LAS VEGAS — For someone Wyatt Johnston's age, Las Vegas is a lot of fun.
During his four-day stay in Dallas, he won't be able to celebrate at a bar with his teammates or try his luck at a casino.
But the 20-year-old Stars forward left T-Mobile Arena Saturday night as the biggest winner.
Johnston led Dallas to its first victory in the 2024 Stanley Cup Playoffs by a 3-2 overtime margin, scoring two goals for Dallas, including the first overtime win of his career.
He was by far Dallas' best player on the ice, as he has been in many games this season, sparking the dominant offensive performance Dallas needed.
“I thought he was outstanding tonight,” Stars coach Pete DeBoer said. “For a kid under 21 to be on the ice with players of that level and look like he did all night tonight, that's just outstanding.”
Johnston recorded a landing time of 23 minutes, 50 seconds and had eight shots on goal. He picked up a rebound in front of the net and scored his first goal just over 11 minutes into the game. His top goal in overtime was eerily similar to the one he scored in Game 7 of last year's series against Seattle, which clinched Dallas a spot in the Western Conference Finals.
But in less than a year, his game and confidence level improved dramatically.
“It definitely feels a lot different,” he said. “Obviously, we were able to do pretty well last year. I think we're doing our best to learn the playoff hockey style from last year and learn the different disciplines that we play in Las Vegas.”
Johnston leads Dallas in goals this season with 32 and is currently tied with Jason Robertson for the lead in playoff goals (2). He accomplished that despite being a third-line player.
But his play earned him a spot on Dallas' top line Saturday alongside Robertson and Lupe Hintz. The trio played 111 minutes together in the regular season and led the league with an expected goal percentage of 80.2%.
Saturday night was just one example of how dangerous they can be.
“They're great players,” Johnston said of his new linemates. “They're very smart. Watch the ice and make those plays. For me, I think it's just making sure I make those plays. That's what I'm trying to take away from them. I think that's it.”
Johnston and his line were relentless in Game 3, especially when Las Vegas goaltender Logan Thompson had the best game of his career.
Thompson made 43 saves on 46 shots, including a spectacular glove save and a stop on a breakaway. He turned away a dangerous shot from Johnston just before the winning goal.
But Johnston continued to threaten, and it worked.
“Wyatt Johnston. That's kind of how we solved the problem,” said Tyler Seguin.
Dallas' young core has been a focal point in the final months of the season, with Johnston and 21-year-old Logan Stankoven providing the team's best performances every night. The fan base saw potential for growth in this group when the team announced it had called up 22-year-old Mavrik Burke from the Texas Stars, but he ended up being hurt Saturday.
DeBoer warned that Burke is not responsible for saving the Stars' season if he is in the lineup.
But Johnston's performance Saturday night might.
“Johnny is a really great player and made a great play. The biggest play of the season so far,” Stars goaltender Jake Oettinger said. “Everyone here knows how good he is and how good a person he is. The sky is the limit for him. It wouldn't surprise anyone here if he did something like that. . We're glad he's wearing green and white.”
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