Jamie Benn's OT goal sends Stars past skidding Ducks 3-2

Updated Apr. 1, 2022 12:54 a.m. ET

Associated Press

ANAHEIM, Calif. (AP) — Jamie Benn scored 53 seconds into overtime and the Dallas Stars completed a two-game sweep of the skidding Anaheim Ducks with a 3-2 victory Thursday night.

Benn skated past two Ducks and converted a pass from Miro Heiskanen for his 17th goal of the season for the Stars, who have won five of six overall. Dallas swept a two-game mini-series at Anaheim this week to stay in the thick of the playoff race.

Kevin Shattenkirk scored a tying goal with 3:21 left in regulation, but the Ducks still lost their 11th consecutive game. John Gibson stopped 32 shots for Anaheim.

Ryan Suter scored in the first period for Dallas, and Jake Oettinger made 21 saves for his second straight win over Anaheim. Two days earlier at Honda Center, the Stars rallied from a third-period deficit with two goals for a 3-2 victory.

Andrej Sekera scored a tiebreaking goal with 4:09 to play in the rematch for Dallas, jumping on a loose puck in the slot to score his first goal in 29 games this season.

Shattenkirk evened it 48 seconds later for the Ducks, deflecting Urho Vaakanainen's shot for his eighth goal of the season. Vaakanainen's assist was his first point since joining Anaheim in the trade of Hampus Lindholm to Boston nearly two weeks ago.

Jamie Drysdale scored his first goal since Dec. 1 for Anaheim, which earned a point for only the fourth time in 14 games in March as a once-promising season went completely sideways.

The Stars scored first on a power play when Suter knocked in a loose rebound near the crease for his sixth goal of the season.

Anaheim was offensively inert for most of the first two periods, but Gibson kept the score close until Drysdale converted on two fortunate bounces with 40 seconds left in the second. After Drysdale flung the puck in from the point, it ricocheted off the rear boards and in off the back of Oettinger's skate for the defenseman's fourth goal.

Drysdale, who turns 20 next week, is a playmaking rookie defenseman who had hit an offensive drought. He has played in all but one game this season for the Ducks, but hadn't scored a goal in 43 games.

Dallas defenseman John Klingberg got frustrated and accidentally hit linesman Vaughan Rody with the puck in the third period. Rody went down hard, but stayed in the game.

Marian Studenic appeared in his seventh game this season for Dallas in place of healthy scratch Denis Gurianov, who hadn't missed a game since Jan. 15. Sekera filled in for defenseman Esa Lindell, who has an upper-body injury.

UP NEXT

Stars: At the San Jose Sharks on Saturday.

Ducks: At the Arizona Coyotes on Friday.

___

More AP NHL: https://apnews.com/hub/NHL and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports

in this topic