Dallas earned a playoff-positioned win by converting the only moment that mattered — a power-play goal in overtime against a Calgary side that generated the lead twice but couldn't sustain the defensive discipline to protect it. This was a game decided by penalty differential and faceoff dominance, not talent.
⚡TURNING POINT
Johnston's OT power-play goal ended the game because it converted Dallas's structural advantages — a 62% faceoff rate and superior penalty kill pressure — into an irreversible result at the only moment where a single mistake meant elimination from the night's points. Calgary's third penalty of the game, taken when one goal ends everything, was the execution failure that made Johnston's finish inevitable.
🏆WHY DAL WON
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Dallas won 62% of faceoffs, controlling zone entries and defensive-zone exits at every critical juncture, particularly in overtime where possession dictates penalty kill survival.
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Johnston generated 5 shots on goal across 22:12 of ice time, converting twice including the decisive power-play goal, providing the finishing that Dallas's structure created.
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Dallas drew four penalties to Calgary's two, manufacturing three power-play opportunities and converting the one that ended the game.
📉WHY CGY LOST
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Calgary took 10 penalty minutes to Dallas's 4 — in a one-goal overtime game, that disparity handed Dallas the winning opportunity directly.
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A 38% faceoff rate meant Calgary consistently surrendered puck retrieval and zone establishment, neutralizing their skating game before it started.
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Cooley conceded 1.50 goals above average on 25 shots — in a four-goal Dallas game, that margin directly contributed to the deficit Calgary spent the entire night chasing.
Three Stars
Wyatt Johnston1st
DAL, C
2G2P5 SOG1 PPG
Johnston's two goals — including the OT winner on the power play — were the only reason Dallas had a result to defend.
Jason Robertson2nd
DAL, L
1G1A2P6 SOG across 24:14
Robertson's shot volume and primary assist on the OT winner made him Dallas's most persistent offensive threat by ice time and output.
Adam Klapka3rd
CGY, R
2A2P+2in just 9:12 of ice time
Klapka generated Calgary's most efficient offensive production per minute, directly setting up two second-period goals that gave Calgary the lead.
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Calgary built a lead twice and lost because they handed Dallas a power play in overtime — discipline, not skill, decided this game.
