Jamie Benn scored two goals within 1 minute and 17 seconds, extending his goal streak to three games, as the Dallas Stars defeated the Pittsburgh Penguins 4-2 on Friday night.
Benn, the captain of the Dallas team, now has 15 goals for the season, with six of them coming in the last eight games. This win comes as the Stars finish a five-game homestand, during which they won three games.
These recent victories have helped the Stars maintain their position at the top of the Central Division, tied with the Colorado Avalanche at 95 points. However, the Winnipeg Jets are close behind, trailing by two points with two games in hand over Dallas and one over the Avalanche.
Dallas has won eight of its last ten games, while the Avalanche extended their winning streak to eight games with a 6-1 victory over Columbus on the same night. Meanwhile, the Jets had their three-game winning streak halted.
Benn stressed the significance of securing victories in home matches, particularly as the team prepares to begin a sequence of away fixtures.
Michael Bunting scored for Pittsburgh early in the game, but Jake Oettinger, the Stars’ goaltender, made several crucial saves to keep Pittsburgh at bay. Oettinger ended the game with 20 saves, including a key stop on Rickard Rakell in the second period.
The Penguins, who are at risk of missing the playoffs for the first time in over a decade, have struggled on the road, winning only two of their last fourteen away games.
Despite a strong start by Pittsburgh, Dallas fought back, with Joe Pavelski scoring the tying goal in the first period, and Jason Robertson contributing two assists. Sam Steel’s goal early in the third period led to the Penguins replacing Tristan Jarry in goal with Alex Nedeljkovic.
Benn’s goals, one of which came on a power play, secured the victory for the Stars. Oettinger, who rebounded from a tough loss in the previous game, played a crucial role in the win, drawing praise from his teammates for his resilience and determination.
