Panthers 0 - 2 Stars
Final
  for this game

Stars pick up costly win over Panthers

Feb 14, 2015 - 6:05 AM Dallas, TX (SportsNetwork.com) - Kari Lehtonen made 37 saves for his fourth shutout of the season to lead the Dallas Stars past the Florida Panthers, 2-0, on Friday.

Jamie Benn and Jason Spezza scored for the Stars, who have won three in a row for the first time since a four-game run from Dec. 27-Jan. 3.

Dallas, however, lost Tyler Seguin, Patrick Eaves and Ales Hemsky to injuries. Seguin exited with 6:55 to play after being clipped by Dmitry Kulikov. Less than a minute later, Eaves was hit in the head by a shot. Earlier, Hemsky played 2:10 before leaving with a lower-body injury.

"It's a dirty shot," Dallas head coach Lindy Ruff said of Kulikov's hit. "It's something that ended up taking your best player out of the game. Not only out of the game, but it's taking him out of the lineup for a little bit."

Seguin will be re-evaluated on Saturday and Eaves, who has suffered multiple concussions in the past, was taken to the hospital.

Al Montoya stopped 26-of-28 shots for the Panthers, who have lost three of four.

"A couple of mistakes cost us in the first," Florida head coach Gerard Gallant said. "We didn't generate good scoring chances."

The Stars took a 1-0 lead on Benn's short-handed goal at 9:27 of the first period. Florida defenseman Aaron Ekblad was unable to control the puck near the Dallas blue line, and Vernon Fiddler raced up the right side. Fiddler made a cross-ice pass to Benn for the game's first goal.

The Panthers were on a four-minute power play at the time of the goal after Eaves got a double-minor for high sticking.

Spezza made a spin move in the high slot before firing a shot past Montoya at the 17:09 mark of the opening frame.

Lehtonen made 28 saves over the final two periods to record the 31st shutout of his career.

Game Notes

The Panthers had won four straight in Dallas ... Kulikov was assessed a major penalty for clipping and a game misconduct on the play that left Seguin hurt ... Dallas forward Antoine Roussel sat out the first game of a two-game suspension for a cross check against Boston's Adam McQuaid on Tuesday.






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