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Lehtonen, Stars cruise past Canucks

Oct 22, 2014 - 5:33 AM Dallas, TX (SportsNetwork.com) - Erik Cole scored a pair of goals to help the Dallas Stars in a 6-3 win over the Vancouver Canucks on Tuesday.

Ryan Garbutt, Tyler Seguin, and Jamie Benn each scored a goal with an assist, and Cody Eakin also lit the lamp for the Stars, who have won five straight over Vancouver.

Kari Lehtonen stopped 43-of-46 shots in the win.

Ryan Miller was lifted in the second period after he allowed five goals on 13 shots for the Canucks, who have dropped two straight after opening the season with three straight wins.

"We got a couple of tough breaks early on that put us behind," said Miller. "It's just a tough night, just a couple of tough situations."

Radim Vrbata, Zack Kassian and Jannik Hansen each scored in the setback.

Garbutt took control of the puck in his defensive zone and passed it up to Antoine Roussel, who fed it back to Garbutt entering the offensive zone. Garbutt then centered it out in front and the puck was deflected past Miller by a sliding Vancouver defenseman as Garbutt was credited with his first goal of the season.

With Dallas on the power play later in the frame, Hansen raced up the ice on a breakaway and Lehtonen stopped his backhand attempt to keep the Stars in front.

Dallas would took advantage of the power play seconds later. After a faceoff win by Shawn Horcoff in the neutral zone, Cole took a pass from Jordie Benn in the slot and wristed a shot past Miller for a 2-0 lead.

The Stars added another goal late in the opening period, with Jamie Benn wrapping around the net and hitting Seguin with a pass at the right circle. A Canucks defenseman crashed into Miller on the wraparound and Seguin blasted it into the open net to make it 3-0 with 43 seconds remaining.

Dallas didn't wait long to add on to its lead early in the second with two quick goals. Jamie Benn rifled a slapshot off the blocker of Miller, then the puck caromed off Miller's stick and into the net 48 seconds in. Eakin's tally less than 30 seconds later gave the Stars a 5-0 lead and also ended Miller's night in the process.

"We started the game (and) did a lot of great things," Stars coach Lindy Ruff said. "When the game was right there I thought we were the better team. When it got out of hand we had too many guys leaning on the offensive side."

Vrbata received a pass from Daniel Sedin from behind the crease and wristed it into an open net from a tight angle to get Vancouver on the board. However, Cole lit the lamp 65 seconds later to restore the five-goal cushion.

Kassian made a timely deflection of Christopher Tanev's shot to trim the deficit to 6-2 with 6:05 left in the second.

Hansen then potted his first of the season 6:45 into the third with a wrist shot from the slot to beat a screened Lehtonen.

Game Notes

Horcoff had a pair of assists in the win ... Dallas has registered a point in five of six games this season ... Including his two goals on Tuesday, Cole now has eight goals in his last seven games against the Canucks ... Sedin has at least one point in each of the five games this season for Vancouver ... Eddie Lack made 14 saves in relief of Miller, who allowed just six goals over his first three starts entering Tuesday.