Jagr's 2 goals help Stars beat Kings 5-2

[March 08, 2013]  LOS ANGELES (AP) -- Jaromir Jagr had his first multi-goal game since opening night, Brenden Morrow got the go-ahead goal in the third period, and the Dallas Stars ended the Kings' six-game home winning streak with a 5-2 victory on Thursday night.

Jagr and Cody Eakin connected on power plays for Dallas' first two goals after penalties against Los Angeles defenseman Keaton Ellerby. Jagr converted a rebound of Jamie Benn's shot with 10:20 remaining, his ninth of the season and 674th of his career -- 10th on the NHL's all-time list.

Jagr's three-game goal streak is his longest since his final four games of the 2007-08 regular season with the Rangers. The nine-time All-Star and 1999 MVP spent the next three years out of the NHL before returning last season with Philadelphia, and has 27 goals in 95 games since his comeback began.

Antoine Roussel completed the scoring with an empty-net goal and Kari Lehtonen stopped 30 shots in his third straight start, after missing the previous five games with a lower body injury.

Jeff Carter scored his 12th goal in 12 games and 16th this season for Los Angeles. Trevor Lewis also scored for the defending Stanley Cup champions and Jonathan Quick made 17 saves.

Quick's record slipped to 7-7-2. Last season he was 35-21-13 while setting franchise records with 10 shutouts, a 1.95 goals-against average and a .929 save percentage before winning the Conn Smythe Trophy as playoff MVP.

Dallas rookie forward Reilly Smith hit the left post with a wrist shot from the top of the left circle in the second period with the score 1-1.

The Kings had a chance to take the lead with a short-handed goal as Carter took off on a 2-on-1 rush with Mike Richards while Alec Martinez was serving a tripping penalty. Lehtonen made the save on Richards, but the Kings took a 2-1 lead shortly after as Carter's wrist shot from the right caromed into the net off Benn's left skate.

Dallas pulled even late in period, as Eakin chipped the puck past the backchecking Martinez in the Kings' zone and beat Quick to the glove side while Ellerby was off for hooking Trevor Daley.

Jagr opened the scoring 5:28 into the game. Ellerby was off for tripping Erik Cole when Benn passed the puck from the top of the right circle to Jagr about 10 feet to the left of the net, and the five-time NHL scoring champ one-timed it past Quick.

Los Angeles tied it when Dwight King's persistent forechecking against Alex Goligoski behind the net allowed Lewis to gain control. He circled the net before using Vernon Fidler as a screen to beat Lehtonen high to the stick side.

NOTES: Morrow's goal was his 243rd with the Stars, tying Jere Lehtinen for second place on the Dallas list behind Mike Modano's 434. Modano scored 123 other goals for the franchise while it was in Minnesota. ... Jagr needs four assists to join Gordie Howe, Wayne Gretzky, Mark Messier, Steve Yzerman, Joe Sakic and former Pittsburgh teammate Mario Lemieux as the only players in NHL history with at least 1,000 assists and 600 goals. ... Los Angeles D Rob Scuderi and Dallas LW Eric Nystrom were both raised in the same town, Syosset, N.Y., which is about 30 miles east of Madison Square Garden. Nystrom is the son of Bobby Nystrom, who won four Stanley Cup titles with the Islanders. ... This was the opener of a five-game season series with the Stars, whom the Kings beat out for the final Western Conference playoff berth before becoming the first eighth seed to win a Stanley Cup.

[Associated Press; By JOE RESNICK]

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