Stars Edge Blues 5–4 with Benn’s 23-Second Drama
I guess this is who the Stars are now.
In what can only be described as a hockey game with more twists than an M. Night Shyamalan script, the Dallas Stars once again found a way to beat the St. Louis Blues at the American Airlines Center on Wednesday night — this time via a goal with 23 seconds left on the clock. The final score: 5–4, Stars over Blues. Seriously, we are doing this again? Yeah, we are doing this AGAIN.
The night played out like a thrilling sitcom with three acts:
- Act I: Blues strike first and take a 2–1 lead.
- Act II: The Stars respond with a barrage, scoring three goals in the second period to take a 4–2 edge.
- Act III: The Blues mount a furious comeback to tie it at 4–4 in the third — setting the stage for more end-of-game magic.
With the clock inching toward Netflix-and-not-yet-chill territory, veteran captain Jamie Benn finally ended his longest goal drought of the season and delivered the game-winner with barely any time left for Blues fans to exhale.
Coach Comments
After the game, Dallas Stars head coach Glen Gulutzan emerged from the locker room like a man who had just finished a high-stakes game of Where’s My Goalie? Here is what Gulutzan had to say after Wednesday night’s game.
GULUTZAN: “Our record is out record, and all we can do is to try to get better.”
On the recent resurgence of Jamie Benn and Matt Duchene:
GULUTZAN: “Once Dutchy and Benny got there games going through injuries, you can see it helps out team.”
Key Moments in a Nutshell
- The Blues took an early lead when Pavel Buchnevich put them up on the power play.
- Stars’ Jason Robertson hit a franchise milestone with his 200th NHL goal before responding with assists later.
- Dallas exploded in the second, outscoring St. Louis 3–0 in the middle period.
- Blues battled back to make it interesting in the third, setting up the dramatic Benn finish.
If this game had a subtitle, it would be: “Why leave room for dessert when you can get the game-winner in the final seconds?”
Final Whistle
With the buzzer sounding and fans still checking their watches, the Stars extended their winning streak to six games — all by one goal and three of them against St. Louis — solidifying their knack for last-second heroics.
The Blues, meanwhile, can laugh about their misfortune later — once they’ve recovered from yet another near miss.
Stars Head Into the Break Streaking
The Dallas Stars have surged into the Olympic break riding a six-game winning streak, the club’s longest run of victories this season and one of the more impactful stretches in recent franchise play.
A key factor in this streak has been balanced scoring and timely contributions from multiple parts of the lineup. Alongside Benn’s late-game heroics, Jason Robertson reached the 200-goal milestone, adding a goal and an assist in the Blues game, while Matt Duchene and Thomas Harley also provided big plays earlier in the streak — including an overtime winner against Winnipeg. This depth has helped the Stars win close contests; several of their victories in this stretch have been decided by a single goal, underscoring a competitive edge in tight games.
Another pillar of Dallas’s recent success is goaltending stability and defensive contributions at timely moments. Jake Oettinger’s performance in net has been particularly sharp, yielding key saves in close games that kept the Stars in contention late. Coupled with contributions from defensemen like Miro Heiskanen in creating offense and breaking up opposing attacks, this back-end support complements Dallas’s forwards and has helped maintain momentum.
Intangible elements such as resilience and late-game composure have defined this streak. The Stars have repeatedly battled through adversity, including overcoming third-period comebacks by opponents and capitalizing in the final minutes — traits emblematic of teams that succeed deep into the season. Leadership from veteran figures like Benn, combined with the emerging clutch instincts of younger players, has given Dallas a blend of urgency and confidence as they head into the mid-season hiatus. Now, Stars fans hold onto hope that the green guys don’t come back from another break in the season with the same energy they showed after the Christmas break.
The Morning Skate 