*Photo from the Chicago Tribune*
Alex Debrincat has only a couple games under his belt after recovering from injury, but you couldn't tell by how he played on Sunday afternoon. Debrincat scored twice, Malcom Subban stopped 30 shots, and the Chicago Blackhawks topped the Dallas Stars with a 2-1 win Sunday, improving their record to 5-4-4 on the season.
Debrincat started the scoring at the 12:29 mark of the second period, giving the Blackhawks a 1-0 lead. At 9:31 of the 3rd period, Jason Robertson tied the game for the Stars, which ended up forcing overtime. At 2:56 in overtime, Debrincat ended things to give the Blackhawks a satisfying 2-1 win.
Subban was able to stop 30 of 31 shots that came his way in the win for the Blackhawks, which was also the first win of the season for Subban, as his record improved to 1-1-1 on the season. It had been almost two weeks since Subban's last start, and he impressed in this one.
Debrincat talked about Subban's performance, saying that "Subby had a few unbelievable saves there in the third, kept a 1-1 game and we were able to get it in overtime. They're giving us a chance to win every game and that's all we can ask for. We're really battling hard and getting points."
Subban himself said that "We're out here trying to prove people wrong. The culture of our team and the work ethic that we put in, we want to try and outwork teams and that goes a long way in this league. It's hard to have a lot of success without hard work. I think it starts from there with our team every day in practice and leading up to the season and now it's paying off. It's a great confidence builder for us."
The Blackhawks 5-4-4 record puts them at 4th place in NHL's central division, which would put the Blackhawks in a playoff spot if the season ended today. The Stars, on the other hand, are sitting at 5-2-2, 6th place in the central, and out of the playoff picture.
Stars coach Rick Bowness said of the team's place in the standings that "I don't like waking up in the morning and us not being in playoff position. The games in hand mean absolutely nothing if you don't win them. We left a point on the board today, in my opinion, and we've got to get it back on Tuesday night."
Despite the loss, Stars rookie goaltender Jake Oettinger had an outstanding night, saving 33 of 35 shots that came his way. Oettinger, in some cases, was the only reason the Blackhawks won by one goal instead of more than that, keeping the Stars in the game until Robertson was able to tie it. Oettinger's only kryptonite in the game was Debrincat, who scored twice on him.
Bowness said of Oettinger's performance that "Jake was very, very good. He made a lot of big saves and was very composed back in the net. He was aggressive when he had to be, and his reads of the play were really good. So, I thought that was Jake's best game and it was unfortunate we didn't get one more goal for him. He did a great job for us today."
The two teams face off on Tuesday, with Kevin Lankinen expected to start for the Blackhawks. Anton Khudobin is slated to start for Dallas.
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