Dallas Stars 3-2 loss to New York Islanders recap: missed chances and a late dagger sink Texas

Dallas Stars 3-2 loss to New York Islanders recap: missed chances and a late dagger sink Texas

The Dallas Stars controlled the run of play for most of Monday night at UBS Arena, out-shooting the New York Islanders 38-25 and tilting the ice at 5-on-5. Yet hockey’s cruel math showed up again: the only column that matters read 3-2 in favor of the home team when the final horn sounded. A third-period rebound goal by Jean-Gabriel Pageau with 4:07 left erased a 2-2 tie, capping a frustrating evening that leaves the Stars 0-2-1 in their last three road tilts and stuck at 10-7-4 on the season.

Dallas Stars 3-2 loss to New York Islanders recap: how the goals happened

First period: Islanders strike first on the power play

New York needed just 3:14 to cash in when Roope Hintz was whistled for hooking. Bo Horwin’s one-timer from the left circle beat Jake Oettinger short-side, continuing a season-long trend in which Dallas has surrendered a power-play goal in six of its last eight games. The Stars killed the remaining three minor penalties they took, but the early deficit forced them to chase the rest of the night.

Second period: Robertson answers, then Benn gives Dallas the lead

Jason Robertson evened the score at 12:51, walking off the half-wall and wiring a wrist shot off the far post for his 12th of the year. The play began with a slick seam pass from Miro Heiskanen, who now has eight assists in his last nine outings. Captain Jamie Benn provided the go-ahead marker 3:28 later, burying a rebound after Alexander Radulov drove hard to the net and forced Ilya Sorokin into a pad save. For a moment it looked like the Stars would head to the third protecting a lead.

Third period: Lee ties it, Pageau wins it

The Islanders pressed early in the final frame, and Anders Lee tipped home a Scott Mayfield point shot at 5:09 to knot things 2-2. Both teams traded chances until Pageau, fresh off a defensive-zone draw, slipped behind Dallas’ fourth line and slammed home a second effort after Oettinger stopped the initial try. The Stars pulled the goalie with 1:45 left but mustered only one shot—Hintz’s blast from the high slot that Sorokin smothered.

Dallas Stars 3-2 loss to New York Islanders recap: what the numbers say

• Expected goals: 3.48-2.21 Dallas (Natural Stat Trick)
• High-danger chances: 17-10 Dallas
• Face-offs: 34-31 Islanders (Pierre Engvall went 10-3 against Wyatt Johnston)
• Special teams: NYI 1-for-4, Dallas 0-for-3

Despite the territorial edge, Dallas finished 0-for-3 on the power play and has now gone 13 straight advantages without a goal dating back to November 5 in Chicago. That slump is the longest since the 2021-22 campaign when the Stars endured a 0-for-25 stretch that ultimately cost them a division title.

Dallas Stars 3-2 loss to New York Islanders recap: post-game sound

“We’re doing a lot of good things five-on-five,” Robertson said in a quiet visitors’ locker room. “At some point those power-play chances have to go in. When you let a team hang around, this is what happens.”

Head coach Pete DeBoer was more blunt: “We’re leaving points on the table. You can’t dominate a game like that and come up empty; it’s unacceptable.” DeBoer also hinted at potential lineup changes, noting that the club will recall a forward from the AHL’s Texas Stars on Tuesday.

For the Islanders, the victory was their fourth in five games and moved them within two points of third-place Washington in the Metro. “We knew they were going to throw everything at us,” Pageau told reporters. “Sometimes your goalie has to be your best penalty killer, and Soro was that tonight.”

Dallas Stars 3-2 loss to New York Islanders recap: three quick observations

1. Robertson keeps rolling: The 24-year-old winger has points in eight straight (6-7-13) and is on pace for 48 goals.
2. Oettinger’s rare off night: The 25-year-old entered with a .928 save percentage but stopped only 22 of 25 for an .880 mark—his worst since opening night.
3. Power-play personnel shuffle: DeBoer double-shifted Heiskanen and moved Evgenii Dadonov onto the top unit, but the new look generated just four shots in 6:00 of man-advantage time.

Dallas Stars 3-2 loss to New York Islanders recap: what it means for the standings

The defeat keeps Dallas stuck at 24 points, three behind idle Colorado for the final wild-card spot in the West. More concerning: the Stars have scored two or fewer goals in seven of their last ten, a stretch that coincides with Tyler Seguin’s lower-body injury. Seguin skated in a red non-contact jersey Monday morning, but there is still no timetable for his return. If the slide continues, Thursday’s home date with Nashville becomes a virtual must-win before the club heads out on a four-game Canadian swing.

Looking for more on the Stars’ special-team woes? Check out our deep dive into why Dallas can’t buy a power-play goal and how it compares with the rest of the Central Division. We also broke down Jake Oettinger’s early-season workload and whether the franchise netminder is being ridden too hard.

Dallas Stars 3-2 loss to New York Islanders recap: next up

The team charters back to Texas overnight and will practice Wednesday at the StarCenter in Frisco before hosting the Predators on Thursday at 7:30 p.m. CT. Nashville arrives having won three straight, including a 5-1 rout of Winnipeg on Saturday. Puck drop will be broadcast on ESPN+ and Bally Sports Southwest.