National Hockey League
Dallas 4, New Jersey 2
When: 8:30 PM ET, Friday, March 4, 2016
Where: American Airlines Center, Dallas, Texas
Referees: Tom Kowal, Tim Peel
Linesmen: Brian Mach, Brandon Gawryletz
Attendance: 18117

DALLAS -- Somehow the Dallas Stars needed to stop the bleeding and end their four-game losing streak.

Thanks to a goal and an assist from Valeri Nichushkin, two assists from Mattias Janmark and Kari Lehtonen stopping 18 of 20 shots, Dallas defeated the New Jersey Devils 4-2 on Friday night at American Airlines Center.

Dallas (39-20-7) also got goals from Jason Spezza, Colton Sceviour, who also added an assist, and Vernon Fiddler in its first home win since Feb. 13 against Washington.

Alex Goligoski added two assists.

"It was solid from start to finish, really. We defended really well. We played strong in our own end, and I thought we got real good effort from all four lines," Stars coach Lindy Ruff said.

New Jersey (31-28-7) got goals from Adam Henrique, who now has four goals in his last four games, and Devante Smith-Pelly.

Smith-Pelly scored his eighth of the season with 4:19 remaining in regulation on a tap-in at the far post after John Moore's slap shot from the left point deflected off the end boards. Damon Severson collected the carom and passed it to Smith-Pelly, who scored into the open net to make it 3-2.

"Yeah, I think all six of us the ice had the belief that we were going to get one there at the end, especially on the power play. It didn't work out tonight, but there's always belief," Smith-Pelly said.

Cory Schneider stopped 15 of 18 shots before leaving the ice 2:05 into the third because of an injury, with Keith Kinkaid replacing him.

"We don't have any updates right now," Devils coach John Hynes said about Schneider. "(I know) just that he's hurt. He made a great save and then had trouble getting up."

Kinkaid made six saves in relief of Schneider before leaving the ice with 1:30 remaining. Schneider returned with 1:07 remaining before heading to the bench again with 45 seconds left.

New Jersey had a power play with 32 seconds remaining thanks to a hooking call on Johnny Oduya, but an empty-net goal by Fiddler with 19.8 remaining, his 100th career goal, iced the win for Dallas.

Dallas struck first when Nichushkin, celebrating his 21st birthday, scored his ninth of the season 8:01 into the first period. Severson turned the puck over near the Dallas blue line, a wayward pass intercepted by Janmark.

Janmark hit Nichushkin with a pass near the Devils' blue line and Nichushkin skated across the front of the goal and finished with a wrist shot into the left side of the net.

"I think the best present was since we won tonight," Nichushkin said.

Early in the first, Dallas lost young defenseman John Klingberg to a lower-body injury. Klingberg logged 1:25 of ice time on two shifts before leaving the ice. He did not return.

"Short-term, it looks like just a little bit of time. That's just sort of a muscular thing, it looks like. We don't know exactly," Ruff said of Klingberg.

The Devils pulled even when Henrique scored his 23rd of the season off a backhand 5:14 into the second. Adam Larsson's wrist shot from near the Dallas blue line deflected off heavy traffic in front of the Stars net and the puck fell to Henrique, who scored from near the far post.

Dallas regained its lead 1:01 later when Spezza scored his 23rd of the season off the rush. Janmark fed Spezza from the left side. Spezza got his stick on the end of Janmark's pass, which hit Spezza in stride, knocking it through Schneider's five-hole.

The Stars doubled their lead to 3-1 when Sceviour redirected a Goligoski wrist shot from near the Devils' blue line at 11:24 of the second period.

Sceviour was one of a number of players in front of the visiting net, and he got his stick on Goligoski's attempt long enough to redirect it into the back of the net for Sceviour's ninth of the season.

NOTES: The Devils scratched RW Bobby Farnham and D David Warsofsky. The Stars scratched D Jordie Benn (lower body), RW Patrick Eaves (illness), LW Travis Moen, D Jamie Oleksiak and LW Patrick Sharp (lower body). ... Devils G Cory Schneider appeared in his 55th game of the season. ... RW Brett Ritchie was recalled from AHL Texas on Thursday and skated on Dallas' top line alongside LW Jamie Benn and C Tyler Seguin. ... Devils D David Schlemko, who had two assists in a 5-4 overtime win at Nashville on Thursday, played five games for Dallas during the 2014-15 season. ... Stars D Johnny Oduya spent four seasons with New Jersey. ... The Devils concluded a two-game road trip. ... The Stars wrapped up a run with five of seven games on home ice. ... Devils D Andy Greene appeared in his 295th consecutive game, the sixth-longest run in Devils history.
Top Game Performances
 
New Jersey   Dallas
Adam Henrique 1 Points Valeri Nichushkin 2
Adam Henrique 1 Goals Valeri Nichushkin 1
Sergey Kalinin 1 Assists Alex Goligoski 2
N/A Power Play Goals N/A
N/A Short Handed Goals Vernon Fiddler 1
Keith Kinkaid 1.000 Save Percentage Kari Lehtonen .900
Cory Schneider 15 Saves Kari Lehtonen 18
Team Stats Summary
 
Team Shots Goals Power Play Penalty Kill Penalty Mins Face Offs Won
New Jersey 20 2 0-3 3-3 11 23
Dallas 25 4 0-3 3-3 11 36
Upcoming Games
  • Dallas will play their next game on the road against Ottawa. The Stars have a W/L % of .553 after a win and .643 after a loss.
  • New Jersey will play their next game at home against Pittsburgh. The Devils have a W/L % of .406 after a win and .529 after a loss.