Stars Beat Blues
DALLAS – The St. Louis Blues had already defeated the Dallas Stars twice this season, both wins coming at Scottrade Center. So Dallas really wanted to return the favor Sunday at American Airlines Center.
And thanks to a goal and an assist from right winger Patrick Sharp and goalie Kari Lehtonen stopping all 22 shots he faced, Dallas came away with a 3-0 victory one night after losing to the Blues 3-2 in a shootout in St. Louis.
“There was some great emotion,” Stars coach Lindy Ruff said. “This team’s just getting closer and closer, and they care about each other. They play for each other and they all stepped in for each other, and that’s pretty powerful.”
Lehtonen earned his 33rd career shutout and third of the season.
“I was able to make one good glove save on (Alexander) Steen and right after that their defenseman (Colton Parayko) I was able to make another glove save,” Lehtonen said. “I think those were, at that point of the game, being [up] 1-0 [in the second period], they were important.”
Stars left winger and captain Jamie Benn and center Cody Eakin also scored for Dallas (27-7-3), who got two goals on the power play.
Sharp’s goal, the eventual game-winner, came late in the first when he collected his own rebound to score his 13th of the season after his initial effort was turned away by Blues goaltender Brian Elliott, who stopped 35 of 37 shots.
“Knew [my first shot] didn’t go in,” Sharp said. “I heard the horn go and I knew the puck was
still sitting right there. Luckily, I didn’t slide too far by the net after being hit and was able to put it in.”
The Stars had gone on the power play with 2:51 remaining in the first after Blues defenseman Robert Bortuzzo was called for slashing Jamie Benn.
With 3:01 remaining in the opening frame, Elliott made a spectacular diving save at the far post on a wrist shot by Stars defenseman Jordie Benn from the right circle.
“It was outstanding,” Blues coach Ken Hitchcock said of Elliott’s performance. “That’s the part that disappoints everybody here, is he battled like crazy, he made great saves, he kept us right there and we couldn’t get a goal for him.”
Dallas outshot St. Louis 16-5 in the first period and led 1-0 after 20 minutes.
The start of the second period featured two fights. Blues right winger Troy Brouwer and Stars left winger Antoine Roussel dropped the gloves three seconds in. Four seconds later, Bortuzzo and Stars left winger Travis Moen went toe-to-toe.
Elliott robbed Stars right winger Ales Hemsky at the near post as he tried to score on a backhand tap-in with 6:18 remaining in the second.
“Yeah, sometimes you get those, sometimes you don’t,” Elliott said. “That’s all we’re trying to do as a goalie back there, is just try to keep in the game.”
Jamie Benn made it 2-0 40 seconds into the third period when he received a Sharp pass from the left side that deflected off Blues defenseman Jay Bouwmeester and tucked a wrist shot under Elliott at the far post for his NHL-leading 23rd goal of the season.
The Stars had gone on the power play with 31 seconds remaining in the second after Blues right winger Dmitrij Jaskin was called for tripping Stars center Tyler Seguin.
Eakin made it 3-0 with an empty-net goal with 1:32 remaining, getting a fortunate deflection while sending the puck around the boards after winning a faceoff.
Now 15-4-0 at home, the Stars are 4-1-1 in the second night of a back-to-back. Dallas outshot St. Louis 38-22 in the game.
Elliott headed to the bench with 2:13 remaining, but St. Louis (22-12-4) was unable to find a goal, even with the extra attacker. Elliott returned to the crease after Eakin scored.
