Dallas beats Calgary 5-4 in overtime to tie NHL playoff series at two games each

Sam Bennett, with two goals, Johnny Gaudreau and Tobias Rieder replied for the Flames.

Goalie Cam Talbot, coming off a shutout, stopped an onslaught of shots to make 57 saves but took the loss.

Game 5 goes Tuesday.

It was a back-and-forth game dominated by special teams.

Pavelski broke the ice late in the first period on the man advantage. Klingberg wristed a puck on net, and Pavelski fought through traffic in front to tuck the rebound past Talbot.

Calgary tied it early in the second frame. Gaudreau, in a goalmouth scrum on the power play, managed to backhand a rebound past Khudobin for his first goal of the series and third of the post-season.

Then Pavelski again, roaring down the right wing on a two-on-one, whipped the puck over a diving Erik Gustafsson, picking the far side low on Talbot.

Then it was Bennett on the power play, unleashing a blast from the top of the right face-off circle that spun and knuckled past a screened Khudobin.

Late in the period it was Bennett again, barrelling down the right side with Milan Lucic. Lucic fired a shot. Khudobin stopped it with his pad, with the puck going right to Bennett, who fired in the rebound.

It was first ever two-goal playoff game for Bennett.

With the seconds ticking down in the frame and Dallas on the power play, Miro Heiskanen delivered a no-look pass from the point to Gurianov for one-timer rocket shot through traffic and in.

Calgary took a 4-3 lead while shorthanded early in the third period as Rieder and teammate Derek Ryan chased down a loose puck in the Dallas end. Ryan got to the puck first and delivered a backhand pass to a streaking Rieder in the slot for the redirect past Khudobin.

Rieder has three goals in the playoffs, all shorthanded.

Dallas thought it had the game tied late in the third period. Jason Dickinson scored on a rebound in front of the net, but teammate Corey Perry, standing in the crease, was deemed to have interfered with Talbot.

No goal.

No matter.

Pavelski got the hat trick with 12 seconds left, with Khudobin pulled for the extra attacker. Pavelski knocked in a rebound off a Klingberg shot on a goalmouth scramble for his fifth goal of the post-season.

Khudobin, the backup to Ben Bishop in the regular season, started the second straight game for Dallas. Bishop played the first two games, allowing seven goals on 52 shots. He was on the bench for Game 3 but didn’t dress Sunday. Jake Oettinger was the backup.

Calgary’s Matthew Tkachuk’s status is uncertain as the NHL does not release injury information. He was sandwiched between Stars Jamie Benn and Jamie Oleksiak late in Game 2, literally knocking heads with Oleksiak. He skated woozily to the bench, went down the tunnel to the dressing room and has not played since.

The Stars are the third seed in the Western Conference. Calgary is sixth.

All Western Conference games are being played in front of no fans at Rogers Place, with the players isolating in between to avoid contracting COVID-19.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Aug. 16, 2020

Dean Bennett, The Canadian Press

by Canadian Press

Dallas beats Calgary 5-4 in overtime to tie NHL playoff series at two games each

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