Jamie Benn scores goal, Dallas loses to Buffalo 4-1

DALLAS (AP) – Rasmus Dahlin scored a tiebreaking goal in the second period, Linus Ullmark made 28 saves and the Buffalo Sabres beat the Dallas Stars 4-1 Thursday night.

Dahlin took a pass from Henri Jokiharju and sent a wrist shot from the top of the right faceoff circle past goalie Ben Bishop at 16:10.

Jimmy Vesey scored a first-period goal for Buffalo, and Michael Frolik and Zemgus Girgensons added empty-net goals.

Jamie Benn scored the Stars’ goal in the second period. Bishop stopped 18 shots.

Buffalo matched a season best with its third straight win. The Sabres successfully killed all four Stars power plays. Buffalo has won five of the past seven games, with a 15-for-17 success rate on the penalty kill.

Dallas had won seven of eight, without allowing more than two goals in any of them.

Dallas controlled the puck early but Buffalo scored first after a Stars turnover. Jack Eichel took the puck away along the right boards and passed cross-ice to Sam Reinhart. With Bishop moving toward Reinhart, he passed back to the right to Vesey for an easy wrist shot into the open half of the net at 7:01.

Each team had eight shots on goal in the first period.

Benn tied it 4:28 into the second period. Miro Heiskanen‘s shot from the point missed the net but bounced off the boards to Benn at the left of the net. With Ullmark down, Benn had an open net for his wrist shot.

Dahlin restored the Sabres’ lead with his third goal this season.

Even though Dallas outshot Buffalo 16-5 in the period, it ended with the Sabres holding the 2-1 lead.

NOTES: Stars D Miro Heiskanen did not play after the second period because of an upper-body injury. … Eichel’s assist on the game’s first goal gave him his second points streak of nine or more games this season, matched only by Boston’s David Pastrnak. Eichel has at least one point in 27 of his last 29 games. … Sabres C Sam Reinhart had an assist, giving him 20 points (seven goals, 13 assists) in the past 20 games. … Dallas D Stephen Johns was recalled from a conditioning assignment with Texas of the AHL but wasn’t added to the active roster and did not play. Johns has not played an NHL game since March 29, 2018, because of post-traumatic headaches. … Stars RW Corey Perry returned from a five-game suspension for elbowing Predators defenseman Ryan Ellis. … Dallas C Radek Faksa (upper-body injury) missed his second straight game, and C Mattias Janmark was out with an illness.

UP NEXT

Sabres: Finish a two-game trip on Saturday at Nashville.

Stars: Visit Minnesota on Saturday for their last game before the All-Star break.