Matt Duchene had a goal with an assist for his third straight multi-point game, and backup Casey DeSmith made 31 saves, as the Dallas Stars won 4-2 over the New Jersey Devils on Saturday night in Newark, N.J.
After New Jersey’s Jack Hughes made it a 2-1 contest with the first of his two goals halfway through the third period, Duchene answered 35 seconds later.
DeSmith, meanwhile, was stout all night for the Stars, who are on a 7-1-1 stretch, and also got goals from Evgenii Dadonov and Thomas Harley in the first six minutes of the contest, and an empty-netter from Wyatt Johnston in the final seconds.
Jesper Bratt and Dougie Hamilton each had two assists for the Devils, who are 2-3-0 this month.
New Jersey recorded the game’s first four shots, but it was Dallas that opened the scoring 3:58 into the contest. Matt Dumba sent a shot toward the Devils’ net, where teammate Dadonov deflected off the pad of Jake Allen (22 saves) but converted his own rebound.
The Stars went up 2-0 less than two minutes later. In the early minutes of a power play, Harley glided untouched into the high slot and wristed the puck past Allen.
DeSmith was solid while stopping all 12 shots on goal from the Devils in the opening period, including three on New Jersey’s first power-play chance.
The Stars netminder shut out the Devils again in the second. Notably, he slid over to stop Hamilton’s power-play drive. And, at the start of the third, when DeSmith corralled Hughes’ backhander.
New Jersey finally got to DeSmith with 10 minutes left in regulation. Hughes’ successfully one-timed Hamilton’s pass on a power play.
Moments later, however, Jamie Benn sent the puck into the slot for Duchene, who buried it for a 3-1 game. Duchene had back-to-back three-point nights in Dallas’ final two games before the break for the 4 Nations Face-Off.
Hughes, though, wasn’t finished. With 8:20 remaining in regulation, he again made it a one-goal affair after ringing the post on a dish from Bratt.
DeSmith and the Stars stopped New Jersey’s 6-on-4 attack in the final seconds, resulting in Johnston’s goal.
–Field Level Media
