Stars vs. Blackhawks: Jake Oettinger's Third Shutout and Arttu Hyry's Two Goals Blank Chicago 4-0

Six appearances into his season, Jake Oettinger already has three shutouts. At this point, scoring on him is starting to feel like trying to get a reservation at the hottest restaurant in town: technically possible, practically hopeless.

Oettinger made 19 saves for his NHL-leading third shutout, Arttu Hyry scored twice for his first multigoal game in the league, and the Dallas Stars beat the Chicago Blackhawks 4-0 on Saturday night at United Center. The win was the 200th of Glen Gulutzan's NHL coaching career, according to the AP.

A First Period That Went Chicago's Way, Sort Of

The opening 20 minutes were a weird mix of Dallas pressure and Chicago chances. The Stars outshot the Blackhawks 12-5 in the period, according to the AP, and Spencer Knight had to make several saves in tight. Dallas even thought it had the opening goal when Jason Robertson scored at 12:10, but video review showed Roope Hintz had entered the zone offside. Goal wiped off.

Chicago coach Jeff Blashill saw the period differently, and he had a point. The Blackhawks got two power plays in the first, one when Justin Hryckowian held Frank Nazar and another when Nils Lundkvist held Connor Bedard. "We had enough chances in the first to score," Blashill said. "After that, we didn't create a ton."

That was the story of the night in a sentence. Chicago never got that first goal, and Dallas eventually took the game away.

Robertson Breaks the Seal

Artyom Levshunov went off for tripping at 3:19 of the second period, and Dallas cashed in at 4:58. Robertson gave the puck to Mikko Rantanen, got it right back and buried it from the bottom of the left circle, firing over Knight's glove for a 1-0 lead on the Stars' 14th shot of the night.

Robertson was quick to share the credit. "Mikko is a passer," he said. "His passes are top-notch, one of the best passers in the League."

Hyry doubled the lead at 14:10. He and Sam Steel broke out on a 2-on-1, Steel fed him, and Hyry snapped a high shot past Knight from the right side for a 2-0 lead.

The Turning Point: Knight's Big Stop Is Not Enough

Late in the second, Chicago had one real chance to change the night. Hintz went off for cross-checking at 18:06, giving the Blackhawks a power play. Instead, Hyry broke loose short-handed, and Knight made a big save on the breakaway with 52.9 seconds left in the period. Patrick Kane was whistled for hooking Hyry at 19:07, wiping out what was left of the Chicago advantage.

So the Blackhawks went into the third trailing 2-0 with nothing to show for their man advantage. And 87 seconds into the third, Hyry finished what he started. Lundkvist spotted him with a stretch pass, Hyry gained a step on defenseman Wyatt Kaiser, cut into the left circle and lifted a backhand over Knight's glove for a 3-0 lead.

"I was coming off the bench and saw Nils looking up, trying to make a pass," Hyry said. "Nils made an incredible pass there."

Hintz capped it at 9:40, picking the top of the net from the left dot with assists from Tyler Seguin and Robertson. Late in the period, Hintz took a puck to the right hand or wrist area, according to NHL.com, and was examined after the game. The AP described it as a right hand injury. Gulutzan did not have an immediate update.

The last real scare came with about six minutes left, when Oettinger stopped Cole Smith from point-blank range to keep the shutout intact.

Who Stood Out

Jake Oettinger: 19 saves on 19 shots for his 19th career shutout. NHL.com noted he is the first goaltender in Stars history with three shutouts through his first six appearances of a season, and his goals-against average is down to 1.00, per the AP. "Guys have played well in front of me. I feel like my game is in a good spot," he said.

Arttu Hyry: Two goals in 12:00 of ice time, plus nine faceoff wins and four hits. The 25-year-old Finn also had a short-handed breakaway that Knight turned away. "I felt like we kept pushing until the end, which has been our theme here," Hyry said.

Jason Robertson: A power-play goal and an assist, plus the disallowed goal that would have made this even uglier.

Roope Hintz: A goal and a plus-1 before leaving with the hand issue.

Spencer Knight: 28 saves on 32 shots in his fourth straight start, and the main reason the first period stayed scoreless.

Stats That Matter

• 3: Oettinger's shutouts this season, most in the NHL according to the AP.
• 32-19: Dallas' edge in shots on goal.
• 67.3 percent: The Stars' faceoff win rate, which kept Chicago chasing the puck all night.
• 0 for 4: Chicago's power play, including the man advantage that ended with a short-handed breakaway against.
• 200: Gulutzan's career NHL coaching wins.

What It Means

Dallas improves to 4-3-1 with nine points, has won two straight and is 4-1-1 in its past six games after an 0-2-0 start. The Stars are also 3-1-1 on the road. Hyry captured the mindset: "Even though you're four goals up, just keep pushing, keep pushing and trying to improve your game." Dallas hosts Boston on Tuesday, and the update on Hintz will be the thing to watch.

Chicago falls to 3-6-0 with six points, and its two-game winning streak is over. The Blackhawks have now been shut out twice this season. Bedard, the captain, kept it simple. "We've got to create more," he said. "Eventually, a team like that is going to score." Chicago is off until Friday, when Montreal visits.

Closing Take

Blashill called Dallas "a good defensive team" and said the numbers back it up. Three shutouts in six appearances is not a number, though. It is a statement. Chicago got its chances early and could not finish, and once the Stars got the first one, the Blackhawks were basically trying to open a locked door with Oettinger holding the key.

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