Stars rally from three deficits to secure fifth straight win in Dallas

Evgenii Dadonov scored two goals in the third period to help the Dallas Stars win their fifth straight game, beating the Columbus Blue Jackets 5-3 on Sunday night.

Mason Marchment, Logan Stankoven, and Wyatt Johnston also scored for the Stars, who didn’t take the lead until Dadonov redirected a shot from defenseman Thomas Harley (who had two assists) past Columbus goalie Elvis Merzlikins with 8:38 left in the game.

The goal was reviewed for a possible high stick but was confirmed. Dadonov sealed the win with another goal at 4:13 left, helping Dallas improve to 15-4-1 since December 23 and earn their 20th home win, tied for the most in the league.

Cole Sillinger, Adam Fantilli, and Ivan Provorov scored for Columbus, who had won three in a row but couldn’t hold onto three separate one-goal leads in this game. Columbus also lost their leading goal scorer, Kirill Marchenko, after he took a puck to the face while sitting on the bench late in the second period and didn’t return.

Dallas started the game strong with the first six shots on goal, but it was Columbus that got on the board first. Sillinger scored on the Blue Jackets’ first shot at 6:43, following a missed two-on-one short-handed chance moments earlier.

The Stars tied the game with 6:24 left in the first when Marchment, back from missing 17 games due to a facial injury, redirected a shot from Lian Bichsel into the net.

Columbus regained the lead early in the second when Fantilli scored at 4:58 with a clean shot past Dallas goalie Casey DeSmith (27 saves).

Dallas responded just over a minute later. After a turnover by Kent Johnson in his own zone, Mikael Granlund passed the puck to Stankoven, who scored to tie the game.

The Blue Jackets took the lead again at 7:58 when Provorov fired a shot past a screened DeSmith.

But once more, the Stars answered. With 4:11 left in the second, Harley set up Johnston perfectly for a power-play goal past Merzlikins (34 saves), tying the game again.

Columbus lost defenseman Dante Fabbro to an upper-body injury after the first period. Zach Werenski, another Blue Jackets defenseman, also left the game late in the second but returned to finish the game.