Dupuis, Fleury lift Pens over Stars

[March 01, 2012]  DALLAS (AP) -- Pascal Dupuis converted in the fourth round of the shootout and the Pittsburgh Penguins won their fourth straight, 4-3 over the Dallas Stars on Wednesday night.

Dupuis fired past Stars goaltender Kari Lehtonen and Pittsburgh goalie Marc-Andre Fleury denied Michael Ryder's attempt to clinch the extra point.

James Neal and Chris Kunitz also scored in the shootout for Pittsburgh. Loui Eriksson and Jamie Benn countered for Dallas.

Craig Adams and Kunitz scored over a 47-second span of the third period to make it 3-2 Pittsburgh. But Ryder's 26th goal tied it at 3 at 7:23 of the third.

The Pens trailed 2-1 when Adams deflected Jordan Staal's shot past Lehtonen at 3:33 for Adams' fourth of the season.

Kunitz put the Penguins in front with his 18th goal, when he directed Paul Martin's setup past Lehtonen at 4:20 of the third.

Sheldon Souray had given Dallas a 2-1 advantage with 12.2 seconds remaining in the second period when he beat Fleury from the high slot after a pass from Eriksson. Souray's sixth of the season was his first since Feb. 1.

Souray hit the crossbar with a shot from the point with about a minute left in overtime.

Dallas' four-game winning streak ended, but the Stars improved to 71 points to take over sole possession of eighth in the Western Conference.

Pittsburgh has 79 points, seven behind the Atlantic Division-leading New York Rangers.

Steve Sullivan added a goal for the Penguins, who had won their previous three by a total score of 14-3.

The teams hadn't played in Dallas since the trade on Feb. 21, 2011, that sent Neal and defenseman Matt Niskanen from the Stars to the Penguins for defenseman Alex Goligoski.

Both teams played for the first time since they stood pat at Monday's trade deadline.

Among the Stars mentioned as possible trade targets were Souray and forwards Steve Ott and Mike Ribeiro, but Dallas general manager Joe Nieuwendyk opted to keep the core of the team intact for a run at the playoffs.

Jamie Benn netted his 18th goal of the season for Dallas from the slot off Ott's setup at 15:25 of the opening period. Benn's shot trickled through Fleury's pads and over the goal line.

Sullivan tied it at 1 at 18:53 of the first period. Dupuis passed off the boards to Sullivan, who went in alone and shoveled a backhander past Lehtonen for his 12th of the season.

Penguins defenseman Kris Letang left in the first period with an upper-body injury and did not return.

Letang was down for several minutes midway through the period after he was hit in the head area on a hard check along the end boards by Dallas' Eric Nystrom.

Letang, Pittsburgh's top-scoring defenseman with 31 points, skated shakily to the locker room while Nystrom went to the penalty box on a roughing minor.

The Penguins announced in the second period that Letang was done for the night.

NOTES: In addition to C Sidney Crosby (concussion-like symptoms/neck, missing his 35th consecutive game, the Pens were without forward Tyler Kennedy (high-ankle sprain) and G Brent Johnson (undisclosed). Forward Arron Asham returned after missing the previous game with an upper body injury. ... The Penguins beat the Stars 3-1 in Pittsburgh on Nov. 11 in the other meeting between the teams this season. ... Lehtonen has started 17 of the last 19 games. ... LW Brenden Morrow (neck, shoulder) and C Jake Dowell (finger) are out for the Stars. ... Sullivan was done for the night after two periods with a lower-body injury.

[Associated Press]

Copyright 2012 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.