Stars Lose To Bruins
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DALLAS — The Boston Bruins hit the ice at American Airlines Center on Tuesday looking to atone for a 3-1 loss to Columbus on Saturday, which snapped a five-game winning streak. And thanks to goaltender Tuukka Rask making 36 saves and defenseman Dougie Hamilton contributing a goal and an assist, the Bruins scored a 3-1 win over the Dallas Stars.
The Bruins (24-17-6) trailed 1-0 early in the second when Dallas center Vernon Fiddler scored off a backhand in his 700th career game.
“You try to just play it as another game,” Fiddler said. “But 700 games for a guy that’s like me is pretty good, it’s a pretty big accomplishment.”
Boston then erupted for three unanswered goals, getting goals from right winger and former Star Loui Eriksson, center Gregory Campbell and Hamilton.
“The fact that they scored the first goal we came back and scored the next two was huge,” Bruins coach Claude Julien said. “I liked our effort.”
Boston had a great chance to strike first when center Patrice Bergeron flicked a snap toward the Dallas net 6:58 into the game, but his shot instead found the crossbar.
The visitors then had an apparent goal by Campbell at 10:38 of the first nullified after
right winger Jordan Caron was called for hooking Stars defenseman Jamie Oleksiak, who turned over the puck to set up Campbell’s goal.
Late in the first, the Stars lost left winger Erik Cole to an upper-body injury. Cole did not return.
“He’s going to be out for a period of time by the looks of it,” Stars coach Lindy Ruff said of Cole. “I wouldn’t expect him back post-break.”
Dallas took the lead when Fiddler scored his sixth goal of the season 6:46 into the second period, a backhand that sailed in over Rask’s glove.
Fiddler then had a great look at another goal opportunity at 13:22 of the second, but saw his wrist shot from the right circle ring off the right post.
The Bruins tied it with 5:43 remaining in the second when Eriksson beat Stars goaltender Kari Lehtonen with a wrist shot from the slot for his 11th goal of the season. Eriksson finished a nifty backhand pass from center Carl Soderberg with a shot that landed in the back of the net over a diving Lehtonen.
Boston took its first lead late in the second when Campbell scored his fifth of the season off a rebound with 1:33 remaining before the second intermission. Left winger Craig Cunningham took the initial shot from the right point, which Lehtonen made a pad save on.
Campbell was stationed at the near post to score his first goal since Dec. 31.
“I was grateful to get that one that counted,” Campbell said.
Dallas had another golden opportunity when a rising wrist shot by center Tyler Seguin from the right circle 1:29 into the third period found the crossbar with the Stars on the power play.
The Bruins took a 3-1 lead at 7:41 of the third when Hamilton scored his sixth of the season with Boston on the power play. Hamilton beat Lehtonen to his short side with a wrist shot from the right circle, a play on which Lehtonen was heavily screened by Soderberg.
“It was definitely nice to get one there,” Eriksson said of Hamilton’s power-play goal. “That was a great play by Dougie (Hamilton) to get that one.”
Boston had gone on the power play 37 seconds earlier when Dallas defenseman Jason Demers was called for elbowing Soderberg into the boards on the far side of the ice.
A Dallas player found a post for the third time when, with 6:25 remaining in regulation, center Colton Sceviour sent a wrist shot off the near post from the left circle.
Lehtonen stopped 24 of 27 shots for Dallas before leaving the ice with 1:29 remaining.
