Penguins vs. Stars: Rickard Rakell Wins It in a Shootout After Tyler Seguin's Late Equalizer

Jake Oettinger went 188 minutes and 52 seconds without allowing a goal. The puck that finally ended it was a harmless-looking backhand that fluttered in off one of his own defenseman's sticks.

Connor Dewar's early third-period goal snapped the longest shutout streak of Oettinger's career, Tyler Seguin answered with 30 seconds left in regulation, and Rickard Rakell won it in the fourth round of the shootout as the Pittsburgh Penguins beat the Dallas Stars 2-1 on Saturday night at PPG Paints Arena.

Forty Minutes of Nothing (Almost)

For two periods, this was a chess match played by two teams that had no interest in giving away a pawn. Dallas blocked 24 shots on the night, and the Penguins struggled to get clean looks.

Pittsburgh thought it had broken through at 19:34 of the first period. Kris Letang whacked at a Tommy Novak pass in the crease before Dallas forward Justin Hryckowian tapped the puck into his own net. The Stars challenged, and the review determined that Hendrix Lapierre had touched the puck with a high stick earlier in the play. No goal, and Oettinger's streak survived.

Dallas had its own best chance at 15:35 of the second. Jamie Benn fed Seguin from behind the net, and Seguin drove to the crease, only for Arturs Silovs to stretch out his left pad and turn it away. Mikko Rantanen took two minors in the first period, but Pittsburgh went 0 for 5 on the power play overall. Dallas went 0 for 3.

Dewar Breaks the Seal

The ice finally cracked at 1:57 of the third. Dewar glided into the slot and flipped a backhand that fluttered in off the stick of Stars defenseman Lian Bichsel, with Blake Lizotte credited with the assist. It was Dewar's first goal of the season and a fittingly unglamorous end to a remarkable run.

Per NHL.com, Oettinger's 188:52 shutout streak is the longest of his NHL career and the third-longest in Stars history, behind Ben Bishop (233:04 in 2018-19) and Ed Belfour (219:26 in 2000-01). As a team, Dallas went 206:08 without allowing a goal, the longest streak in franchise history. Stars coach Glen Gulutzan could only tip his cap. "Eight shutout periods? You can't ask for more than that," he said. Hryckowian went further. "He's as dialed (in) as they come," he said.

The Turning Point: Seguin's Long-Awaited Goal

With Pittsburgh closing in on a 1-0 win, Seguin delivered. With 30 seconds left in regulation, he tipped a Jason Robertson shot from the top of the crease behind Silovs to tie it. Miro Heiskanen had the second assist.

It was a goal with some weight behind it. According to NHL.com, it was Seguin's first goal since Nov. 15, 2025, and his first point in five games this season. The 34-year-old sustained a torn ACL in his right knee on Dec. 2 last season. It was also his 49th game-tying goal with the Stars, moving him past Dave Gagner for the sixth-most in team history behind leader Mike Modano (103). "It felt great," Seguin said. "Every day, just trying to get better. Every game, I feel a little more comfortable, feel a little better. Compete a little more. Nice to get one."

Overtime solved nothing, so the game went to a shootout. Ben Kindel scored first for Pittsburgh, and Robertson missed wide right. Sidney Crosby and Seguin traded goals. Oettinger stopped Egor Chinakhov, and Wyatt Johnston tied it again. Then Rakell scored, and Silovs stopped Rantanen to end it.

Who Delivered

Arturs Silovs: 24 saves on 25 shots for a .960 save percentage, plus the decisive stop on Rantanen. His own summary was refreshingly plain. "Didn't bend. We managed to score a goal," he said.

Jake Oettinger: 20 saves on 21 shots. He lost, but he did not lose this game.

Rickard Rakell: The shootout winner. Pittsburgh needed somebody to finish it, and he did.

Connor Dewar: The only goal Pittsburgh scored in 65 minutes, in 12:14 of ice time.

Tyler Seguin: The tying goal and a shootout goal in 13:14 of ice time.

Miro Heiskanen: An assist and a massive 30:24 of ice time for Dallas.

Sidney Crosby: His shootout goal was the 49th of his career, tying T.J. Oshie and Frans Nielsen for the third-most in league history, per NHL.com. But he is still looking for his first goal of the season after six games, which matches the longest drought to start a season in his NHL career. He went without a goal in his first six games in 2018-19 before scoring six in the next four.

Stats That Matter

• 188:52: Oettinger's career-long shutout streak, which ended on Dewar's goal.
• 206:08: Dallas's team shutout streak, the longest in franchise history.
• 0 for 5: Pittsburgh's power play. Dallas went 0 for 3.
• 25-21: Dallas outshot Pittsburgh, and also outhit the Penguins 23-10.
• 3 for 4 vs. 2 for 4: The shootout. Pittsburgh's only miss was Chinakhov; Dallas came up empty on Robertson and Rantanen.

What It Means

Pittsburgh improves to 3-2-1 with seven points and snapped a three-game losing streak in which it had gone 0-2-1, including a 3-2 shootout loss at Columbus on Friday night. The Penguins are 2-1-0 at home and open a four-game road trip Tuesday at Chicago. Coach Dan Muse liked what he saw. "This was way better," he said. "We were on the same page. We weren't as spread out."

Dallas falls to 2-2-1 with five points. The Stars arrived off back-to-back shutouts, a 5-0 win over San Jose and a 4-0 win at Buffalo. Now they head home to host Colorado on Tuesday in the first game of a back-to-back against the Avalanche. Gulutzan put the loss on his skaters. "You've got to score a goal to help him out," he said. "We had to be better in front of him today on the offensive side of things."

Closing Take

This was a game that played out like a heavyweight goalie duel stretched to its absolute limit. Oettinger gave up one goal in 65 minutes and still lost, and Seguin finally scored again after a long road back, only for the shootout to hand the night to Pittsburgh. Think of it like a classic movie that loses the plot in the last 10 minutes. The best performances belonged to the guys who did not get the happy ending. For the Penguins, though, a win is a win, and after three straight losses, nobody in that dressing room will be complaining about style points.

Stats from the official box score via ESPN. Game details from the Associated Press; postgame quotes and notes as reported by NHL.com.