Pierre-Luc Dubois scored the deciding goal midway through the third period despite getting hit in the face with a stick while in the crease as the visiting Columbus Blue Jackets defeated the Dallas Stars 2-1 on Monday.
Cam Atkinson fed Dubois at the doorstep, and Dubois then backhanded it into the net past Dallas goaltender Anton Khudobin, who inadvertently popped Dubois with his stick, to give the Blue Jackets the lead with 9:39 to play. Ryan Murray also got an assist on the game-winner.
Dallas fell to 1-2-2 in its past five games, including a 4-1 loss at Columbus on Nov. 6, which was the second of back-to-back games at the end of a season-long, six-game road trip.
Blue Jackets netminder Sergei Bobrovsky turned away 26 of the 27 shots he faced to earn the win, which granted Columbus the sweep of the season series between the two teams.
Khudobin stopped 26 shots while working in his fourth start in seven games for the Stars.
After a scoreless first period in which Columbus outshot Dallas 10-9, Atkinson took advantage of a screen in front on the power play to whip a shot from the circle past Khudobin's right arm and blocker, giving the Blue Jackets a 1-0 lead.
Seth Jones got the assist on the goal for the Blue Jackets, which came just 1:29 into the second period.
Alexander Radulov, who returned to action Monday after missing 10 of the Stars' previous 11 games with a lower-body injury, knotted the match at 1-1 with 1:40 to play in the second.
Radulov waited in the slot to the left of Bobrovsky and took a picture-perfect backhanded pass from Miro Heiskanen from behind the net before wristing the puck off Bobrovsky's right leg and into the net. Jamie Benn also got an assist on the play.
Radulov now has 12 points (six goals, six assists) in eight games this season.
Next up for the Stars is a match Friday at home versus Boston; Columbus heads home to square off against Florida on Thursday.
--Field Level Media
Columbus | Dallas | |
Cam Atkinson 2 | Points | Alexander Radulov 1 |
Cam Atkinson 1 | Goals | Alexander Radulov 1 |
Cam Atkinson 1 | Assists | Jamie Benn 1 |
Cam Atkinson 1 | Power Play Goals | N/A |
N/A | Short Handed Goals | N/A |
Sergei Bobrovsky .963 | Save Percentage | Anton Khudobin .929 |
Sergei Bobrovsky 26 | Saves | Anton Khudobin 26 |
Team | Shots | Goals | Power Play | Penalty Kill | Penalty Mins | Face Offs Won |
Columbus | 28 | 2 | 1-3 | 4-4 | 15 | 25 |
Dallas | 27 | 1 | 0-4 | 2-3 | 13 | 31 |