Chicago Wolves’ points streak reaches four games with win in Texas
The Chicago Wolves extended their points streak to four games with a 5-4 victory over the Stars in overtime Friday night in Texas.
Justin Robidas scored two goals — including the game-winner in overtime — and added two assists to propel the Wolves to their second triumph in a row. Domenick Fensore added a goal and two assists and Juha Jaaska and Josiah Slavin also scored to help Chicago come out on top in the first of eight meetings between the Central Division rivals this season.
Matej Blumel and Justin Hryckowian each had a pair of goals for Texas, but it wasn’t enough in the first of back-to-back games between the teams.
After the Stars jumped to a lead in the opening period when Blumel found the back of the net late in the first, Texas ran into penalty issues and the Wolves took advantage to seize the lead.
Jaaska notched his fifth goal of the season when the forward found time and space and ripped a wrist shot from the right dot that beat Texas goaltender Magnus Hellberg to the stick side. The tying goal, which extended Jaaska’s points streak three games, was assisted by Fensore.
The Wolves went right back on the power play and took the lead 1 minute, 50 seconds later on Fensore’s goal. The defenseman wheeled into the high slot and flipped the puck through traffic that eluded Hellberg to the glove side. Ryan Suzuki and Robidas recorded assists on the score that came in the final minute of the first and marked the second time this season the Wolves notched multiple power-play goals. The helper on Fensore’s second goal of the season gave Suzuki a five-game assist streak.
Texas regained the lead in the second on a pair of goals by Hryckowian, but the Wolves again tied it up when Robidas struck. The forward redirected a point shot by Joakim Ryan from in close to make it 3-3. Ryan and Ty Smith earned assists on Robidas’ tally. Smith extended his points streak to six contests (3 goals, 4 assists).
Late in the second, Blumel scored his second of the game to give Texas a 4-3 advantage headed to the third.
Slavin, who had missed the previous six games with an upper-body injury, pulled the Wolves into a 4-4 tie early in the third. Robidas won a faceoff in the Texas zone and Fensore fired the puck toward the Stars goal that deflected off Slavin and into the net. The goal was the Wolves captain’s fifth of the season.
In overtime Robidas picked up his fourth point of the night — and sixth goal of the season — when he broke into the Texas zone on a two-on-one rush with Bradly Nadeau, took a pass from his rookie teammate and fired the puck past Hellberg for the winner.
Spencer Martin (20 saves) earned the win in goal for the Wolves while Hellberg (25 saves) took the loss for the Stars.
Chicago moved to 10-9-2-0 on the season while Texas fell to 12-9-1-0.