– by Adesina O. Koiki
A Lot of Sports Talk editor-in-chief
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DALLAS — Stars head coach Pete DeBoer loves seeing defenseman Thomas Harley skate with the puck in showcasing his talented footwork and game-breaking speed from the blue line. In Thursday’s most decisive play, Harley kept skating and skating until he decided to shoot — and end the game in the process.
Harley’s coast-to-coast jaunt ended with his second overtime game winner of the season as the Dallas Stars outlasted the Anaheim Ducks 4-3 inside American Airlines Center. Harley also set up the game-tying goal midway through the third period, scored by fellow defenseman Miro Heiskanen.
The Stars have now won 11 consecutive home game against the Ducks, a streak that dates back to October 2015.
Harley’s goal, which came just 38 seconds into the extra session. makes him the only defenseman to score multiple overtime goals this season. Soon after possessing the puck in his own end, he turned on the jets and didn’t stop until his shot on the other end beat Anaheim goalkeeper John Gibson to set off celebrations inside the arena.
“He’s been great all year like that, his ability to skate,” DeBoer said. “I think he blew by everybody on the ice there from goal line to goal line. So pretty impressive for a young defenseman to skate like that.”.
*Editor’s note: Above the byline is the photo gallery from Thursday evening’s contest, with photos taken by Dallas-area photographer Ross James. After clicking on the first photo to enlarge the picture, make sure to press the left and right arrow buttons to scroll through the rest of the pictures. There are 31 pictures in total.
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