Stars defenseman Harley scores with 0.2 seconds left in 3-1 win over Blue Jackets

Thomas Harley scored with 0.2 seconds remaining in the first period to give the Dallas Stars a 2-0 lead against the Columbus Blue Jackets on Saturday night. The defenseman’s shot slipped into a narrow gap between the right skate of Columbus goaltender Jet Greaves and the goal post. It marked Harley's first goal of the season and set the tone for a decisive victory.

Mikko Rantanen opened the scoring at 2:16 of the first period. He tapped in a backhand cross-crease pass from Wyatt Johnston during a power play. The goal gave Rantanen seven for the team, a personal high for the season. Columbus responded in the third period when Damon Severson scored at 6:21. The Blue Jackets had just lost a goal by Valeri Nichushkin to a successful offside challenge approximately four minutes prior.

Arttu Hyry finished the game with an empty-netter with 0.3 seconds left on the clock. The score settled at 3-1, ending a two-game losing streak for the Stars. In those previous two losses, the Stars never held the lead. The win completed a six-game home stand with a 4-2-0 record. Dallas also extended its top-ranked penalty kill to 28 consecutive successful units, a streak dating back to Oct. 13.

Jake Oettinger stopped 25 of 26 shots for the Stars. His performance marked a bounce-back after allowing seven goals in his two previous appearances. He enters play fifth in the league with a 1.69 goals-against average. For Columbus, Jet Greaves stopped 14 shots. The Blue Jackets dropped their last two games of a three-game road trip. Their next game is a Tuesday home matchup against Colorado.

Miro Heiskanen recorded two assists for Dallas. Ivan Provorov made his season debut for Columbus after being placed on injured reserve on Oct. 1. The Blue Jackets deployed 11 forwards and seven defensemen. Two of the Stars' recent home wins came against former coaches Rick Bowness and Pete DeBoer. The teams will meet again next Thursday in Columbus for their other inter-conference game of the season. The Stars visit Washington on Tuesday.