Justin Hryckowian did almost everything Dallas could reasonably ask from a depth player Tuesday night. The uncomfortable part for the Stars was how much they needed from him.
Hryckowian redirected Tyler Myers’ point shot at 16:08 of the second period, bringing Dallas within 3-1 against New Jersey. The goal was his second in two games and his second of the season. It also turned out to be the only Dallas finish in a 5-1 defeat at American Airlines Center, a result that ended the Stars’ five-game winning streak.
Twenty-eight seconds after Hryckowian scored, Luke Hughes answered from the top-right circle. The timing made the sequence especially damaging: Dallas had finally converted one of its few shots, then New Jersey restored the three-goal margin before the Stars could build a second wave. A useful contribution had arrived. The surrounding offense never did.
Hryckowian’s night deserves more credit than a simple goal notation provides. He played 14:56, recorded one shot and blocked three others. Two of those blocks came against Jack Hughes, and Hryckowian won a third-period faceoff against the Devils’ center. His goal was a genuine piece of five-on-five offense, created by Myers’ point attempt and finished with the redirect. Colin Blackwell also assisted.
That combination was enough to beat Connor Hellebuyck once in the goaltender’s first start of the season for New Jersey. Hellebuyck stopped 17 of Dallas’ 18 shots, and New Jersey coach Sheldon Keefe had credited him with handling Dallas’ slot chances well. Dallas did find a way through him, but it did not make him solve enough difficult problems afterward.
The second period explains why the goal could not become a turning point. New Jersey put 15 shots on Dallas’ net while the Stars managed four. Nico Hischier had opened the period by scoring 38 seconds after the restart, and Jesper Boqvist made it 3-0 at 11:45 with Jack Hughes involved in the setup.
Dallas’ response came at 16:08; Luke Hughes’ reply came at 16:36. In between, there was no additional Dallas shot on goal to suggest the attack had found a repeatable route.
The shortage extended well beyond the line that produced the goal. Mikko Rantanen finished without a shot in 17:29. Wyatt Johnston had one in 20:44, while Jason Robertson recorded three, Roope Hintz two and Tyler Seguin one.
Joel Kiviranta led Dallas with four shots, but Hellebuyck stopped all four. The leading scorers’ combined shot total left little margin for a night when Hellebuyck was saving most of what reached him.
Dallas’ 18 shots on goal also concealed how much of its attack stopped short of the net. The Stars generated 38 total attempts, with 20 ending as blocks or misses. A missed shot and a blocked shot are different failures, although both leave the goalie without a save to make.
Brett Pesce blocked four Dallas attempts, one tangible example of New Jersey preventing plays from becoming clean tests for Hellebuyck.