Thomas Harley scored the overtime winner as the Dallas Stars edged the visiting Utah Hockey Club 3-2 on Saturday night.
Harley snapped home a Matt Duchene pass past Karel Vejmelka at 3:01 of the extra period to secure Dallas’s fourth straight win. Jamie Benn and Oskar Back also scored for the Stars, while Duchene and Wyatt Johnston each chipped in a pair of assists as Dallas improved to 3-0 this season against its Central Division rival.
Jake Oettinger made 33 saves for the Stars to move to 19-9-1 this season. Saturday was his first start against Utah. Dallas is 7-2-1 in its last 10 and has won five of its last six (5-0-1).
Matias Maccelli scored twice for Utah, which has just one win over its last seven games (1-4-2). Vejmelka stopped 26 shots but was saddled with his third loss against the Stars this season.
Dallas opened the scoring 16 seconds into the middle frame as Benn snapped Johnston’s feed under the arm of Vejmelka. Benn notched his third goal in as many games against Utah this season, while Johnston extended his point streak to six games.
Maccelli responded for Utah 1:14 later, one-timing a Lawson Crouse pass blocker-side past Oettinger to snap his 23-game goal drought.
Back gave Dallas a 2-1 lead as Nils Lundkvist’s shot tipped off Arttu Hyry and Back before beating Vejmelka at 10:30 of the second period. Hyry, playing his second career NHL game, picked up his first point.
Maccelli answered again with his second goal of the night, putting a spin-o-rama shot past Oettinger at 13:37 of the second. Utah outshot Dallas 11-5 in the third period but could not break through.
The Stars put four shots on net to Utah’s two in the extra session before Harley’s winner.
The teams conclude their four-game season series on April 12 in Dallas.
–Field Level Media
