DALLAS (AP) — Roope Hintz scored the only goal in the shootout to give the Dallas Stars a 2-1 win over the Vegas Golden Knights and first place in the Central Division after the matchup of playoff-bound division leaders Saturday.
Dallas has 102 points with three games left in the regular season. The Stars began the day tied with defending champion Colorado, which played Saturday night and still had three games left after that.
Pacific Division-leading Vegas did clinch home-ice advantage for the first round of the playoffs by getting the point. The Golden Knights have 107 points, two ahead of Edmonton after the Oilers won 6-1 at San Jose.
After Vegas goalie Jonathan Quick had a swiping glove save to reject Jason Robertson on the first shot of the shootout, Hintz was good on a 20-foot wrister in the second round.
Paul Cotter had a chance to extend the shootout, but the Knights' third shooter couldn't get the puck past a sprawling Jake Oettinger, who quickly popped up and signaled no good.
Each team had only one shot on goal in overtime, though Vegas forward Reilly Smith had a shot that hit the left post with about two minutes left.
Dallas got even at 1-1 in the middle of the second period when Joel Kiviranta scored on a wrister from just inside the top of the circle. Defenseman Thomas Harley sent toward the sideboard, and Radek Faksa got the ricochet and passed to Kiviranta.
Vegas took a 1-0 lead on Brett Howden's sixth goal, a breakaway and a shot over Oettinger's left shoulder with 5:39 left in the first period. Howden was skating ahead of Stars center Max Domi when he got a pass from Keegan Kolesar, who was along the boards in front of the Dallas bench just outside the blue line.
That came not long after Oettinger had to dive forward and use his glove to smother a loose puck in traffic. Oettinger had 19 saves.
Quick, who stopped 24 shots, had a similar save late in the first period when he was sprawled on the ice and reached out with his glove to secure a loose puck.
Vegas forward Phil Kessel got another puck past Oettinger before the end of the first, but that goal was quickly disallowed since he used his hand to knock the flying puck into the net. Kessel was smiling as he skated away from the net as the official immediately waved off the tally.
NOTES: Vegas D Zach Whitecloud had to be helped off the ice midway through the third period after his left leg buckled awkwardly under him. Hintz fell on him after being pushed by Golden Knights D Brayden McNabb as the teams were fighting for a puck in the corner. ... The five-game goal streak for Stars C Joe Pavelski was snapped. The 38-year-old Pavelski entered the game with 999 career points, and looking to become only the 11th U.S.-born 1,000-point scorer in NHL history.
UP NEXT
Golden Knights: Play their home finale Tuesday against playoff-bound Seattle.
Stars: Monday night at playoff-eliminated Detroit.
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Stephen Hawkins, The Associated Press
