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Bolts try to build momentum vs. Stars

Mar 7, 2015 - 3:58 PM (SportsNetwork.com) - The Tampa Bay Lightning look to win three straight games for the first time in almost two months on Saturday evening when they host the Dallas Stars.

The Lightning haven't recorded three victories in a row since Jan. 15-20, but won for the sixth time in nine games with Thursday's 4-2 decision over the Toronto Maple Leafs. They trail the Atlantic Division-leading Montreal Canadiens by two points.

Tampa Bay got first-period goals from Nikita Kucherov and Ryan Callahan in Thursday's win, while Vladislav Namestnikov and Alex Killorn tallied in the third period to put the game away.

Ben Bishop made 25 saves as the Lightning matched a franchise record with their 25th win at home this season.

"We focus so much on the start. Then you get a good start and maybe you feel good about yourself a little too much that we did what we wanted to do," said Lightning forward Steven Stamkos. "We kind of forget that we still had another 40 minutes to play. We'll refocus and look at that."

Stamkos recorded a pair of assists and is among the league leaders with 36 goals and 61 points.

The Lightning have won four of their past five versus the Stars, including a 5-3 road victory on Feb. 5. Tyler Johnson had a pair of third-period goals, Stamkos scored and backup Andrei Vasilevskiy made 33 stops.

Dallas, which has won nine of its past 11 trips to Tampa, erased deficits of 2-0 and 3-2, but Kari Lehtonen allowed four goals on 28 shots. Defenseman John Klingberg, Alex Goligoski and the recently-injured Trevor Daley all scored in the loss.

Goligoski had a game-tying goal and Colton Sceviour had the winner in a shootout to lead the Stars to a 4-3 win over the Florida Panthers on Thursday.

Lehtonen gave up three goals on 14 shots before being pulled in the second period. Jhonas Enroth made 10 saves and stopped Brandon Pirri, Vincent Trocheck and Nick Bjugstad in the shootout.

Enroth is 6-0 in shootouts this season.

"It's a little luck," Enroth told Dallas' website. "Bjugstad probably had me there if he would have hit the net. It's one of those things that when you get in a good groove you just keep on going and I definitely feel good in shootouts."

Curtis McKenzie and Shawn Horcoff also scored in regulation for the Stars, who have won two in a row since a six-game skid (0-4-2). Klingberg had an assist and leads all rookie defensemen with 35 points.

Dallas won the opener of a five-game road trip and look to win three in a row for only the second time since Jan. 4. The Stars trail the Winnipeg Jets by eight points for the second wild card spot in the Western Conference.