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Stars Stun Blues With Three Straight Late-Game Winners

Three late winners decided a mini-series between the Dallas Stars and St. Louis Blues. Strong forward depth, special teams, and defensive structure continue to separate the Stars from the rest of the Central Division.
Samuel Len|
Feb 4, 2026; Dallas, Texas, USA; Dallas Stars left wing Jason Robertson (21) attempts to poke the puck past St. Louis Blues defenseman Tyler Tucker (75) and goaltender Jordan Binnington (50) during the third period at the American Airlines Center. Mandatory Credit: Jerome Miron-Imagn Images
Feb 4, 2026; Dallas, Texas, USA; Dallas Stars left wing Jason Robertson (21) attempts to poke the puck past St. Louis Blues defenseman Tyler Tucker (75) and goaltender Jordan Binnington (50) during the third period at the American Airlines Center. Mandatory Credit: Jerome Miron-Imagn Images | Jerome Miron-Imagn Images

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Dallas StarsSt. Louis Blues

The Dallas Stars and St. Louis Blues are skating in opposite directions this season, and the gap feels wider by the week. Dallas looks every bit like a legitimate Stanley Cup contender, trading blows atop the Western Conference with the Colorado Avalanche and Minnesota Wild. Those three teams are all equipped with elite goaltending, blue lines led by Norris Trophy candidates, and forward groups filled with high-end skill.

If the road to the Cup in the West runs through anywhere, it’s the Central Division. Dallas fits the profile perfectly. St. Louis, on the other hand, sits at the bottom of that same division, locked in what feels like a quiet tank race alongside Vancouver, for the likely prize of first overall pick Gavin McKenna.

The new year didn’t start smoothly for Dallas. The Stars dropped seven of their first nine games in 2026, raising questions and doubts. But just before the Olympic break, Dallas rattled off six straight wins, each by a single goal, leaning into pressure instead of shrinking from it.

Half of those wins came against the Blues in a span of less than two weeks. Each followed the same cruel script for St. Louis and each revealed something different about why Dallas has been thriving.

Robertson’s One-Minute Dagger Opens the Trilogy

The first meeting came January 23 in Dallas, and it set the tone for everything that followed. Wyatt Johnston opened the scoring on a power play early, jamming home a rebound from a Mikko Rantanen shot from the point. St. Louis answered with two goals, only for Matt Duchene to tie the game at 2-2 with a power-play snap shot.

The game stayed tied deep into the third period until, with exactly one minute remaining, Dallas struck. Off a faceoff win by Roope Hintz that bounced off his leg and before it could be cleared Jason Robertson stepped into a quick snap shot and beat Jordan Binnington glove side (video below)

Thomas Harley Adds Another Twist of the Knife

Four days later, the rematch shifted to St. Louis, where the Blues fed off their home crowd to play a much more physical game. They outhit Dallas 43–12 and made it a heavy, grinding game from the opening faceoff.

The difference came down to special teams as the Stars scored twice on the powerplay again. Duchene scored twice early to give Dallas a 2–0 lead, and Hintz added another to make it 3–0. St. Louis clawed back with three third-period goals, two from captain Brayden Schenn, erasing the deficit and tilting the building.

Then, history repeated itself. With just over a minute left, Thomas Harley, who signed an eight-year contract extension with the Stars earlier this season, fired a wrist shot from the top of the point that deflected off Mathieu Joseph and into the net (video below). Another late winner. Another stunned crowd. Another reminder that you can't blink against this Stars team.

Benn Ends It, Blues Feel It Again

By February 4, the Blues knew what was coming but it didn’t seem to help. Back in Dallas, the Stars were heavy favorites, but no one expected the ending to feel so familiar.

Jamie Benn, who was in a 15-game goal drought, delivered the final blow. He scored twice, including the game-winner with less than 23 seconds remaining (video below), sealing a 5–4 win for the team's sixth straight victory. Dallas allowed four goals but quietly controlled the game, holding St. Louis to just 18 shots and limiting them to one power-play goal on four chances.

For Binnington, who started all three games, it was a brutal stretch: 12 goals allowed on 71 shots, with a save percentage south of .850 in each outing. Jake Oettinger who also played in all three games, made 57 saves on the 66 shots he faced.

Both teams head into the 2026 Olympic break with opposite trajectories and ambitions. The Stars will look to fine-tune a roster built for a championship after three straight conference final appearances, while the Blues appear far more focused on draft position than playoff positioning.

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Sam Len
SAMUEL LEN

Sam Len is a content editor, writer, and digital strategist with a lifelong passion for hockey. Growing up just north of Toronto, the game was never just background noise—it was part of everyday life. The Pittsburgh Penguins were the first team that captured his imagination, and he still remembers watching Sidney Crosby’s Golden Goal at the 2010 Olympics like it was yesterday. Over time, his love for the sport expanded to include the Tampa Bay Lightning, blending his appreciation for classic grit with modern speed and skill. Between 2024 and 2025, Sam worked as a content editor at Covers, where he helped shape sports and gaming content for top-tier brands including DraftKings, FanDuel, BetMGM, and Bet99. He’s also written for Bolts by the Bay and Pro Football Network, covering everything from Tampa Bay Lightning analysis to trending stories across the NHL, NFL, and NBA.

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