Miro Heiskanen was out, and the Stars needed a different look at the top of the power play. Thomas Harley supplied one, then supplied the winner.
Harley finished with a goal and two assists Saturday night against San Jose, and every point came with Dallas on the man advantage. The Stars won 4-3 at American Airlines Center. The official game summary listed Harley as the first star, and the Associated Press noted it was the first time this season he had collected three points in one game.
Jake Oettinger made 20 saves.
Heiskanen missed the game with an upper-body injury. Stars writer Mike Heika wrote that Harley played 6:23 on the power play and 3:34 on the penalty kill after entering the night averaging about a minute of power-play time, compared with 3:37 for Heiskanen.
"He adds a little bit of a dimension," coach Glen Gulutzan said of that change. "He likes to shoot the puck. You can see that and he takes on a little bit more of a shooter than a distributor. Miro would be the opposite, so sometimes different pieces coming in can bring different skill sets to a power play."
Three power-play strikes
Michael Misa put San Jose ahead 1-0 at 7:22 of the first, converting a far-post feed after Macklin Celebrini carried the puck down the wall, NHL.com wrote. Dallas scored three times before the first intermission. Roope Hintz tied it at 9:16 on a 4-on-3, finishing a rebound at the left post after Wyatt Johnston's tip, with Harley earning an assist.
Jamie Benn made it 2-1 at 15:17, shooting high into the far corner from the slot after Hintz recovered the puck below the goal line. NHL.com and Heika both recorded that goal as the 999th point of Benn's career. Jason Robertson pushed the lead to 3-1 at 16:51, snapping a shot over Alex Nedeljkovic's glove after Mikko Rantanen's pass from the opposite circle.
Harley picked up his second assist on that play.
Ivar Stenberg cut the deficit to 3-2 at 2:47 of the second on a 2-on-1 with Celebrini. Harley answered at 14:30, one-timing a feed from Johnston under Nedeljkovic's right pad for a 4-2 lead. Heika wrote that goal stood as the winner. Will Smith pulled the Sharks within 4-3 at 17:02 on a 5-on-3, finishing Mason Marchment's pass across the crease.
"We're snapping it around pretty quick. I'm trying to distribute, but also be a shot threat from the point. Try and keep those guys honest," Harley said, per NHL.com. "Most of my job is passing left or passing right, and the other guys make it look good."
