Stars take final playoff spot with 4-3 OT loss to Coyotes

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All that mattered to Dallas Stars coach Rick Bowness was getting the point they needed to wrap up a playoff spot. He wasn't even concerned about how they ended up in overtime.

"We're in," Bowness said after the Stars lost 4-3 in overtime to Arizona, which overcame a 3-0 deficit in the third period Wednesday night.

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Anton Stralman scored his eighth goal for Arizona with 16:37 left in regulation, about four minutes before Shayne Gostisbehere’s unassisted goal from the blue line near the boards after the Stars had won a faceoff. Barrett Hayton tied it at 3 with 8:02 left on a 5-on-3 power play.

"That’s just self-inflicted," Bowness said. "You move on and we’ll get ready for the playoffs. ... The game was in order pretty good for the most part. It’s easy to clean up those things."

Jani Hakanpaa scored on the first shot of the game for Dallas, Joe Pavelski had two assists to reach a career high in points at age 37 for the Stars, who after a seven-round shootout victory at home over Vegas on Tuesday night needed only one point to join Nashville in the two wild-card spots.

Arizona Coyotes center Nathan Smith (13) tries to score against Dallas Stars goaltender Scott Wedgewood (41) and defenseman Jani Hakanpaa (2) during the first period of an NHL hockey game in Dallas, Wednesday, April 27, 2022.  (AP Photo/LM Otero)

The Stars got that point by getting to overtime before losing when Travis Boyd scored his 16th goal 1:43 into the extra period past Scott Wedgewood, who had 33 saves against his former team.

"We've got our opportunity now," Pavelski said. "Disappointing third ... but a lot of effort goes