Music: {allcanada} Stars edge Senators to earn shootout victory

Sunday, November 3, 2013

{allcanada} Stars edge Senators to earn shootout victory

OTTAWA -- Jamie Benn scored in the shootout and Kari Lehtonen stopped all three Ottawa Senators shooters to give the Dallas Stars a 4-3 win Sunday.

Benn scored on Dallas' second attempt in the tiebreaker on Robin Lehner, who replaced an injured Craig Anderson early in overtime.

Ottawa's Bobby Ryan scored the tying goal with 9.6 seconds left in the third period to send the game to overtime.

With Anderson on the bench for an extra attacker, Ryan broke his stick on a shot from the slot when he beat Lehtonen to even it at three after taking Milan Michalek's centering pass from behind the net.

Anderson left the game at 1:44 of overtime after he was run over by Stars rookie Valeri Nichushkin. The Ottawa goalie was taken off on a stretcher, but gave a thumb's up and a wave to fans at Canadian Tire Centre.

Anderson had made 33 saves when he was replaced by Lehner. Lehtonen made 33 saves for the Stars.

Antoine Roussel scored an unassisted goal at 3:11 of the third period to put Dallas ahead 3-2. Roussel got credit for his first goal of the season after Ottawa rookie defenseman Mark Borowiecki put the puck past Anderson into his own net while trying to clear the crease.

Ray Whitney scored his first goal of the season for Dallas at 17:03 of the first period. Nichushkin made it a 2-0 with his first NHL goal at the 30-second mark of the second.

Erik Karlsson and Jason Spezza tied it with goals later in the second for the Senators, whose winless streak reached a season-high five games (0-3-2).

Dallas outshot Ottawa 19-9 in the first, including Benn's scoring chance off a set-up from Nichushkin 28 seconds after the opening faceoff. A video review upheld the on-ice ruling that Anderson had kept the puck from crossing the goal line.

Senators defenseman Jared Cowen was caught pinching on the Stars' opening goal. Whitney drove the right side and fired a slap shot over Anderson's left shoulder into the top right corner.

Ottawa defenseman Chris Phillips was also caught up ice on Dallas' second goal, following through on a check on Benn along the boards. Nichushkin took Brenden Dillon's drop pass and beat Anderson with a wrist shot from the top of the right faceoff circle.

Karlsson scored on a 3-on-1 at 7:41 of the second period to draw Ottawa to within one. The Senators had successfully killed off Chris Neil's double minor moments earlier when Kyle Turris sent Ryan away on a break down the ice with Karlsson and only defenseman Stephane Robidas back for Dallas.

Ryan passed as Robidas sprawled to the ice to block and Karlsson snapped a one-timer past Lehtonen for his fourth goal.

Karlsson got his second point of the period with an assist on Spezza's goal. Turris took Karlsson's pass and drove a slap shot from the left point that struck the end boards and bounced out front to Spezza, who evened it at two with his eighth goal.

Nichushkin showed his standout speed early with a rush from his zone through the middle that he turned into a breakaway as he blew past Patrick Wiercioch, who took a hooking penalty on the play at 12:41 of the first for his second minor of the opening period after Anderson turned aside the 18-year-old Russian.

Borowiecki dished out a couple of solid hits in the second, including an open-ice hit on Nichushkin as he entered the Ottawa zone that sent the rookie's stick flying.

Dallas left wing Ryan Garbutt returned after serving his five-game suspension for an illegal hit on Dustin Penner of the Anaheim Ducks.

David Johnston, Canada's Governor General, was on hand for the Senators' 10th annual Armed Forces Appreciation Day. Johnston was in full military dress as he dropped the puck between team captains Benn and Spezza for the ceremonial opening faceoff.

About 3,000 Canadian armed forces personnel were among the crowd of 18,106 on hand for the game.

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