Dallas Stars forward Wyatt Johnston scored a nifty goal on Monday night to propel his team into the Western Conference Finals. Not only that, but his goal ended up going down in the history books.
Johnston's goal went down as the game-winning goal in Game 7 against the Seattle Kraken. With that, he became the youngest player in NHL history to score a game-winning goal in a Game 7.
The previous player to hold this record is NHL legend Jaromir Jagr. Jagr scored his record-setting game-winner in the 1992 Patrick Division Semi Finals against the Washington Capitals.
Johnston turned 20 years old back on May 14, a day before this crucial Game 7. “That was definitely one of the better birthday gifts,” the Stars forward said of his goal on Monday night.
Roope Hintz got the scoring started with a little over four minutes remaining in the second period. After Johnston's goal to make it 2-0, the Kraken pushed to bring the game close.
Seattle didn't get one past Stars goalie Jake Oettinger until there was around 17 seconds left. They had another late flurry of chances but were unable to tie the game. Their first-ever playoff appearance ends in a second-round exit.
“That was our best team game of the playoffs,” Stars coach Peter DeBoer said of his team's Game 7 performance. “Four teams are left so might as well take a shot at it. We’re not near the finish line, but you can see it.”
The Stars will face the Vegas Golden Knights in the 2023 Western Conference Finals. Dallas seeks their first Stanley Cup championship since 1999 when they defeated the Buffalo Sabres.
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