Stars end Ducks' four-game winning streak
DALLAS -- The Anaheim Ducks came into Dallas riding a four-game winning streak, but the Dallas Stars erased that momentum at the outset, helping the Stars extend their winning streak.
The Stars got power-play goals from Trevor Daley and Jamie Benn in the first period and a third-period goal from Loui Eriksson to hand the Anaheim Ducks a 3-1 defeat before 18,112 fans at American Airlines Center Friday night.
"We had a good third. We limited our turnovers. We played smart hockey. It's another little step for us in how we have to play to be successful in this division," Stars coach Glen Gulutzan said.
Dallas (6-5-1) won its third straight while the Ducks slipped to 7-2-1.
"Yeah, it was a disappointing first period. I don't think the rest of the game was disappointing but you can't win hockey games playing 40 minutes," Ducks coach Bruce Boudreau said. "It's a 60-minute game."
Daley opened the night's scoring 8:48 into the game by blasting a 56-foot slap shot over the blocker of Anaheim goaltender Jonas Hiller. It was Daley's first goal since Dec. 31, 2011, a span of 56 games. His tally came just 37 seconds into the Stars' first power play of the evening.
A 24-foot wrister from the left side by Benn at 12:59 of the first period increased the Dallas advantage to 2-0. The goal was scored 14 seconds into a five-minute power play that came after Ducks wing Brad Staubitz received a five-minute major and a game misconduct for a violent spear on Stars rookie Brenden Dillon.
"He didn't do anything," Boudreau said of Staubitz's spear. "A spear, as far as I know, is when you take the butt of the stick or the blade of the stick and stick it in somebody's gut. It hit him three-quarters of the way up the shaft. So what are you going to do?"
Hiller had to leave the game after one period due to a lower-body injury and was replaced in the Anaheim net by rookie Viktor Fasth, the first goaltender over age 30 in NHL history to win his first four starts.
"It's just a lower-body injury right now. He wasn't feeling very well so we made the change," Boudreau said of Hiller.
After being outshot 16-7 in the opening 20 minutes, the Ducks got things going in the second, outshooting Dallas 13-5 and making it a one-goal game with 4:37 left before the second intermission. Nick Bonino redirected a blast by Luca Sbisa from the left face-off circle over the right shoulder of Dallas goaltender Kari Lehtonen to make it 2-1.
Eriksson's wrister that beat Fasth on the short side at 12:46 of the third period gave Dallas some needed breathing room at 3-1. Anaheim played the final 2:55 with an extra attacker after Fasth headed to the bench, but the Ducks were unable to break through.
"Well, I want them to have a long memory. I want them to know that they didn't come ready to play and what happens when you play good hockey clubs and you're not ready to play," Boudreau said.
Lehtonen stopped 20 of the 21 shots he faced to earn his sixth win of the season.
NOTES: Ducks defenseman Ben Lovejoy made his Anaheim debut on Friday night. Lovejoy was acquired on Wednesday from Pittsburgh for a conditional 2014 draft pick. ... Stars defenseman Alex Goligoski chipped in a pair of assists for Dallas. Goligoski's two-assist performance came just one game after he had been benched for Wednesday's game at Edmonton... Anaheim defenseman Sheldon Souray, signed as a free agent in the offseason, spent the 2011-12 season with the Stars and registered 21 points (6-15-21) in 64 games. ... Benn now has a goal in three straight games after netting a power-play goal in the first period against the Ducks. ... Friday's start for Hiller, which totaled just 20 minutes, was his shortest stint between the pipes for Anaheim since he logged 20:07 while allowing three goals to the Wild on Nov. 13, 2011.
