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 They scored three times in the last nine minutes in a 4-1 victory
against the Carolina Hurricanes on Friday night at PNC Arena.
"We never panicked," Stars goalie Kari Lehtonen said. "We kept
playing and got a good result at the end. Don't try to do too much.
Just try to keep going."
The Stars are 4-1 in games that are tied after two periods.
Left winger Patrick Sharp scored a tiebreaking goal with 8:45
remaining and the Stars continued their road success. Sharp was set
up on a breakaway with a pass from center Tyler Seguin as Dallas
took advantage of a Carolina breakdown.
From there, the Stars thrived off the momentum.
"There's a difference," Dallas center Colton Sceviour said of the
late-game success. "We're winning them. It sits in your mind in a
good way. You go do it again."
The Stars, who weren't called for a penalty in the game, increased
their margin with center Radek Faksa's first career goal just 2:05
after Sharp's score as the Stars were on their way to boosting their
road record to 6-2.
Right winger Ales Hemsky scored the first goal for Dallas, which has
the best record in the Western Conference at 11-3-0. Defenseman
Jason Demers was credited with an empty-net goal.
Center Jordan Staal scored for the Hurricanes (5-8-0), who have won
only one of five home games.
Lehtonen, who played in consecutive games for the first time in
three weeks, stopped 30 shots.
"Of course, I'd like to play (all the time)," Lehtonen said. "We'll
see what happens. I think we've been giving the team a chance to
win."
The assist for Seguin gave him his NHL-leading 21st point of the
season. Left winger Jamie Benn matched him with an assist on Faksa's
goal. Center Colton Sceviour finished with two assists.
The Hurricanes tried to combat Benn and Sequin by reuniting a line
that includes brothers Eric Staal and Jordan Staal, a pair of
centers.
"There were some good battles," Carolina coach Bill Peters said of
the matchup. "I thought it was pretty much a wash there."
Faksa's goal came in his 10th career game.
"He has had some good looks and it was good for him to get his
first," Sceviour said.
Hurricanes goalie Eddie Lack made 25 saves.
"I thought once we got going we were fine," Peters said. "We were
right there. We'd like the first period go to better. Obviously, our
starts are a problem."
Carolina struck first 3:41 into the second period when Jordan Staal
waited in front of the net. He was rewarded when he took a short
pass from his brother, Eric Staal. The shot went off Lehtonen's
skate.
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It gave the Hurricanes the first goal in a game for only the fifth
time in 14 games.
Hemsky countered by collecting a rebound and depositing the puck
into the net as Lack was out of the crease nearly midway through the
second period.
The Hurricanes used a coach's challenge to dispute the Dallas goal,
citing goalie interference. Sceviour, who made the initial rush,
made contact with Lack, but the review confirmed no interference
occurred and Carolina lost its timeout.
"I thought I did all I could to get out of the way after I made my
move," Sceviour said.
The Stars held a 12-6 edge in shots in a scoreless first period.
Carolina had one of the best scoring chances of the opening 20
minutes, but Jordan Staal's uncontested shot off a rebound was off
the mark.
Peters said goalie Cam Ward will be used Saturday night against
Ottawa in the second portion of games on back-to-back days.
NOTES: Stars LW Antoine Roussel missed his first game of the season.
... Carolina F Joakim Nordstrom was assigned to Charlotte of the
American Hockey League for a conditioning stint. He played in
Carolina's first three games before suffering a lower-body injury.
... Carolina's top scorer entering the game was RW Kris Versteeg
with 10 points, and the Dallas duo of LW Jamie Benn and C Tyler
Sequin each had 20 points. ... Hurricanes coach Bill Peters has been
named to Canada's coaching staff for the 2016 World Cup of Hockey.
... The Hurricanes were coming off a four-day layoff, which matches
its longest break of the season other than for the NHL All-Star
Game. ... Carolina and Dallas meet again Dec. 8 at Dallas. ... The
Stars end a four-game road trip Sunday at Detroit. The Hurricanes
wrap up a four-game homestand Saturday night against the Senators.
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