the scoring in the first period, finishing a two-on-one with Jamie Benn, per NHL.com. Islanders defenseman Matthew Schaefer tied it on a four-on-four snap shot, and Jason Robertson put Dallas back in front on another four-on-four shift less than a minute later.
The Islanders tied it twice more. Kyle Palmieri did so early in the second period, and Brayden Schenn did again late in the period after Justin Hryckowian's power-play goal had given Dallas a 3-2 lead. It was 3-3 heading to the third.
The third period
Wyatt Johnston put Dallas ahead 4-3 with a wrist shot from the slot, a lead the Stars did not give back. Robertson added his second goal of the night on a breakaway, set up by a stretch pass from Seguin, for 5-3. Mikko Rantanen made it 6-3 on a drop pass from Lian Bichsel. The Hockey News noted the closing minutes were played without a whistle.
Going by the saves and goals allowed in the NHL.com recap, Dallas put about 38 shots on Ilya Sorokin, who made 32 saves, while Jake Oettinger stopped 17 shots for the Stars.
What it means
Dallas improves to 7-3-1 and has won three games of a six-game homestand. The Islanders, at 5-4-2, saw a five-game point streak end.
Islanders coach Peter DeBoer, who coached the Stars from 2022 to 2025 and was back in Dallas on the opposing bench, was blunt about the damage. "That's probably the most rush chances we've given up the entire year in one game," he said, according to NHL.com. Schenn said that when you give Dallas transition, "they come at you at full speed."
Robertson finished with two goals and has now recorded multiple points in four straight games. Two Dallas players, Dylan Hryckowian and Matthew Seminoff, made their NHL debuts; Dylan played alongside his older brother Justin.
Dallas played without Radek Faksa (lower body) and Sam Steel (undisclosed). Gulutzan said both could miss Tuesday's game against New Jersey, per NHL.com.