Khudobin has 35 saves, Stars fall 2-1 to Golden Knights
DALLAS (AP) – Ryan Reaves scored the tiebreaking goal early in the third period, and the Vegas Golden Knights beat the Dallas Stars 2-1 Friday night.
Max Pacioretty scored in the opening minute of the game for Vegas, and Marc-Andre Fleury stopped 40 shots – including 16 in the third period – for his 35th win. The Golden Knights have won seven of eight to remain third in the Pacific Division.
Roope Hintz scored for Dallas and Anton Khudobin finished with 35 saves and also stopped a penalty shot by William Karlsson in the second period. The Stars lost for just the second time in eight games but fell from third in the Central Division behind St. Louis. Each team has 79 points, but the Blues have a game in hand.
On the go-ahead goal, Reaves put a wrist shot inside the left goal post at 2:37 of the third. He took the rebound of a shot by Pierre-Edouard Bellemare off Khudobin’s save and the deflection off a defender’s skate. It was Reaves’ ninth of the season and first in 26 games.
Pacioretty put Vegas ahead just 18 seconds into the game, scoring on a snap shot from between the faceoff circles.
Hintz tied it at 4:04 as he stole the puck from Derek Engelland in the Vegas zone, skated to the right of the goal and put in a backhander.
Khudobin made a pad save on Karlsson’s penalty shot at 1:37 of the second period. Esa Lindell was called for holding on a breakaway.
NOTES: The Stars finished 0 for 5 on the power play, falling to 1 for 15 over the last six games. .. Vegas has allowed just one power-play goal in 13 chances over the last six games. … Hintz has four goals in the past three games after scoring only five in his first 44. … Khudobin started in place of Ben Bishop, who left Thursday’s game with a lower-body injury. Each Dallas goalie has stopped a penalty shot this season without allowing a goal. … Vegas is 1 for 3 on penalty shots.
UP NEXT
Golden Knights: Host Edmonton on Sunday.
Stars: At Vancouver on Sunday in the second of a five-game homestand.
