Radek Faksa had one shot on goal Friday night, and it went in. That neat piece of arithmetic became the opening act in Dallas’ 2-1 preseason victory over Minnesota, offering the Stars something more useful than another exhibition result: concrete production from three players who each logged fewer than 12 minutes.
Faksa scored at 9:18 of the first period, with Oskar Bäck and Joel Kiviranta assisting at even strength. Bäck played 11:39, Kiviranta 10:54 and Faksa 11:57. None needed a major workload to put Dallas ahead.
The three shared credit for the opening goal: Bäck helped create the goal, Kiviranta added the secondary assist and Faksa finished it. Dallas received a goal from an ensemble rather than relying entirely on its most heavily used names.
Faksa found the finish
Faksa’s night included an earlier shot attempt that Minnesota blocked at 2:34 of the opening period. His next recorded shot reached the net. After the block, his next attempt got through and put Dallas ahead.
The goal gave Dallas an early advantage without requiring a scoring burst from its best-known forwards. Jason Robertson finished with one shot on goal in 19:29, Tyler Seguin had none in 13:57 and Roope Hintz had two in 17:50. Dallas ultimately managed only 18 shots, while Minnesota had 27, so Faksa’s conversion carried more practical weight than the raw scoring line might suggest.
Faksa also won 7 of 12 faceoffs, according to the game report, and finished plus-1. The faceoffs gave Dallas possession on seven occasions, adding another useful contribution to his night. The goal was the headline; the rest was useful supporting work.
Bäck’s contribution was quieter. He did not put a shot on goal, but he earned the primary assist on Faksa’s score and blocked a Kirill Kaprizov shot in the first period. Those are very different kinds of plays, yet together they describe a compact evening: Bäck appeared on the scoring play and also made a defensive contribution against a dangerous Minnesota shooter.
The assist came after Dallas had already exchanged early pressure with the Wild. Bäck’s block arrived at 4:44 of the first, before Faksa’s goal, and the goal itself followed at 9:18. Bäck helped keep Minnesota off the board before helping Dallas get onto it. His contribution covered both ends in a little more than eleven minutes.
Kiviranta supplied the other assist and later recorded a shot on goal at 6:49 of the second period. He finished with 10:54 of ice time, making his offensive contribution especially tangible. A player with fewer than 11 minutes still helped produce the first goal and added another offensive attempt before the night was over.
