Stars Clinch Top Spot
DALLAS — Jason Spezza only scored 17 goals for the Dallas Stars last season, his first in Dallas. However, with his seventh career hat trick in a 3-2 win against the Nashville Predators on Saturday night at American Airlines Center, Spezza has almost doubled his total from last season with 33 goals.
Antti Niemi also stopped 28 of 30 shots for the Stars.
Dallas (50-23-9), which has won nine of its last 11 games (9-2-0), clinched the top spot in the Western Conference and the Central Division title. It is the Stars’ first finish atop the West since 2002-03 and first division title since 2005-06 when they won the Pacific Division.
“It’s a heck of an accomplishment,” Stars coach Lindy Ruff said. “First, to finish on top of this division, there wasn’t a lot of people that picked us to be there. To be honest, I didn’t think we could get there ourselves, but as the year went on I thought we had a chance.”
The Stars will open the playoffs Thursday in Dallas against Minnesota.
Dallas also reached 50 wins for the first time since 2005-06 and fourth time in club history. The Stars’ 109 points are fourth-most in franchise history.
Spezza scored twice in the second period and then delivered the winner with 1:00 remaining. He beat
Predators goaltender Carter Hutton, who stopped 21 of 24 shots, top shelf to his right side with a wrist shot from the right point.
The play was reviewed to determine if Spezza received the puck from an offside position, but the goal was deemed valid.
“I’m excited,” said Spezza. “We’ve got a legitimate team with a legitimate chance. It’s a fun group and we want to keep playing as long as we can. This is why you play. You get longer in your career and you start to realize the chances don’t come all of the time.”
Nashville (41-27-14) got goals from Ryan Ellis and Calle Jarnkrok. The Predators, the first wild card in the West, will face the Pacific champion, either the Anaheim Ducks or the Los Angeles Kings, in the first round of the playoffs.
“I thought we played a real strong game,” Predators coach Peter Laviolette said. “We did a lot of good things tonight.”
Nashville wasted little time taking its first lead, drawing first blood when Ryan Ellis scored his 10th of the season, a new career-high, 19 seconds into the game. Ellis’ goal, which was unassisted, came from a blistering slap shot from the right circle that beat Niemi top shelf to his short side.
“Yeah, it was huge,” Predators left winger Filip Forsberg said of Ellis’ early goal. “[Ellis] has a bomb with the shot. Obviously, he should keep shooting it.”
Nashville led 1-0 after 20 minutes and outshot Dallas 15-6 in the first period.
The Predators doubled their lead 8:23 into the second when Jarnkrok scored his 16th of the season during a five-on-three power play. Forsberg’s slap shot hit the right post with the puck then deflected off an official.
Stars defenseman Jason Demers attempted to clear the puck off the carom near the far post but whiffed on the play. Jarnkrok quickly gained possession and scored to make it 2-0.
Nashville had the two-man advantage thanks to a hooking call on Cody Eakin at 6:19 of the second and another hooking call on Alex Goligoski 31 seconds later at 6:50.
Spezza scored the next two goals for Dallas to tie the score at 2. His first, his 31st of the season, came at 10:46 of the second period on a slap shot from the right circle that beat Hutton far post.
Spezza then delivered a power-play goal with 6:55 remaining in the second period, knocking a deflection to the ice with his left glove before scoring his 32nd goal of the season and 300th of his career.
