Jamie Benn, Tyler Seguin, and Logan Stankoven found the back of the net in the middle frame, propelling the Dallas Stars to a 5-2 victory over the Arizona Coyotes on Wednesday night.
The Stars continued their dominance over the Coyotes at home, extending their points streak to 19 games with a record of 18-0-1. Their last regulation loss on home ice against the then-Phoenix Coyotes dates back to February 7, 2012.
Contributions came from various players as Jason Robertson tallied a goal and an assist, while Craig Smith also added to the scoreboard. Nils Lundqvist chipped in with two assists, and Jake Oettinger made 23 saves to secure the win.
With 93 points each, Dallas, Winnipeg, and Colorado currently share the top spot in the Central Division. However, the Jets have played 68 games, the Avalanche 69, and the Stars 70.
“There’s not going to be any easy opponent in the first round regardless of where you finish,” commented Stars coach Pete DeBoer. “It’s important that the details in our game are in a good place.”
Despite efforts from Clayton Keller and John Leonard, who scored for Arizona, and a solid performance from goalie Connor Ingram with 28 saves, the Coyotes find themselves trailing by 18 points behind the final playoff position in the Western Conference with 13 games remaining.
Logan Stankoven leveled the score at 1 during a delayed penalty with a six-on-five play at 7:34 of the second period. Stankoven, called up in late February due to Tyler Seguin’s injury absence, has recorded six goals and 10 points in 12 games.
Celebrating his 1,100th NHL game, all with Dallas, Jamie Benn scored a crucial goal, followed by Seguin finding the net just 30 seconds later in his return game after missing 11 contests due to injury.
“Around the first period at the end, I didn’t know if I was going to finish the game,” admitted Seguin. “But I felt better as the game went on for sure.”
Early goals from Robertson and Smith in the third period secured the win for Dallas. Smith’s goal marked a season-best three-game scoring streak.
Despite Keller giving Arizona a 1-0 lead late in the opening period and Leonard’s late goal in the third, the Coyotes couldn’t overcome the Stars’ offensive prowess.
Linesman Brad Kovachik left the game in the second period due to an apparent leg injury after getting caught under two players during a collision along the boards. Both teams will face off again on Sunday in Arizona.
