The Dallas Stars secured a solid 4-1 victory over the Vancouver Canucks on Sunday night, thanks to a goal from Mikael Granlund in the second period. This goal proved to be the game-winner.
Other players who scored for Dallas included Thomas Harley, Jason Robertson, and Mikko Rantanen, who sealed the game with an empty-net goal. Derek Forbort scored the only goal for Vancouver.
In goal, former Canuck Casey DeSmith made 22 saves to earn the win, while Kevin Lankinen stopped 15 shots but took the loss.
With the defeat, Vancouver falls just one point shy of the Calgary Flames, who currently hold the final wildcard playoff spot in the NHL’s Western Conference.
The game started slowly, with no goals in the first period. Harley eventually broke the deadlock with his 12th goal of the season, firing a shot from the point that found its way through traffic and past Lankinen. Forbort equalized for Vancouver midway through the second period, converting a pass from Conor Garland to score his first goal of the year.
With just 26 seconds left in the period, Granlund capitalized on a rebound to give Dallas a 2-1 lead heading into the third.
Robertson increased the Stars’ lead to 3-1 early in the final period, marking his 28th goal of the season. Rantanen, recently acquired from the Carolina Hurricanes, scored the final goal into an empty net, bringing his total to 29 goals this season.
Looking ahead, Vancouver will host the Montreal Canadiens on Tuesday at 7 p.m. Meanwhile, the Stars will travel to face the Winnipeg Jets on Friday.
Vancouver’s defenseman Vittorio Mancini registered his first point as a Canuck with an assist on Forbort’s goal. Dallas struggled on the power play, going 0-for-4, while Vancouver couldn’t capitalize on their two opportunities. Additionally, Matt Duchene and Cody Ceci each contributed with two assists for the Stars. On the other hand, Canucks center Elias Pettersson finished the game with a minus-3 rating.
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