With his team down 4-3 late in the third, the center scored with 40 seconds remaining to force overtime.
Then, Henrique ended the game at the 1:54 mark of the extra period, securing a big two points.
The win improved New Jersey's record to 31-27-9, good for 69 points on the season. They now sit five points back of Pittsburgh for the second wild-card spot in the Eastern Conference.
The Dallas Stars thought they addressed their big area of weakness, goaltending, in the offseason, but shaky play between the pipes continues to haunt the club.
The Master Plan
After his club finished next to last in team save percentage last season (.895), general manager Jim Nill decided to compliment incumbent Kari Lehtonen with the acquisition of Antti Niemi from San Jose.
At the time, Nill contended the NHL had become a two-goalie league, and that a healthy measure of competition would be beneficial for both Lehtonen and Niemi.
The GM was so confident in this philosophy that he, with the blessing of owner Tom Gaglardi, put pen to paper on a three-year, $13.5-million contract for Niemi, even with Lehtonen already signed through to the end of 2017-18 with a cap hit of $5.9 million.
Add it all up, and the Stars entered the season with a supposed 1A/1B goalie combo carrying a combined salary cap hit of $10.4 million.
Where They Stand
With 17 games remaining in the regular season, the Stars have posted a record of 38-20-7, good for a share of the Central Division lead in points along with Chicago and St. Louis.
Following a loss to Nashville on Tuesday, however, Dallas has gone 3-5-2 over the past 10 games, allowing 40 goals against over that span.
It's an ugly stretch, and it certainly hasn't helped the overall numbers posted by Lehtonen and Niemi to date.
Player
Games Played
Record
Save %
GAA
Shutouts
Antti Niemi
42
22-12-6
.903
2.72
3
Kari Lehtonen
31
16-8-1
.906
2.93
1
What's boosting the Stars is their elite-level offense, which ranks first in the NHL with 209 goals, four more than Washington, albeit in three more games played.
That's all well and good, but Dallas finished last season in the second spot in terms of goals for (one behind Tampa Bay) yet failed to qualify for the playoffs after finishing the regular season with a plus-1 goal differential.
The Outlook
Based on the NHL's current playoff format, the Stars would have to beat two divisional opponents to advance to the Western Conference finals. Chicago, St. Louis, Nashville, and Minnesota have better team save percentages to date, and even Colorado's goalies - a team now on the outside looking in - have performed better than the Stars' duo.
At present, only five teams have allowed more goals than the Stars, and while the addition of the shot-blocking Kris Russell is expected to shore up the defense, the Stars' strong regular season could very well translate into a first-or second-round playoff exit if the goaltenders don't improve.
The Minnesota Wild's scoring woes appear to be a thing of the past as John Torchetti's club matched a season-high in goals in Tuesday's 6-3 win over the Colorado Avalanche.
The two points draw the Wild even with the Avalanche at 68 points, but with a game in hand, Minnesota holds the final Western Conference wild-card spot.
Western Conference Wild Card Standings
Rnk
Team
GP
W
L
O
Pts
1
Nashville
64
32
21
11
75
2
Minnesota
64
29
25
10
68
3
Colorado
65
32
29
4
68
It was just over a month ago when the Wild scored six goals over a six-game period from Jan. 9-20. The team has now scored at least five goals in five of nine games since replacing head coach Mike Yeo with Torchetti on Feb. 13.
A big part of their recent success has been the production from their third line of Erik Haula, Jason Pominville, and Nino Niederreiter. The trio combined for seven points against the Avalanche, with all three scoring breakaway goals in the first period, ending the night of Avalanche starter Semyon Varlamov.
"They want to play on both sides of the puck," Torchetti said of the line, per Michael Russo of the Star Tribune. "I think the whole team can learn from that.
"We talk a lot, on the bench, to support each other," Niederreiter added. The winger would score on an empty net in the third to help him and Pominville finish with three-point nights.
"This game was one I think everyone had marked down and wanted to win," Pominville said postgame. "And everyone responded."
Less than a minute before Niederreiter's empty-netter, Charlie Coyle scored his team-leading 21st of the year.
The Wild now have a great chance to pick up another four points with a quick two-game road trip in the East as they'll visit the league-worst Toronto Maple Leafs on Thursday before a Saturday visit with the Buffalo Sabres.
ST. PAUL, Minn. - Charlie Coyle and Nino Niederreiter each scored twice to give the Minnesota Wild a 6-3 win over the Colorado Avalanche on Tuesday night and possession of the final playoff spot in the Western Conference.
Coyle scored the gam...
Moments later, they filled an important need on the blue line by landing defenseman Eric Gelinas from the New Jersey Devils for a third-round pick.
The Avalanche were certainly in an interesting position heading into Monday's trade deadline. Standing pat appeared to be a very likely option for a team not quite ready to compete with the Chicago Blackhawks, Dallas Stars, and St. Louis Blues in the Central Division this season. However, for a young core lacking big-game experience, general manager Joe Sakic evidently felt a crack at the postseason was too good to pass up.
Sitting two points up on the Minnesota Wild for the final wild-card spot in the Western Conference, the aforementioned moves will certainly provide a gigantic boost for a team on the playoff bubble with just 18 games remaining in the regular season.
Adding Boedker - a pending unrestricted free agent - definitely came at a hefty price, but Sakic made it clear that a run to the postseason over the final five weeks outweighed the long-term gain Bleackley and Wood may have provided down the road.
Their time may not be now, and Boedker may very well walk on July 1, but playoff experience could pay major dividends later on for the team's youngsters.
MONTREAL - Captain Max Pacioretty scored twice to give the Canadiens a 4-1 victory over the Maple Leafs on Saturday, extending Montreal's win streak over Toronto to 10 games.
Alex Galchenyuk and Devante Smith-Pelly also scored for Montreal (3...
TORONTO - P.A. Parenteau had a goal and an assist as the Toronto Maple Leafs put a dent in the Carolina Hurricanes' playoff hopes, scoring a 3-1 win at the Air Canada Centre on Thursday evening.
Suffering just their seventh loss in regulation...
The NHL's lowest-scoring team was shut out for the sixth time this season Friday, as the New Jersey Devils lost a costly division game 1-0 to the New York Islanders.
A win would have brought the Devils into a tie for third in the Metropolitan Division, but they instead remain a point behind the Pittsburgh Penguins - who have three games in hand on New Jersey - for the final Eastern Conference wild-card position.
"It seems like everyone's winning around us," forward Travis Zajac said, per NJ.com. "We've got to find a way to get points. We have a chance to get back at it tomorrow going into a tough building. We've played well against good teams."
Despite another stellar performance from goalie Cory Schneider, who allowed just one goal for the third time in his last four starts, the Devils' inability to score continues to haunt them; they have not scored four goals in a game since Jan. 21.
The road won't get easier for the Devils, as they'll look to avoid a third consecutive divisional loss Saturday against the league-best Washington Capitals, who they've failed to beat in their two previous meetings this season.
"It's tough. We have to bounce back after this and put a string together and get ourselves right back in the race," forward Reid Boucher added. "I think we'll bounce back."
VANCOUVER - Ryan Getzlaf, Rickard Rakell and Sami Vatanen each had a goal and an assist as the Anaheim Ducks defeated the Vancouver Canucks 5-2 on Thursday night.
Josh Manson and Kevin Bieksa, into an empty net, also scored for Anaheim (30-19...
NASHVILLE -- When goaltender Roberto Luongo accepted a trade from the Vancouver Canucks to the Florida Panthers on March 4, 2014, a lot of people thought he was doing what many people do when they relocate to Florida: preparing to retire.
Less ...