Stars Defeat Kings
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DALLAS — Dallas Stars left winger Erik Cole capped a stellar December, scoring twice in a 3-2 win Tuesday against the Los Angeles Kings at the American Airlines Center. Cole finished December with eight goals, tying him for the team lead with center Tyler Seguin, who also scored in the victory.
Cole scored twice in the second period for his second two-goal game in three games. He also scored a pair in a 4-1 win over the Nashville Predators on Friday, with both goals again coming in the middle frame.
“Physically, he’s dominated some of the game,” Stars coach Lindy Ruff said of Cole’s recent surge. “He’s got himself in the right spot.”
Seguin had a goal and an assist for Dallas (20-12-7, 47 points). Center and captain Jamie Benn contributed two assists while Stars goaltender Kari Lehtonen stopped 23 shots to earn his 16th win.
Centers Jeff Carter and Anze Kopitar each scored for the Kings (25-12-4, 54 points), who lost their fourth straight.
“I thought we played really well,” Kings coach Darryl Sutter said. “We got a little bit of a
bad break on the second goal. We’re not scoring any goals right now. We easily could have won the last three. That’s the way it goes.”
The Stars finished 2-for-5 on the power play, their first home game with multiple power-play goals this season.
“We did some good things (on the power play),” Ruff said. “On the rebound, (Alex) Chiasson threw a puck to the net that Tyler (Seguin) did a great job of putting it into the back (of the net).”
Lehtonen squashed a bid by Carter to score on a tip-in at the right post at 7:50 of the opening period.
Carter, however, would not be denied at 12:23 of the first when he scored his 13th, a 4-on-3 power-play goal. Stationed at the left post, a pass from center Mike Richards found Carter’s stick and glanced off his right shoulder before landing in the back of the Dallas net.
The Stars returned the favor with a power-play goal at 15:58 of the first from Cole, who collected the carom after the initial shot by rookie right winger Alex Chiasson was stopped by Kings goaltender Ben Scrivens and slipped it home to tie the game.
Kopitar nearly drew the visitors ahead again at 17:13 of the first but his wrister from the slot rang off the crossbar.
The Stars took their first lead at 12:13 of the second when Seguin scored a power-play goal from an impossible angle for his 20th. After a wrister by Chiasson from the left point went wide of the net, Seguin played the carom perfectly off the end boards and slipped the puck just inside the right post, sending it in off Scrivens’ left pad.
“That’s how goal scorers score goals,” Scrivens said. “They throw the puck. They find ways to score when it doesn’t look like there’s room. I’ve got to give credit to a good player too.”
Dallas took a 3-1 lead at 15:16 of the second when Cole connected for his second of the game with a wrister from the top edge of the left circle. Six seconds earlier, Scrivens denied Cole in almost the same spot with his skate, but this time Cole finished over the Kings goaltender for his 10th of the season.
Kopitar made it a one-goal game again when he beat Lehtonen short side with a wrister from the left circle 1:05 into the third period. Kopitar gained possession after the puck deflected off Benn and Kopitar finished with precision for his 13th.
With 1:01 remaining, Scrivens left the ice for the extra attacker. Kings right winger Justin Williams had a great chance to force overtime with 24 seconds left but his shot was deflected and covered by Lehtonen.
Scrivens stopped 29 shots for the Kings.
