The Dallas Stars were one shot away from sending the rival Minnesota Wild to the brink of elimination.
Instead the Western Conference First Round would return to American Airlines Center tied at two games apiece after Matthew Boldy scored at 19:31 of the first OT, giving the Wild a 3–2 victory at Grand Casino Arena.
Jason Robertson and Miro Heiskanen scored once each, and goaltender Jake Oettinger made 40 saves for the Stars.
Dallas did what it needed to by reclaiming home-ice advantage with its double-overtime win in Game 3. But he blew two one-goal leads, and so allowed a great chance to take a 3-1 lead by allowing Marcus Foligno's goal with just 5:20 remaining in regulation.
Game 5 is Tuesday at Dallas at 7 p.m.
Here are the takeaways from Game 4:
Jason Robertson and the Stars' power play stay red hot
Dallas entered the game Saturday on a special-teams burner, and its PK didn't allow a single goal and its man-advantage remained very hot.
Both of Dallas' goals came on the power play, with Robertson scoring his second man-up goal and Heiskanen scoring his first goal of the series.
"Our power play has been good," Stars coach Glenn Gulutzan said after the game.
The Stars' power play is now 8 of 19 (42.1%) in four games and second only to the Anaheim Ducks among all teams. The Ducks have 11 less PP than the Stars due to one less game.
Dallas has scored four consecutive goals on the power play. The Stars have found success moving the puck down high and then taking advantage of diagonal passes and beating Jesper Wallstad on sharp-angle shots – which is what Robertson, Heiskanen and Matt Duchene did on their own goals.
Robertson has now scored in every game of the series and is the only one of the three Star players with multiple PPG in the series. At this point the Stars need to figure out how to score at even strength, as they only have three goals at 5-on-5.
“We just couldn't get any puck luck,” Gulutzan said. “We just have to start over to finish something.”
Jake Oettinger almost saved the stars
Oettinger has lost Stars games in the past, but their goalie wasn't the reason for their loss on Saturday.
In Game 4 the Wild finished with a 3.84 expected goals against and outscored the Stars 24–17 in the third period and overtime. Foligno's goal came from a rebound, where the Minnesota forward got over Oettinger and deposited the puck into the empty cage. Brock Faber's goal was a shot worth watching.
Oettinger's numbers in the series may not look impressive, but he has been excellent since Dallas' 6-1 loss in Game 1. The Stars' franchise goalie has a 1.38 all-situation goals-against average and a .924 save percentage over his last three games and could use some extra support from his teammates.
"I thought he made some massive saves," Gulutzan said. “You need it this time of year, and he gave it to us.”
Oettinger made 10-belle saves after 10-belle saves throughout OT – Minnesota could only beat him when Boldy tried to kick the puck for a disallowed goal. But Boldy then redirected Jared Spurgeon's shot from the point.
The Wild, Stars series deserves to be equal
Game 1 was lopsided, but the series went as we all expected.
The last two games have gone to overtime, including a double-OT affair in Game 3. The investigation is strict. The atmosphere is noisy. Both teams are highly-skilled. This series should be tied at two points after four matches.
It's easier said than done, but Stars fans should try to enjoy the ride of Stanley Cup playoff hockey. This series seems destined to go seven games, and even Gulutzan has acknowledged that.
“There are a lot of guys playing good hockey in this series,” Gulutzan said. “It’s just two good hockey teams.”
