By Luke McGinnis
Dundee came out strong in the opening period, looking to capitalise on a tired Nottingham side who had edged out the Glasgow Clan 4-3 just 24 hours earlier.
Spencer Naas opened the scoring at 08:58, recording his tenth point in his last seven games. Sustained pressure in the offensive zone allowed Naas to pick up a pass from Ben Almquist and rip a shot over the glove of Jason Grande.
Nottingham pressed hard for an equaliser and generated several dangerous chances, but Emil Kruse was outstanding between the pipes, turning aside everything thrown his way to preserve the 1-0 lead heading into the first intermission.
The Stars penalty kill was tested early in the second period, beginning with an interference call against Drydn Dow followed quickly by a slashing penalty to Matt Boudens.
Despite killing the first with relative ease, the slashing call proved costly, as Ross Armour converted on the ensuing powerplay in close to make it 1-1.
In similar fashion, the Stars found themselves on the wrong end of back-to-back penalties midway through the third. They managed to kill off the first, but the Panthers capitalised shortly after.
Tim Doherty gave Nottingham their first lead of the night at 51:53, firing a shot from the slot past Kruse.
In his return to the lineup following injury, Jackson DeSouza pulled the Stars level less than ninety seconds later. A scramble in front of the Panthers’ net saw the puck drop perfectly onto his stick, and DeSouza made no mistake, burying it into a wide-open net at 54:48.
Neither side could find a winner before regulation expired, sending the game to overtime.
Otto Nieminen was the overtime hero for the Stars, scoring a highlight reel goal against his former team at 61:37.
The Finn used his speed to burst up the right wing, cut inside, and lift the puck over Grande to secure a crucial two points for Dundee.
