Eichel scores in OT to give Vegas a 2-1 win over the Stars in Western Conference final rematch

DALLAS (AP) — Jack Eichel whiffed and then immediately scored the winning goal for the Vegas Golden Knights in yet another game against the Dallas Stars that extended past regulation.

“It’s not at all how you draw it up,” Eichel said. “But I’ll take it, and don’t ask how.”

Eichel scored 1:57 into overtime after initially fanning at the puck as the Knights wrapped up a five-game trip with a 2-1 victory Wednesday night, when the reigning Stanley Cup champions returned to Dallas for the first time since wrapping up the Western Conference Final last May.

After weaving in their zone, Eichel made a move toward the net and was skating by defenseman Thomas Harley when he tried to take a shot — and missed the puck, which kept moving forward.

“Was trying to pull it back and shoot it, use the defenseman as a screen,” Eichel said about what became his eighth goal of the season. “Kind of fanned on it a little bit, the puck goes through his legs and it’s just me and the goalie, try to go around him, and lucky to see it go in.”

It was the fourth consecutive regular-season game between Vegas and Dallas not decided in regulation. Vegas won a shootout at home Oct. 17, after the Stars twice won shootouts last season. Plus, three of their six games in the Western Conference Final last May went to overtime.

“Good hockey game. Two good teams,” Stars coach Pete DeBoer said. “We we did some good things in overtime, had some looks. They found a way to win the game. But you know I’m big picture … it was an important point.”

Michael Amadio had a power-play goal for the Knights (14-4-2), who went 2-2-1 on the trip and have 30 points in their first 20 games for the third time in franchise history.

“The old .500 on the road, we got that,” Vegas coach Bruce Cassidy said. “I think we expect a lot more than .500 on the road, but for this team, that’s how it ends. That’s a good mental check-list to make sure you get half the points.”

Vegas goalie Aiden Hill had 32 saves. Oettinger stopped 24 shots, including point-blank tries by Paul Cotter and William Karlsson in quick succession with just under six minutes left in regulation.

The Stars, the Central Division leader with 26 points, got even at 1-1 in the closing minute of the second period when Roope Hintz scored his eighth goal of the season after some nifty and quick passing that covered the length of the ice.

Harley didn’t get an assist, but started the play when he gathered the puck behind their own net and pushed it ahead past center ice. Jason Robertson then quickly flicked it to Joe Pavelski, who made a cross-ice pass to Hintz for a shot from the left circle that slid under Hill’s blocker pad.

Vegas was on a power play midway through the first period when Amadio had a 40-foot wrister ricochet off Oettinger. Chandler Stephenson then passed to the right of the net to Nicholas Roy, who did a spin move and pushed the puck across the crease to the other side for Amadio, who snapped it into the net for his third goal and a 1-0 lead.

UP NEXT

Golden Knights: Host Arizona on Saturday night.

Stars: Host Calgary on Friday night.

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AP NHL: https://apnews.com/hub/NHL