Benn Scores 23rd Goal; Lehtonen Shuts Out Blues, 3-0
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DALLAS (AP) — Kari Lehtonen made 22 saves in his 33rd career shutout, Jamie Benn scored his NHL-leading 23rd goal and the Dallas Stars beat the St. Louis Blues 3-0 on Sunday night.
Benn and Patrick Sharp each had a power-play goal and an assist. Cody Eakin scored into an empty net with 1:32 remaining.
The victory avenged Dallas' 3-2 shootout loss to the Blues in St. Louis on Saturday night. The Stars have a league-best 57 points, and Dallas and Washington are the only teams that have not lost consecutive games this season.
Sharp pushed in his own rebound with 1:57 left in the first period. Just 40 second into the third, Benn took a pass in the slot from Sharp and beat Brian Elliott.
Lehtonen improved his season record to 12-2-0. He is 13-6-2 in his career against the Blues.
The Stars outshot St. Louis 38-22. Elliott made 35 saves.
The Central Division rivalry game featured two fights in the first 7 seconds of the second period and a total of 38 penalty minutes.
St. Louis, second to Dallas with 48 points, had won the previous four games between the teams.
The Blues didn't have a shot on goal until Colton Parayko's backhand attempt 5:23 into the game. Dallas outshot St. Louis 16-5 in the first period but led only 1-0.
On the Stars' first power play, Alex Goligoski had a breakaway but shot over Elliott and the crossbar with 6:31 remaining in the first.
With 3 minutes left, Jordie Benn took in his own rebound and shot a backhand that Elliott surrounded for another save.
Three minutes into the second period, Jamie Benn stickhandled Elliott out of position but sent his shot through the paint and into the right corner. Ten minutes later, Elliott made a glove save on Ales Hemsky's backhand from just to the right of the net.
Lehtonen saved the Blues' best chance to score in the second, gloving Parayko's slap shot from the left point at 16:36.
NOTES: The game had only one referee, Rob Martell. Brad Meier didn't make it because of travel issues. ... The teams had totaled only 10 penalty minutes on Saturday night. ... Benn and the Blues' Vladimir Tarasenko entered the game tied for the NHL lead with 22 goals. Then they tied up in front of the benches and went off for roughing at 5:55 of the first period. Benn has 31 points (17 goals, 14 assists) in 19 home games. ... Sharp's goal extended his point streak to five games. He has had one assist in each game. ... Los Angeles Dodgers Cy Young Award-winning pitcher Clayton Kershaw, from Dallas, dropped the ceremonial first puck.
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