The Stars couldn’t have asked for a better time for Evgenii Dadonov to snap his 17-game goal drought.

The 36-year-old Russian forward is amid his most successful season in four years, but hit a slump down the stretch.

Dallas Stars Mikko Rantanen speaks about playing first game as a Dallas Star and team chemistryDallas Stars Mikko Rantanen speaks about playing first game as a Dallas Star and team chemistry

On Saturday at American Airlines Center, he not only ended the drought, but did so with a hat trick.

If only the Stars could’ve capitalized on it.

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The Stars gave up five goals and 40 shots in a 5-3 loss to Pittsburgh, a non-playoff team, falling 5-3 and allowing Penguins star Sidney Crosby to record a hat trick of his own.

The Penguins scored off two Stars turnovers in their zone in the last 12 minutes of the game, including the game winner with 1:43 remaining by Blake Lizotte.

“I thought they were a hungrier team than us tonight, which shouldn’t be the case,” Stars coach Pete DeBoer said postgame. “I didn’t like our execution on all three of the goals in the third.

“You’ve got to make those plays under pressure, and we’ve been pretty good at doing that all year. We didn’t do it enough tonight. … And maybe the best player of this generation wasn’t going to go down without a fight.”

The loss ended a seven-game win streak and 10-game points streak for the Stars. An eighth consecutive win would’ve tied a franchise record set around this time last year.

The Stars had the chance to further close the gap with the Winnipeg Jets in the race for the Central Division, the Western Conference and the NHL lead, as Winnipeg lost 4-1 to Utah Saturday night. The Jets instead maintain a four-point lead, and the Stars have a game in hand. The head-to-head matchup between the two teams Thursday may decide the division and conference.

Dallas fell behind 1-0 in the first period for the fourth consecutive game when Crosby scored on the power play for Pittsburgh. But Dallas’ fourth line tilted the ice early and cashed in when Dadonov got a step on a defender and scored.

Pittsburgh had numerous chances to take another lead, but DeSmith, who finished with 35 saves, made some critical plays late in the first and early in the second periods. He helped Dallas weather a storm, which included a Pittsburgh power play, and made one swimming in the crease that led to Roope Hintz getting tripped on a breakaway at the other end and a Stars power play.

On that power play, Matt Duchene found Dadonov crashing the net on a stunning setup for his second goal of the game and a Stars lead entering the third.

But that lead wouldn’t last for long. Crosby added his second goal of the game just 20 seconds into the third period to tie it at 2-2.

Dadonov responded just over three minutes later on a backhanded shot to cap off the hat trick and give the Stars the lead again.

It marked the second hat trick of Dadonov’s career. His first on Feb. 24, 2018 was also against the Penguins back when Dadonov played for the Panthers.

“That’s what we need — that depth scoring — he’s given us that all year,” DeBoer said.

Despite his heroics, the Stars couldn’t maintain a lead. Ilya Lyubushkin slipped and turned the puck over in his own zone, and Bryan Rust capitalized for Pittsburgh to tie the game at 3-3 with just over 11 minutes remaining. With under two minutes left in regulation, Cody Ceci and Thomas Harley collided, turning the puck over in their own zone and allowing Lizotte to score the game winner.

“I tried to outskate their F1,” Harley said. “He kind of got a body on me, lost the puck. I thought I was just gonna take it and regroup, and then me and Ceci ran into each other, obviously. Lack of communication on that one. … And then my job is to take away that pass, and I let them have it.”

DeBoer was adamant that Harley, who was visibly upset postgame and took a lot of accountability, didn’t bear full responsibility for the loss.

“We ask him to do a lot for us — run the power play, carry the puck, play the minutes he plays, especially with Miro [Heiskanen] out,“ he said. ”I want to make sure he’s not too hard on himself. You’re gonna make mistakes when you’re asked to do as much as we ask him to do.”

Crosby added an empty-net goal to complete his hat trick. He finished with a four-point night, adding an assist.

The mood in the locker room following Saturday’s game was one of a major missed opportunity.

Dallas’ defensive issues have been coming to the surface more in recent games. The Stars have allowed 30 or more shots in six of their last seven games and 40 or more in three.

It’s becoming a dangerous trend and one they need to resolve before the first round of the playoffs. Because if their goalies’ efforts aren’t enough to bail them out against Pittsburgh in the regular season, they surely won’t be enough against Colorado in the playoffs.

“We’re in Game 75, so if we don’t have it going by now, we’re going to be in trouble when the playoffs start,” Harley said.