Thomas Harley’s night resisted the neatness of a 4-0 score. Dallas’s busiest defenseman had an assist, a blocked shot and five giveaways against Chicago. The Stars received important work from their blue line, with enough untidy moments to keep the shutout from becoming a blanket endorsement.
Nils Lundkvist also contributed an assist and two blocks in 18:04, while Miro Heiskanen and Esa Lindell carried substantial minutes. The forwards supplied every goal. Their defensemen joined the scoring through assists and added blocks while the team kept Chicago to 19 shots.
Harley’s assist came at 4:58 of the second period, when Robertson scored on the power play with Mikko Rantanen also credited on the goal. That broke a scoreless game and gave Dallas its first foothold. Knight had stopped all 12 Dallas shots in the opening period before the power play produced this breakthrough. Robertson supplied the part that changed the scoreboard.
Lundkvist’s assist arrived 1:27 into the third period, when Hyry scored on a backhand to make it 3-0. Lundkvist was credited with the assist, Hyry handled the finishing, and Dallas immediately extended the advantage it had built in the second period. A defenseman’s value does not depend on putting his own name in the goal column.
Hyry’s first goal came at 14:10 of the second, with Sam Steel assisting, and his second followed 7:17 later in game-clock time, early in the third. He had five shots in 12 minutes. Robertson kept testing Spencer Knight with seven shots, and Hintz added the final goal at 9:40 of the third.
The forwards deserved the finishing credit, while Lundkvist and Harley helped give the attack useful support at two important points.
Harley’s performance also came with a conspicuous flaw. He played 24:47, the most among Dallas defensemen, and recorded one blocked shot. He also had five giveaways, the highest total in the game.
That is too large a number to tuck behind an assist and a shutout, particularly for a defenseman handling major minutes. Still, the correct assessment can hold both facts: Harley contributed to the opening goal, absorbed the largest blue-line workload and gave the puck away too often. Hockey rarely offers the courtesy of a tidy spreadsheet verdict.
The heavier defensive burden was shared by the familiar pillars. Miro Heiskanen played 24:09 and blocked two shots. Esa Lindell logged 19:58 and led Dallas with three blocks, matching Lian Bichsel’s total.
Lundkvist played 18:04 and added two blocks. Those figures cannot assign responsibility for every Chicago attempt, but they show several Dallas defenders participating in the less glamorous work while the forwards handled the scoring.
