• Preview
• Recap
• Bleachers
• Game Tracker

Lehtonen helps Stars break slide with blanking of Wild

Jan 22, 2014 - 6:26 AM Dallas, TX (SportsNetwork.com) - Kari Lehtonen stopped all 18 shots he faced for his second shutout of the season as the Dallas Stars got a much-needed 4-0 win over the Minnesota Wild on Tuesday.

Ray Whitney, Jordie Benn, Vernon Fiddler and Erik Cole all scored for the Stars, who desperately needed this win as the team had lost nine of their last 10 games entering this game.

"It's been frustrating because we've had a lot of good opportunities inside a game that haven't gone for us," said Dallas head coach Lindy Ruff. "We've started some games really well and all of a sudden a goal can go in and it's a little bit of a letdown. But you know we really gave a key effort and got the saves when we needed them, and the power play was good and the killing was good."

Darcy Kuemper gave up all four goals on 36 shots for the Wild, who had won seven of nine coming into the contest.

"Well we won the opening faceoff and spent 40 seconds in our own zone, that's a bad sign right there," said Minnesota head coach Mike Yeo. "We weren't ready to execute, to get going the right way and it just trickled on from there."

Dallas got on the board at 13:18 of the first period as Fiddler's shot from the high slot hit off Wild and went into the net for his third of the year.

It was a 2-0 game 3 1/2 minutes later as, on the power play, Cole snapped a shot into the right corner of the net from the left circle for his 14th of the season.

The only goal of the second period went to Dallas, as Whitney's wrister on the power play found the back of the net for a 3-0 lead at 13:18 of the frame.

Benn was awarded a penalty shot when Kuemper threw his stick at Benn on a breakaway, and capitalized on his free shot as he dipped his shoulder then slipped the puck around the right pad for a 4-0 lead at 11:22.

Lehtonen stopped nine shots in the third to polish off his 24th career shutout.

Game Notes

Dallas hosts Toronto on Thursday ... Minnesota hosts Chicago on Thursday ... Minnesota had won the previous two contests with Dallas this season ... Lehtonen has 24 shutouts in his career ... Dallas was 2-for-7 on the power play, while Minnesota was 0-for-4.