Tuesday, March 19, 2013
Sports News

Eriksson scores twice as Stars beat Flames 4-3

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[March 19, 2013]  DALLAS (AP) -- Loui Eriksson scored twice and the Dallas Stars held on for a 4-3 victory over the Calgary Flames on Monday night.

Eric Nystrom and Erik Cole also scored and Ray Whitney added two assists for Dallas, which snapped a four-game losing streak (0-3-1) -- a stretch that dropped the Stars from seventh place in the Western Conference to 13th.

The Stars, coming off an 8-1 loss Saturday night against Chicago, had been outscored 14-2 while losing their last three games but closed a four-game homestand with the much-needed victory. In the midst of a crucial stretch of their schedule, the Stars head out for two road games before returning to Texas for another five in a row.

Kari Lehtonen, making his eighth straight start, made 16 saves for Dallas.

The Stars bolted out to a 3-0 lead in the first period but the Flames battled back, scoring two power-play goals in the second and battling down to the wire after Alex Tanguay's goal with 4:46 remaining pulled them within one.

Jiri Hudler and Jay Bouwmeester also found the back of the net for Calgary.

Joey MacDonald made 20 saves as the Flames lost their seventh straight road game (0-6-1), getting outscored 28-11 in those contests dating to their previous Dallas visit on Feb. 17, when they won 4-3.

The Stars were cruising along with a 3-0 lead midway through the second when the momentum changed following a big hit by Dallas' Cody Eakin on Matt Stajan at 11:17. Not only did Eakin earn an interference penalty, but it got the Flames fired up.

Calgary needed just 13 seconds with the advantage to capitalize, pulling to 3-1 when Hudler deflected a wrist shot from the right point by T.J. Brodie over Lehtonen's shoulder for his sixth goal.

Bouwmeester got his sixth of the season on another power play to make it 3-2 at 14:35, lifting a backhander from the edge of the crease over Lehtonen's blocker.

The Flames kept up the pressure early in the third but Lehtonen made a sparkling save on Curtis Glencross' snap shot from the left circle at 1:15.

Dallas made it 4-2 on Eriksson's second of the night at 12:06 of the third when Jamie Benn's pass through the slot bounced past defenseman Mark Giordano and Eriksson managed to dig it out and whip a wrist shot past MacDonald for his ninth of the season.

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Tanguay pulled Calgary back within one with 4:46 remaining with his ninth goal. He swooped in on a breakaway, made a move to his backhand and slipped it behind Lehtonen.

Dallas rookie Antoine Roussel jumped out of the penalty box and sped in on a breakaway at 8:24 of the first, but he was hooked from behind by Giordano to earn his first career penalty shot. On the penalty shot, Roussel made a move to his backhand, but lifted the puck just wide of the right post.

Dallas finally got on the board at 13:07 on Cole's fifth goal of the season. The Stars received a fortunate bounce when Cole stopped at the right half-wall and attempted a pass into the middle, but it deflected off Derek Smith's skate and past MacDonald.

The Stars continued to press and former Flame Nystrom notched his third of the season at 15:49. After Roussel lost the puck in the slot, Nystrom retrieved it at the left side of the crease and slid it around the prone MacDonald just inside the right post.

It was Nystrom's first point in 13 games and his second goal this year against Calgary.

Eriksson received a nice cross-ice pass from Ray Whitney and a quick wrist shot into the open half of the net gave Dallas a 3-0 lead with 1:49 left in the first.

NOTES: MacDonald got the start in goal because Miikka Kiprusoff remained in Calgary for the birth of his child. ... Dallas is now 0-for-2 on penalty shots this season. RW Ryan Garbutt, who missed his second straight game with a hand injury, missed his attempt on Jan. 24 against Chicago's Corey Crawford. ... The Stars honored former C Guy Carbonneau, who skated in Dallas from 1995-2000 and helped the club win its only Stanley Cup in 1999, as part of its all-time team.

[Associated Press; By JOHN TRANCHINA]

Copyright 2013 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

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