In the biggest game of the season, it was the MVP of the team that stepped up when it mattered for Dallas. Kari Lehtonen saved this team and possibly the season.
Lehtonen made the save of the game with 1:30 left in overtime when he made a flailing, on his back, stacked pad, leg wheeling save on a wide open Oliver Ekman-Larsson. The Coyotes would immediately follow that up with a shot that pinged off the post and the Stars barely made it through the overtime.
Jamie Benn also took another huge hit in the OT that made him leave the game and sit out the rest of the period. He was slipping when he took a hit in the back and went awkwardly headfirst into the boards. He struggled off the ice, falling once, before reaching the bench and heading right back into the tunnel to get looked at. He returned to bench for the shootout.
In the shootout, only Mike Ribeiro was able to score a goal. Mike Smith attempted to poke check Ribs but he made a deft little move to his right and easily slid it past Smith. Lehtonen saved tries from Mikkel Boedker, Ray Whitney and that hated Shane Doan to seal the win for the Stars.
The three stars in this were Loui Eriksson, Michael Ryder and Ribeiro. Loui had one goal and two assists, Ryder had two goals and one assists while Ribs had three assists and the winner in the shootout. Ryder's two goals puts him at 32 on the season, a new career high.
Kari Lehtonen saved 27 of 30 shots and everything when it really mattered. He kept this game going in the OT and was perfect in the shootout.
Dallas remains in first in the division and third in the West.