Wyatt Johnston’s OT Hat Trick Seals Stars’ Win Over Knights
Down 3-1, Johnston kickstarted the rally with a short-handed goal in the second period, then tied the game midway through the third. He sealed his second career hat trick in overtime, finishing a two-on-one break with Roope Hintz by tapping a cross-ice pass into an open net.
The game-winner came moments after Stars goalie Jake Oettinger made a clutch left-shoulder save on a breakaway attempt by Vegas defenseman Shea Theodore.
Hintz tallied three assists, while Mavrik Bourque also found the net for Dallas, which secured its third straight victory. Oettinger finished with 25 saves.
For the Golden Knights, Tomas Hertl extended his point streak to 10 games with a goal, while Jack Eichel and Pavel Dorofeyev each added a goal and an assist. Mark Stone notched two assists, and Adin Hill recorded 25 saves. Vegas has gone 2-1-2 over its last five games.
The Knights nearly struck first just 56 seconds in, but Ivan Barbashev’s goal was overturned after a successful offside challenge by Dallas. Vegas responded quickly, as Eichel scored 58 seconds later—his fifth goal in five games.
Dallas answered less than two minutes later when Bourque buried a wrist shot from the slot off a feed from Matt Duchene. Hertl put Vegas back on top at 6:35 of the first, jamming in a rebound after a Nicolas Hague shot.
The Knights stretched their lead to 3-1 early in the second period on a five-on-three power play. Dorofeyev capped a tic-tac-toe passing sequence with a backdoor goal, marking his team-leading 22nd tally and eighth in nine games.
Dallas responded just over a minute later. Johnston buried a rebound off a Hintz shot on a short-handed rush, cutting the deficit to 3-2. He later tied the game in the third period with a wrist shot from the right circle, beating Hill’s blocker inside the far post.
The Stars suffered a setback in the third when defenseman Miro Heiskanen had to be helped off the ice after Stone fell into his left knee. Heiskanen did not return.
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