Stars hold off Blue Jackets as Mikko Rantanen scores again in 3-1 win

By Vancouver Television Sports Desk

DALLAS — Mikko Rantanen continued his scoring stretch and the Dallas Stars held off the Columbus Blue Jackets for a 3-1 win at American Airlines Center on Saturday. Rantanen scored his team-leading seventh goal of the season to lift Dallas to the victory after the Stars had dropped their previous two games and finished their six-game homestand with a 4-2-0 record.

Rantanen opened the scoring at 2:16 of the first period on the power play, giving Dallas a 1-0 advantage. The goal came after Wyatt Johnston received the puck from Jason Robertson at the left side of the net and fed a backhand pass through the crease to Rantanen for a tap-in at the far post.

Thomas Harley extended the lead to 2-0 in the final seconds of the first period. Arttu Hyry missed a shot from the right side, and the puck rimmed up the left wall to Harley, who fired a quick shot from the boards that beat Columbus goaltender Jet Greaves at the near post.

Dallas added another goal in the third period when Damon Severson cut the deficit to 2-1 at 6:21. The play began after a face-off win, with Zach Werenski bringing the puck low along the boards and feeding it in front to Severson, who outmuscled Rantanen to put the puck into the open side of the net.

Earlier in the third, Valeri Nichushkin appeared to score for the Blue Jackets at 2:23 from the slot, but Dallas used a coach’s challenge. Video review determined Columbus was offside on the zone entry at 2:11, and the goal was erased.

Arttu Hyry sealed the outcome with an empty-net goal at 19:59 of the third period, giving Dallas the 3-1 final. Hyry’s empty-net tally was his second goal involvement of the game, as he also recorded an assist.

Miro Heiskanen contributed two assists for the Stars, and Thomas Harley scored the second goal. Rantanen, who had produced 11 points on four goals and seven assists in his past eight games, added the decisive scoring impact early and finished the night with a goal as Dallas improved to 8-5-1.

In goal, Jake Oettinger made 25 saves for Dallas. Greaves took the loss for Columbus, making 14 saves as the Blue Jackets fell to 5-7-0 and lost for the second consecutive game.

With the result, both teams’ momentum shifted as Dallas snapped a two-game slide and finished its home stretch above .500 for the homestand, while Columbus continued a brief losing streak despite generating offensive chances that included a play that was ultimately overturned after review.