Evgenii Dadonov scored two third-period goals to lift the Dallas Stars to their fifth straight win, 5-3 over the visiting Columbus Blue Jackets on Sunday night.
Mason Marchment, Logan Stankoven and Wyatt Johnston also scored for Dallas, which didn’t lead until Dadonov redirected the puck off a drive from defenseman Thomas Harley (two assists) past Columbus netminder Elvis Merzlikins with 8:38 left in regulation.
The goal was reviewed for a potential high stick but upheld. Dadonov added some insurance with 4:13 left for the Stars, who are 15-4-1 since Dec. 23 and recorded their 20th home victory — tied for most in the league.
Cole Sillinger, Adam Fantilli and Ivan Provorov scored for the Blue Jackets, who had won three straight but couldn’t hold three different one-goal leads Sunday. Columbus lost leading goal scorer Kirill Marchenko after he took a puck to the face while on the bench late in the second period and did not return.
Dallas recorded the game’s first six shots on goal, but Columbus opened the scoring. On the Blue Jackets’ first shot, and after missing a two-on-one short-handed attempt moments earlier, Sillinger pushed home a loose puck at 6:43 into the contest.
The Stars tied it with 6:24 left in the first. Marchment, back from missing 17 games with a facial injury, successfully redirected in Lian Bichsel’s shot.
Columbus went back ahead 4:58 into the second. Fantilli got the puck, positioned for an open look, then beat Dallas’ Casey DeSmith (27 saves).
Dallas, though, answered a little more than a minute later. After Kent Johnson’s own-zone turnover, where he appeared to be hooked, recently acquired Mikael Granlund fed the puck for a streaking Stankoven to convert.
The Blue Jackets regained the lead with 7:58 remaining in the second. Provorov’s blast made it by a screened DeSmith.
However, the Stars again responded with 4:11 left in the middle frame. On the power play, Harley sent a perfect pass into the slot for Johnston to push past Merzlikins (34 saves).
Columbus’ defenseman Dante Fabbro was lost after one period with an upper-body injury. Fellow Blue Jackets defenseman Zach Werenski also missed the final minutes of the second with an apparent injury but returned.
–Field Level Media
