Mikko Rantanen scored the first goal and had two assists and the Dallas Stars won in coach Glen Gulutzan’s return, overcoming Kyle Connor’s hat trick to hold off the Winnipeg Jets 5-4 on Thursday night in the opener for both teams.
Gulutzan took over for the fired Pete DeBoer during the offseason.
Jason Robertson had a goal and an assist for Dallas. Nils Lundkvist, Tyler Seguin and Wyatt Johnston also scored, and Jake Oettinger made 21 saves.
Down 5-1 after Johnston’s goal early in the third, the Jets rallied on short-handed goals by Morgan Barron at 9:53 and Connor with 8:51 left and Connor’s third with 3:03 remaining.
Mark Scheifele assisted on all three of Connor’s goals, which were scored one day after the 28-year-old winger signed an eight-year, $96-million contract extension to stay in Winnipeg.
Veteran centre Jonathan Toews was scoreless in his regular-season debut with his hometown team, after winning three Stanley Cups over 15 seasons in Chicago. He played just over 18 minutes in his return from a 2½-year layoff due to chronic fatigue and symptoms of long COVID.
Gulutzan coached Dallas from 2011-13. He was on Edmonton’s staff the past seven seasons. The Oilers lost to Florida in the Stanley Cup Final each of the past two seasons, both after eliminating the Stars in the Western Conference final.
