Jason Robertson shows he’s among best young NHL players with hat trick, OT goal in 100th game

WINNIPEG, Manitoba — In a series of seven first-period puck touches, Jason Robertson re-introduced himself to the hockey world as one of the game’s next great players. With a dozen of exhausted strides in overtime, he reinforced the point.

Robertson had his first career hat trick in the Stars’ 4-3 overtime win over the Jets, capping the night with the game-winner with 30 seconds left in overtime, a diving shot that punctuated a 97-second shift and lifted Dallas to its eighth win in 11 games since the All-Star break.

“I certainly didn’t have the legs to backcheck if I missed,” Robertson said. “I can’t lie, I love breakaways. I want breakaways. I’ll find whatever energy there is left to get that.”

Stars coach Rick Bowness said: “I’ll tell you how much he loves to score goals, because he was exhausted at the end of that shift and then he saw the breakaway opportunity and his eyes lit right up and he found the second wind.”

Robertson also scored in the first period, stick-handling his way around Winnipeg goaltender Connor Hellebuyck to pot his first goal of the evening, a dizzying nexus of moves to the backhand and forehand and over again.

“I get the puck in tight, I pick my head up and I have some time,” Robertson said. “I kind of knew what I wanted to do there. I’m just glad it worked.”

His second goal of the night came in the second period, slipping a backhand between Hellebuyck’s legs after a saucer pass from Thomas Harley. It was Robertson’s fifth multi-goal game of the season, an effort backed up by Braden Holtby’s 39 saves.

“Pretty incredible,” Holtby said. “He’s going to have quite a career, that guy. He’s one of those guys, there are very few of them, that they get the puck and their heartrate slows down. Pretty rare talent, the poise he has. It’s fun to watch. You play with Joe Thornton in his prime, Nick Backstrom, those guys that slow the game right down. Robo’s just like that. He’s quite a player.”

Robertson became the first player since the Stars moved to Dallas to have a hat trick that included an overtime goal in the regular season. Joel Kiviranta did it in the second round of the playoffs in 2020.

All four games between Dallas and Winnipeg this season have gone to overtime or a shootout.

Paul Stastny (twice) and Kyle Connor also scored for the Jets. Denis Gurianov tied the game for Dallas, firing a point shot through a Robertson screen with 4:32 left in the third period.

The Stars gave Winnipeg six power-play opportunities, including an abbreviated 5-on-3, and only gave up Stastny’s goal with one second remaining on Riley Tufte’s slashing penalty.

After Friday’s result, the Stars are seven points ahead of the Jets with one game in hand on Winnipeg.

The win kicked off an important road trip for the Stars, who also play at Minnesota and Nashville as they try to chase down the Wild and the Predators in the Central Division standings.

At the All-Star break, it was tough to imagine the Stars contending with Nashville and Minnesota for a playoff spot. But the Stars (65 points in 54 games) ended Friday ahead of the Predators (64 points in 54 games) and just two points behind the Wild (67 points in 53 games) ahead of Sunday’s date in St. Paul.

“We’re not happy, we’re not content with being where we are,” Robertson said. “We want to be up there with the top teams.”

Robertson did his part to put the Stars in a position to win.

It’s been something that the Stars have come to expect from the second-year player, constant production on one of the league’s best lines. He’s now up to 26 goals on the season, and has followed up his Calder runner-up season with a superb year ahead of a new contract this summer.

On Gurianov’s goal, not only did Robertson set the screen in front of Hellebuyck, but he also was instrumental in winning the puck for Dallas on the forecheck and in carving out space in front of the crease.

Then Robertson finished it off himself. As three hats landed on the Canada Life Centre ice, Robertson laid in the corner.

“He’s a natural goal scorer,” Bowness said. “He’s got a great touch around the net and he loves to score. His poise with the puck and where to put it and when to put it, you can’t teach those instincts. You just can’t. He has those natural instincts goal scorers have.”

Another milestone: With the secondary assist on Jason Robertson’s first goal of the night, Joe Pavelski reached 900 career points in the NHL.

He became the sixth player in NHL history that was drafted in the seventh round or later to reach 900 points. He also became 14th American-born player to reach the milestone. Former Stars great Mike Modano leads all Americans with 1,374 career points.

“There’s a lot of hockey out there that’s been played, a lot more that needs to be played,” Pavelski said before the game. “You just try to handle the night and try to contribute how you can. Try to add to it tonight.”

Pavelski, 37, leads the Stars with 57 points in 53 games this season.

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