NHL Update: Dallas Stars' 2-1 victory over Los Angeles Kings
Jamie Langenbrunner scored the game-winner goal on a power-play to lead Dallas Stars to a 2-1 win over Los Angeles Kings, at American Airlines Centre on Monday night.
Loui Eriksson also lit the lamp on a power-play for Dallas, which increased its winning streak to four contests. Brad Richards had two assists and Kari Lehtonen turned aside 23 shots for
the victors.
Justin Williams netted the lone goal for Los Angeles, which was coming off a horrid 2-6-0 homestand. Jonathan Bernier surrendered two goals on 27 shots in loss.
Williams put Los Angeles on the board for a 1-0 lead in eighth minute of the opening period period. It started when he threw a backhander towards the net but that went in off the body of
a Stars’ Nicklas Grossman. The goal was confirmed after a video review.
Stars got the momentum back when Eriksson knotted the game at 1 in 12th minute of the middle period. He received a pass from Richards and redirected it into the net 14 seconds into the Dallas’
fourth power-play.
“We didn’t have a lot of puck possession after that,” Kings coach Terry Murray said.
Langenbrunner snapped a 1-all tie to put Dallas ahead with 2-1 lead three minutes left in the second period. The play was set up by Richards when he gave a nice centring pass to Langenbrunner
who tapped the puck home on Stars’ fifth power-play.
“I didn’t have to do a whole lot, Richie just kind of laid it there on my stick,” Langenbrunner said. “A great pass by him. It feels good to contribute on the scoreboard, especially in a
win.”
Kings put furious pressure in the last minutes of third period and pulled Bernier on the bench for an extra skater. They almost evened the game on a scramble in front of the net. But the
disc sat on the goal line and Stars’ defenceman Jeff Woywitka slapped it away with his glove, giving a penalty shot to Los Angeles with 52 seconds to play.
"It's one of those plays where you're just reacting, anything can happen. You just want to get [the puck] out as quickly as you can," Woywitka said.
Jack Johnson was elected shooter, but he could not beat Lehtonen, as he moved out from his cage and then blocked the shot with his sliding pad.
“At the top of the circle I saw how far out he was,” Johnson said. “I didn’t see a lot to shoot at, figured I’d deke him, and he made a good save. It’s a guessing game on both parts. Sometimes
you’re a winner, sometimes you’re a loser. I thought I made a good move at him, but he made a better save.”
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