Stars Shut Out Ducks

{fshare id=6177}

ANAHEIM, Calif. — On a night where the Anaheim Ducks could have clinched the top spot in the West, they opted to turn in perhaps their worst performance of the season.

The Dallas Stars cruised to a 4-0 victory after outscoring Anaheim 3-0 and outshooting them 19-7 in the second period, where the Ducks have struggled mightily at times.

“That was just a terrible hockey game,” Ducks left winger Matt Beleskey said. “You’ve got to feel sorry for the people who came out to watch that one.”

Anaheim would have clinched the No. 1 seed with a victory in regulation but now the door remains open for the St. Louis Blues and Nashville Predators. The Stars have already been eliminated from playoff contention.

Right winger Patrick Eaves netted two goals and left winger Jamie Benn notched three assists for the Stars. Center Vernon Fiddler and defenseman Jordie Benn also scored goals for Dallas.

No. 2 goaltender Jhonas Enroth’s 19 saves earned him a shutout, the fifth of his career, second of the season and his first as a Star. Ducks goalie Frederik Andersen stopped 28 of 32 shots in defeat.

The Stars turned mistakes into goals all night, scoring twice off takeaways, once off

a clean faceoff win in the Anaheim zone and again off a 5-on-3 situation.

“That’s how you put games away, it’s good when you don’t take any prisoners,” Enroth said.

Anaheim coach Bruce Boudreau said that the score could have been worse if not for solid netminding from Andersen. Beleskey said he did not recall his team making a tape-to-tape pass in the entire game.

The two sides skated to a scoreless first period with Anaheim earning the period’s only complete power play and a 10-7 advantage in shots on goal. The Stars headed into the first intermission a man up after left winger Antoine Roussel, who was boxed for interference earlier, was boarded and shaken up by defenseman Simon Despres.

Though they did not convert on the ensuing power play, the Stars opened the scoring off a turnover 43 seconds after the penalty expired.

Right winger Ryan Garbutt stole a Clayton Stoner breakout pass to initiate a two-man play in transition with left winger Shawn Horcoff that culminated in a rebound being popped in by Fiddler. The goal came at 2:04 and was the 13th of Fiddler’s campaign, and one that kicked off an explosive stretch for the Stars.

“That line got us going, that was a pretty big goal there. Then we got some pretty sharp power plays and we just kind of slowly took over the game,” Jamie Benn said.

Dallas would extend its lead 8:11 into the second stanza. A clean, offensive-zone faceoff win resulted in Jamie Benn sending the puck into in an open shooting lane for Jordie Benn from the right point. His slap shot found the net through a screen from Eaves, netting Jordie Benn his second goal of the season. It was the first time Jamie Benn assisted on one of his brother’s goals in the NHL.

“It only took 25 years,” joked Jamie Benn, adding that it had happened just a bit more recently, eight years ago in a junior game.

The Stars would go on a 5-on-3 power play after Despres was sent off for delay of game. They capitalized at 11:25, 23 seconds into the two-man advantage. Eaves smacked in a one-timer from a patient Jamie Benn on a pass that went from just outside the right post to the goalmouth.

Dallas further cushioned its lead when a careless defensive-zone turnover by defenseman Francois Beauchemin found the stick of Jamie Benn, who dished the puck to Eaves who scored off a wrist shot. The goal was Eaves’ second of the game and his 14th of the season.

This was the sixth time the Ducks had lost by four or more goals this season, yet they remained atop the Western Conference standings.

“The way our team has gone is that we play three or four good ones in a row, then we have a stinker, and then we get back to good ones in a row,” Boudreau said. “Hopefully that’s the pattern and they get mad enough to have a good one Saturday.”

Share and Enjoy !

Shares