ANAHEIM, Calif. -- Two mistakes that resulted in two short-handed goals cost the Dallas Stars a chance to secure the best record in the Western Conference, and put the Anaheim Ducks into first place in their division with four games to play.

Nate Thompson and Ryan Kesler scored short-handed goals to give the Ducks a 3-1 victory over the Stars on Sunday night in front of 16,585 at the Honda Center.

"It really was our best game in a month," Anaheim coach Bruce Boudreau said. "We'd like to continue to play at this level for the next four games. But, for sure, we know we can do it when we put our minds to it."

Ryan Getzlaf added an empty-net goal and goalie John Gibson stopped 25 shots for the Ducks (44-24-10), who used their fourth win in five games to move into first place in the Pacific Division by one point over the idle Los Angeles Kings.

"We played exactly how we needed to play against a team like this," Anaheim left winger Andrew Cogliano said of the Stars, who averaged a league-leading 3.26 goals per game entering the contest. "We played a patient game and we didn't give them too many chances, really. That should be a big confidence booster for us and get us back on the right track."

The Stars (48-23-9), despite getting a late goal from Radek Faksa, watched their four-game winning streak end and their lead in the Central Division shrink to two points over the second-place St. Louis Blues and four points over the Chicago Blackhawks.

Dallas has two games remaining in the final week of the regular season, both at home, but the Blues and Blackhawks must play three apiece. St. Louis and Chicago have two of their final three at home.

"To lose two points like that is disappointing," Stars left winger Jamie Benn said. "Mental mistakes killed us."

Thompson scored his third goal in three games, the longest such streak of his career, while the Ducks were defusing Cogliano's tripping penalty.

Dallas defenseman John Klingberg made a backhanded drop pass that Thompson intercepted at center ice. Thompson faked to his backhand and deposited the puck between goalie Antti Niemi's right skate and the left post at 12:14 of the second period.

"I've seen bigger mistakes," Stars coach Lindy Ruff said. "'Klinger' is young and he's going to make some mistakes but he's got to get through them. He's also made some great plays."

Gibson made three critical saves earlier in the period. About two minutes into the period, Gibson stopped Valeri Nichushkin on a breakaway by closing his legs just before the puck crossed the goal line.

Nearly five minutes later, Gibson used his left pad to stop Patrick Sharp twice in two seconds after Sharp received a pass off the draw from a faceoff in the Ducks' zone.

Kesler scored Anaheim's second short-handed goal 10 seconds into the final period while Clayton Stoner served another tripping penalty. Sharp tried to pass to Klingberg by banking the puck off base of the boards behind the net. But Jakob Silfverberg intercepted the pass and set the puck to Kesler, who snapped a wrist shot inside the right post for his 19th goal.

The Ducks had not scored two short-handed goals in a game since March 12, 2015, against the then-Phoenix Coyotes.

The Stars pulled Niemi for an extra attacker with 2:21 to play, enabling Faksa to score his fifth goal with 1:29 left. But Getzlaf's 13th ended the scoring with 21.3 seconds remaining.

Niemi finished with 22 saves.

NOTES: Dallas scratched D Jason Demers (shoulder), LW Mattias Janmark (upper body), D Jamie Oleksiak, RW Brett Ritchie (lower body), D Kris Russell (foot) and C Tyler Seguin (Achilles). Janmark sustained his injury Saturday against the Los Angeles Kings. ... Anaheim scratched G Frederik Andersen (concussion), D Kevin Bieksa (upper body), D Simon Despres (upper body), LW David Perron (separated right shoulder), LW Brandon Pirri (upper body) and C Rickard Rakell (appendicitis). Pirri was hurt in the second period of the Friday night game against the Vancouver Canucks. ... Ducks LW Andrew Cogliano played in his 700th consecutive game, the longest streak of its kind among active players and the sixth longest in NHL history. ... Ducks RW Corey Perry played in his 800th career game.