Jamie Benn scored in his 1,100th career game, highlighting the Dallas Stars’ three-goal second period, during Wednesday night’s 5-2 victory over the visiting Arizona Coyotes.
Goals by Logan Stankoven and Tyler Seguin sandwiched Benn’s score as Dallas (42-19-9, 93 points) overcame a 1-0 deficit and won for the seventh time in nine games. Jason Robertson (two points) and Craig Smith added goals 1:13 apart early in the third period for the Stars, who scored five unanswered goals and had 13 players record at least one point.
The 34-year-old Benn gave Dallas a 2-1 lead with a goal in his second straight game and 13th this season. Teammate Jake Oettinger stopped 23 shots.
The Stars fired 33 shots on goal at Arizona’s Connor Ingram (28 saves). Clayton Keller posted his team-leading 28th goal and John Leonard netted his first of the season for the Coyotes, who entered after back-to-back victories following a 1-4-0 rut.
Arizona was outshot 9-6 by the Stars in the first period, but managed to record the frame’s only goal. Off an own-zone turnover by Dallas, Nick Bjugstad controlled the puck, then sent a perfect backhand pass to the circle, where an open Keller one-timed it through the Oettinger’s legs with 15 seconds remaining before the first intermission.
The Stars leveled the score 7:34 into the second period amid a shot barrage on Ingram to open the middle frame. Off the rebound of Nils Lundkvist’s shot, Stankoven was there to poke in the puck and ignite the Stars’ surge.
Dallas went ahead with 8:05 remaining in the second when Lundkvist again sent the puck to the net for Benn to push in. Then 29 seconds later, the Stars struck again as a streaking Matt Duchene sent a highlight-reel, behind-the-back pass for Seguin to bury during his return from missing 11 games with a lower-body injury.
Dallas has won six in a row against the Coyotes.
–Field Level Media
