Jason Robertson powers Stars past Kings
Jason Robertson scored the tie-breaking goal with 3:46 left in the third period and the visiting Dallas Stars held on for a 3-1 win against the Los Angeles Kings on Monday night.
Robertson cut into the middle and backhanded a shot through traffic and into the net from above the hash marks for a 2-1 lead.
Matt Duchene then sealed it with an empty-net goal with 18 seconds left to make it 3-1.
Wyatt Johnston also scored, Esa Lindell and Sam Steel had two assists apiece and Jake Oettinger made 24 saves for the Stars, who have won two of three following a six-game losing streak.
Quinton Byfield scored and Darcy Kuemper made 15 saves for the Kings, who have dropped three of four (1-2-1).
The Stars took a 1-0 lead at 3:44 of the first period.
Lindell carried the puck into the neutral zone and passed it off to Steel on his left. Steel brought the puck to the top of the left circle before passing the puck to Johnston, who skated between the circle before firing a wrist shot into the net for his 25th goal of the season and fifth in the past five games.
Los Angeles outshot the Stars 18-9 through two periods.
Neither team had a power play until Dallas forward Jamie Benn was called for tripping Brandt Clarke at 5:02 of the third. The Stars killed that penalty, but the Kings went back on the power play at 8:08 when Nils Lundkvist went to the box for tripping Samuel Helenius.
Los Angeles capitalized on the second man-advantage.
Clarke pinched the puck along the wall to keep it in the Dallas zone and he fed Corey Perry down low. Perry made a no-look backhand pass through the top of the crease to Byfield at the opposite post and he scored with a one-timer to tie it 1-1 at 8:42.
It marked the 500th assist of Perry's career.
Mikko Rantanen appeared to break the tie for Dallas with 5:57 left, but the Kings successfully challenged for offsides.