Heika's Take: When Stars need a big play, Luke Glendening delivers

DALLAS -- Rick Bowness has spoken many times this year about making "the right play at the right time."
Too often in recent games, the opposition has done just that against Dallas. On Wednesday, it was Luke Glendening who came through with perfect timing.

With the score tied 3-3 in the third period, the wily veteran was defending in his own end, when he was scrambling on the ice and was still able to get his stick on a puck. He stuck with the play and eventually tipped the biscuit away from Predators defenseman Roman Josi. As Michael Raffl took off on a rush, Glendening sprang to his skates and shot up ice. Raffl found him trailing the play, Glendening roofed a shot for his seventh goal of the season and the eventual game-winner in a huge 4-3 victory in front of 17,780 at American Airlines Center.

"You see the second effort, he was on his knees fighting for the puck," Bowness said. "We talked today that this was going to be a playoff type of game, and it was. It was a great hockey game out there and you need those types of efforts."
Glendening downplayed his shot, but it was clear he made a huge play.
"Michael made a great play," Glendening said. "I shot it, but I think I closed my eyes, so I can't tell you much more than that."

When pushed on the subject, Glendening admitted the entire team was desperate and battling hard.
"Where we've put ourselves, we've got to have a high level of desperation," he said. "Sometimes, that's what it takes. It's a good step, and we keep going from here."
Fellow goal scorer Jason Robertson said it was the kind of play that can change a game.
"It was a phenomenal goal," Robertson said. "Our team needed that. It was a great response, killing that penalty off and a great play by Glenny to get that puck up to Raff and then Glenny going bar down. It was a good shot and we really needed that."
The game was significant for the Stars, who move to 24-18-2, good for 50 points. It came after the team entered the All-Star break on a gut-punch loss to Calgary and needed to get some positive mojo back. It also came in a chaotic game in which both teams were rusty and made a number of mistakes. It was a game in which Dallas yielded a goal with eight seconds left in the second period and then complicated the situation with a failed challenge for goaltender interference.

There was a lot that could've gone wrong there, but the Stars found a way to battle through.
"We just talked about getting a kill and going from there," Glendening said. "I thought guys were engaged, and I thought that was a good sign for our team."
Dallas started the game by giving Nashville a power play just 23 seconds into the opening frame. While the Stars killed that penalty, they were skating in their own end for much of the first period. Nashville had a 24-9 advantage in shot attempts in the opening 20 minutes, but the shots on goal were just 5-5 and the score was 1-1.
After that, the Stars were a much better team. They finished with a 60-55 edge in shot attempts and a 27-23 advantage in shots on goal. What's more, they came up with several of those "big plays" Bowness talks about.

Robertson twice tipped in John Klingberg shots/passes for two power-play goals, and Roope Hintz added a fantastic play in which he outraced a Nashville defender and broke in to score on a backhand against Juuse Saros. That gave the Stars a 3-2 lead 18 minutes into the second period, but then all heck broke loose.
Nashville was relentless in its battle back, twice scoring within two minutes of Dallas goals. On this one, the Predators crowded the net and somehow pushed a puck past Stars goalie Jake Oettinger. After some quick discussion with video coach Kelly Forbes, Bowness decided to challenge the goal for goaltender interference.
The review failed and that meant Nashville would get a power play to start the third period. There was a real opportunity for panic, but the Stars found a way to keep their calm.
It was a great lesson for a team that had blown some leads this season, including a 3-1 cushion with six minutes left against the Flames.
"It was a really solid third period," Bowness said. "We had a great third period against Boston, we didn't against Calgary, and then a great third period tonight. Winnipeg is coming here on Friday and it's going to be the same type of game. It's going to be a grind, it's going to be a playoff type game and you're going to have to fight for every inch of the ice. Our guys did that tonight."
In addition to the big plays by the scorers, Dallas also had a solid night from Klingberg, who logged 23:49 and had two assists.

"He was great tonight," Bowness said. "He made some outstanding plays at the blueline. He'll find you, and you better be ready for it. John was outstanding tonight. It was one of his better all-around games with and without the puck."
Don't miss your chance to see the Stars continue their homestand Friday against the Winnipeg Jets at 7:30 p.m. Get your tickets now!
This story was not subject to the approval of the National Hockey League or Dallas Stars Hockey Club.
Mike Heikais a Senior Staff Writer for DallasStars.com and has covered the Stars since 1994. Follow him on Twitter @MikeHeika.