Stars Win On Modano’s Night

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DALLAS — On a night where franchise icon Mike Modano saw his trademark No. 9 raised to the rafters at American Airlines Center, the Dallas Stars badly wanted a win over the Minnesota Wild as a way to honor their incomparable former star.

Thanks to a third-period goal by left winger Erik Cole, Dallas edged Minnesota 4-3 on Saturday night before a sellout crowd.

Cole, who had a goal and an assist in the game, scored with 4:49 remaining in regulation on a breakaway when he sent a wrister from the slot past Wild goalie Darcy Kuemper for his 15th goal of the season.

Dallas (31-23-10, 72 points) got a three-point performance (one goal, two assists) from center Tyler Seguin to end Minnesota’s five-game winning streak.

However, the Stars lost starting goalie Kari Lehtonen after a collision with Wild center Erik Haula knocked his helmet off and drew blood 6:37 into the final period. Lehtonen stopped 26 of 29 shots before leaving the game.

Haula earned a boarding major and a game misconduct.

The Stars found the back of the net early when center Jamie Benn scored his 25th of

the season from the right circle just 31 seconds into the game. Benn’s wrister, which came after a pass from fellow center Rich Peverley, beat Kuemper top shelf on the short side to give Dallas an early 1-0 lead.

However, Minnesota pulled the game level with 3:28 remaining before the first intermission when Haula scored with the Wild shorthanded. After Dallas defenseman Alex Goligoski couldn’t control the puck near the Stars’ blue line, Minnesota center Mikko Koivu executed a cross-ice pass to a streaking Haula, who beat Lehtonen top shelf with a wrister from the left circle to make it 1-1.

Dallas had gone on the power play when Wild defenseman Clayton Stoner was called for delay of game at 16:14 after inadvertently shooting the puck over the boards.

The Stars regained their advantage early in the second when rookie right winger Alex Chiasson scored his 11th of the season on a backhanded tip-in. Benn won the initial faceoff in the right circle before center Tyler Seguin took a shot from the left point that looked like it was stopped by Kuemper.

But the puck trickled through Kuemper’s legs and Chiasson quickly slid it over the line with a backhand to make it 2-1.

Minnesota tied it yet again at 11:15 of the second when center Charlie Coyle scored a power-play goal. Lehtonen had denied shots by Wild defenseman Jonas Brodin and left winger Matt Moulson, but Coyle’s wrister found the back of the net.

The Wild then took their first lead 1:23 into the third when center Kyle Brodziak capitalized on a bad pass inside the Dallas zone for his sixth of the season. Stars defenseman Brenden Dillon made a dangerous cross-ice pass from the left circle, which Brodziak intercepted before beating Lehtonen with a wrister from the left circle to make it 3-2.

After Lehtonen was tended to by the Dallas medical staff, he left the ice for Tim Thomas, acquired in a Wednesday trade with the Florida Panthers. Thomas was making his Stars debut and stopped all six shots he faced.

Dallas answered when Seguin scored a power-play goal at 11:11 of the third after he collected his own rebound and tapped it in for his 29th of the season.

Kuemper stopped 34 of 38 shots for Minnesota.