Mason Marchment wrapped Dallas Stars goaltender Jake Oettinger in a long embrace when one of the greatest goaltending duels in T-Mobile Arena history was over.
Oettinger’s counterpart didn’t linger on the ice.
Laurent Brossoit received encouraging pats and fist-bumps from his Golden Knights teammates as he skated back to the locker room, but he was down the tunnel in a flash.
He had no reason to hang his head. For 65-plus minutes of hockey Saturday, Brossoit and Oettinger traded brilliant save after brilliant save to keep the announced crowd of 17,906 spellbound.
Oettinger just ended up making two more. He stopped both attempts he faced in a shootout to lift the Stars to a come-from-behind 3-2 win.
The Knights’ five-game home winning streak was snapped, but they extended their point streak to nine games (6-0-3).
It was fitting the two goaltenders were even.
Brossoit and Oettinger each finished with 41 saves in a game in which only a spectacular play could beat them. Sometimes that didn’t even work.
Brossoit proved that true 1:02 into overtime when, while laying on the ice, he pushed himself up, spun around and stopped a shot from right wing Tyler Seguin with the back of his glove. It was easily the best save of a game that featured dozens of highlight-reel plays from both sides.
Oettinger, Dallas’ 24-year-old Vezina Trophy candidate, still came out on top in the end.
He did concede first, with right wing Michael Amadio deflecting a shot from close range into the net with eight minutes left in the second period. The Stars tied the game 2:01 later when rookie center Wyatt Johnston was left alone on the backdoor.
Oettinger blinked again in the third period after center Jack Eichel finished an impressive play off the rush. Center Chandler Stephenson touched the puck just enough in the neutral zone to send Eichel toward goal with speed, and Eichel beat Oettinger left to right to put the Knights ahead 2-1 with 4:37 left in regulation.
The Stars were once again able to find an answer.
Center Roope Hintz scored a game-tying goal with only 38 seconds remaining in the third period, only moments after left wing Jason Robertson made an incredible defensive play to stop an empty-net scoring chance by Stephenson.
Brossoit and Oettinger refused to concede during five up-and-down minutes of overtime, so the teams were forced to use a shootout to settle things. Robertson and Hintz scored on their attempts, and Eichel and left wing Paul Cotter didn’t.
That settled a heavyweight clash between the two division leaders in the Western Conference.
Dallas moved two points behind the Knights in the standings with 23 games left to play.
Here are three takeaways from the loss:
1. Brossoit’s run
It took Brossoit five months to get into the Knights’ net this season.
He’s playing like he never wants to leave.
The 29-year-old has started three straight games since being called up Feb. 11. He’s stopped 103 of the 110 shots he’s faced in those games for a .936 save percentage.
2. Oettinger impresses
Oettinger continues to be a thorn in the Knights’ side.
He’s 3-0 against them in his career. He has only allowed four goals in those games while saving 101 of the 105 shots he’s seen.
Saturday’s win was Oettinger’s 24th this season, which is tied for the sixth-most in the NHL.
3. Balanced scoring
Eichel’s goal made him the first Knights player to reach 20 this season.
The team previously was one of five in the NHL, and the only one in a playoff position, not to have a 20-goal scorer.
The Knights have still found success thanks to their depth. Amadio’s goal was his 10th of the season, one off his career high.
He became the Knights’ 11th double-digit scorer. Only Seattle (12) has more.
Contact Ben Gotz at bgotz@reviewjournal.com. Follow @BenSGotz on Twitter.
