Stars score twice in 3rd to beat Oilers and tie series

*Photo from Yahoo Sports*

Series tied 1-1

   Through two, it's tied. Wyatt Johnston had two assists, Mason Marchment scored the game winning goal, and the Dallas Stars defeated the Edmonton Oilers with a 3-1 victory Saturday night in Dallas.

   After losing a double overtime contest in game one, the Stars bounced back in game two, scoring twice in the 3rd period to deliver the series tying win. Johnston and Jamie Benn each had two points for the Stars.

   Dallas goalie Jake Oettinger said of the win that "It’s not always going to go your way every night. It’s about not letting it be two nights in a row. Everyone’s got to respond, not just me. It’s not just me that’s responded. It’s the group in front of me and the guys and the leadership from the top down that kind of starts that."

   It was the Stars who got on the board first in game two. It was the captain Benn who got it started, giving the Stars a 1-0 lead 3:39 into the game with assists going to Johnston and Miro Heiskanen. Connor Brown got the Oilers on the board 44 seconds later, tying the game 1-1 with Warren Foegele and Cody Ceci getting assists.

   After a scoreless second period, the Stars took the lead for good in the 3rd period. Marchment scored 3:41 into the 3rd, giving the Stars a 2-1 lead with assists from Sam Steel and Ryan Suter. The Stars sealed the win late in regulation, with Johnston and Benn assisting on Esa Lindell's empty net goal, his second of the playoffs.

   Getting the start between the pipes for the Stars was Oettinger, who became the second winningest Stars goalie in the playoffs with his 22nd win. Oettinger made 28 saves on the 29 shots he saw from the Oilers, giving him a .966 save percentage.

   Starting on the other end of the ice for the Oilers was Stuart Skinner, who took his first loss of the series. Skinner turned aside 22 out of the 24 shots on goal that the Stars tested him with, recording a .917 save percentage.

   Edmonton head coach Kris Knoblauch said after the game that "Maybe the Stars just elevated their game. I thought we had some opportunities, especially late. I know Ekholm rang one off the stick, a couple of blocked shots. We might not have had as many shots as we had in the first period, but for a tight-checking third period where they’re protecting the lead, we did have some opportunities."

   The series shifts to Edmonton for games 3 and 4, with game 3 set for Monday night. With the series tied at a game apiece, both teams will look to take a 2-1 series lead ahead of game 4.