Lehtonen Makes 31 Saves As Stars Beat Coyotes
DALLAS (AP) — Kari Lehtonen made 31 saves for his 30th shutout, Brett Ritchie scored in his first NHL game and the Dallas Stars beat the Arizona Coyotes 6-0 on Wednesday night.
Cody Eakin and Jamie Benn each had a goal and an assist, and Alex Goligoski assisted twice as the Stars had their biggest margin of victory this season.
The game was scoreless in the second period when Ritchie checked Arizona's Sam Gagner into the right-wing boards. Ritchie then skated to the front of the net, took a pass from Travis Moen and put the puck past Coyotes goalie Devan Dubnyk at 7:22.
Dallas' Colton Sceviour scored 1:03 later for a 2-0 lead.
Benn, Eakin, Ales Hemsky and Ryan Garbutt all scored third-period goals.
The Stars won their third straight, and seventh in eight games.
Arizona's three-game winning streak ended hours after the NHL board of governors approved IceArizona's sale of 51 percent of the team to Philadelphia hedge fund manager Andrew Barroway. In October, IceArizona agreed to sell the majority stake to Barroway for $155 million.
Benn scored a power-play goal at 1:19 of the third period, and Eakin increased the lead to 4-0 at 6:20. Hemsky scored at 13:33.
Lehtonen's greatest challenge came in the second period, when he stopped David Moss' shot and then Moss' rebound attempt.
On Dallas' second power play, Benn's pass across the goalmouth hit Arizona defenseman Connor Murphy and went into the net.
Eakin's goal was on a slap shot from the right circle. Hemsky scored from higher in the right circle, and Garbutt skated in from the left and shot over Dubnyk's left shoulder.
NOTES: The Stars twice before this season had won by three goals. . Ritchie was Dallas' second-round draft pick in 2011. He scored five goals Saturday and Sunday for the AHL's Texas Stars, giving him 11 in 22 games. . Benn's assist ended a three-game slump when he had no points. His power-play goal was the first against the Coyotes after 10 straight successful penalty kills. . The Stars are 7-2-1 in their last 10 home games, since starting the season 1-5-4 on home ice. ... Dubnyk had stopped 91 of 95 shots during the three-game winning streak. Arizona's Shane Doan has played more games (103) against the Stars than against any other team. . Moen has more points (nine, five goals and four assists) against the Coyotes than any other team. Hemsky's four goals all have come in the last 12 games. . Dallas killed three penalties, improving the Stars to 7 for 9 during their winning streak.
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