Stars Defeat Canadiens
{fshare id=5822}
DALLAS — Two streaks ended for the Dallas Stars on Saturday night. Dallas snapped a four-game winless streak and also a run of allowing five goals in four straight games with a 4-1 win against the Montreal Canadiens at American Airlines Center.
“That’s the way we need to play — a lot of smart decisions, real good puck management,” Stars head coach Lindy Ruff said. “You can win a lot of games playing like that.”
Center Tyler Seguin had two goals and an assist while left winger and captain Jamie Benn had two assists as Dallas (10-12-5) rebounded nicely after going 0-3-0 during a three-game road trip.
Goaltender Kari Lehtonen made 16 saves for Dallas.
Both of Seguin’s goals came in the second period. The first was 3:09 into the period when he beat Montreal goaltender Carey Price to his short side from the left circle with Dallas on a five-on-three.
Seguin then added a second goal, increasing his NHL-leading total to 21, with eight seconds left in the second, with a wrist shot from the right circle that got the better of Price.
The Stars scored first when center Cody Eakin tipped in a free puck near
the far post 11:23 into the game for a power-play goal. Seguin sent the puck in from the left circle and it deflected off several players in front of the Montreal goal.
Eakin then scored his sixth of the season off a backhand. The Stars were on a power play after Canadiens defenseman Alexei Emelin was called for holding Stars left winger Ryan Garbutt at 11:17 of the first.
The Stars added an empty-net goal from Garbutt with 1:04 remaining in regulation, his fifth of the season.
Montreal (17-10-2), who has lost three in a row and six of seven (1-5-1), got its lone goal from rookie right winger Sven Andrighetto, who scored his first NHL goal in his league debut early in the third period.
“He played well. For a first game in the NHL, I felt that he was probably a bit more comfortable on the wing because there’s a little bit less responsibility,” Canadiens head coach Michel Therrien said of Andrighetto.
Dallas went on the power play a third time early in the second when left winger Max Pacioretty was called for delay of game at 1:32. He attempted to clear the puck on the far side of the ice but instead fired it over the glass near the Stars bench.
That advantage grew to five-on-three at 2:19 of the second when Montreal center Tomas Plekanec was called for interference on Seguin.
Fifty seconds into the two-man advantage, Dallas went ahead 2-0 when Seguin scored from the left circle. Benn delivered a textbook cross-ice saucer pass that Seguin converted into his NHL-leading 20th of the season.
Seguin added a second with eight seconds left in the second with a wrist shot from the right circle that Price got a piece of before it crossed the line during a four-on-four.
“We’ve been pretty good at home here lately,” Ruff said. “That’s a start. It is one game. We have to build off that.”
Three seconds earlier, Emelin was whistled for cross-checking and Garbutt for embellishment to set up the four-on-four.
Montreal answered early in the third period when Andrighetto scored his first NHL goal. He gained possession by collecting a lazy pass from Dallas defenseman Alex Goligoski near the left circle.
Andrighetto then laid the puck off to Plekanec, who quickly passed it back to his new teammate with a backhand. After receiving the puck inside the left circle, Andrighetto showed sheer determination, beating Lehtonen far post with a backhand in his NHL debut.
“He (Plekanec) gave me the puck,” Andrighetto said. “I brought it to the net because I saw an opening and just put it in.”
Price stopped 25 shots before leaving the ice with 2:36 remaining.
The Canadiens finished their four-game road trip at 1-3-0.
