DALLAS — Welcome to the Auston Matthews Show.
During the Stars’ 4-3 overtime loss to the Maple Leafs on Thursday night, the American Airlines Center became the stage for a record-setting performance by the Hart Trophy favorite. Matthews scored two goals, including the overtime winner, and fired a career-high 12 shots on goal.
Stars goaltender Scott Wedgewood tried to steal Matthews’ spotlight by making 37 saves in his first home start since joining the Stars last month. It was Wedgewood’s first loss in three games in a Stars sweater.
Matthews scored the game-winning goal for the Maple Leafs with 2:50 left in overtime, thwarting a Stars comeback effort in which Dallas tied the game twice in the third period.
John Klingberg knotted the game at 2 to nullify Matthews’ second-period go-ahead goal. Joe Pavelski tied the game at 3 to negate Morgan Rielly’s go-ahead goal in the third period.
In the first period, William Nylander scored for the Maple Leafs; Tyler Seguin, for the Stars.
The loss was the second in three games by the Stars, after going 6-1-0 in their previous seven games. The Stars gained a point on the idle Golden Knights on Thursday night, and moved two points ahead of Vegas for the final Wild Card spot in the West with two games in hand.
The Predators beat Ottawa on Thursday, opening their lead over the Stars for the first Wild Card spot to two points with the same amount of games played.
In a season where Matthews may win the first MVP trophy of his career, he was one of the best players on the ice on Thursday, constantly testing Wedgewood and helping the Leafs outshoot the Stars, 41-18. He generated chances on the power play and possession at even-strength, earning his record-setting goal with a one-timer on the man-advantage.
The Stars gifted him with space to shoot. He accepted and pelted Wedgewood.
In overtime, Matthews drove down the right wing before tucking the puck past Wedgewood for his 56th goal of the season. Matthews set the Maple Leafs record for most goals in a season on Thursday night with his first goal of the game.
As Toronto force fed Matthews more than 23 minutes, the Stars countered with a steady diet of Miro Heiskanen and their checking line. Heiskanen (sick with mononucleosis) and Matthews (suspended) were each missing the last time the two teams met in Canada last month. On Thursday, they were constant presences on the ice.
The Stars also matched up Radek Faksa and Co. with Matthews all night, including in overtime, when coach Rick Bowness started Faksa and Luke Glendening against Matthews. The Stars won the faceoff and got a change. Matthews would score on his second shift of the extra period.
Injury updates: The Stars were without three lineup regulars when they hosted the Maple Leafs on Thursday night.
Defenseman Esa Lindell (upper-body), and forwards Jacob Peterson (lower-body) and Denis Gurianov (sick) skated during optional morning skate on Thursday, but they remained out against Toronto.
It was the fifth straight game that Lindell missed, and he has not played since March 29 at Anaheim. Prior to this absence, Lindell had played 287 straight regular-season games and had not missed more than two games in a season since 2016-17. Bowness labeled Lindell as day-to-day.
Peterson and Gurianov each missed Tuesday’s win over the Islanders, and Bowness said both players are expected to skate on Friday.
“We’ll see where they are after tomorrow,” Bowness said.
Goaltender Braden Holtby has not skated with the team in three weeks and has not played since March 4 due to a lower-body injury. He is currently on long-term injured reserve.
“He’s been working off ice,” Bowness said. “He’s not ready to go on the ice yet.”
Without Holtby, the Stars acquired Scott Wedgewood from Arizona at the trade deadline.
Old look power play: The Stars power play entered Thursday 1 for 18 in the last seven games, with the only goal coming from Ryan Suter in Anaheim on March 31. So they went back to the look they trotted out in the first month of the season.
In October, the Stars used John Klingberg, Roope Hintz, Alexander Radulov, Jason Robertson and Joe Pavelski on one unit. Suter, Tyler Seguin, Denis Gurianov, Miro Heiskanen and Jamie Benn were on the other.
As Gurianov missed another game, the Stars went with Vladislav Namestnikov on the second unit.
“I think we’re going to go back to what we were doing at the beginning of the year when we were really effective,” Robertson said. “It’s been a while since we’ve been in that sort of formation or whatnot.”
