Matt Duchene scored twice as the Dallas Stars remained undefeated at home this season with a 4-2 win over the visiting Chicago Blackhawks on Saturday night.
Evgenii Dadonov’s first-period goal and Jamie Benn’s marker in the second gave Dallas a seemingly comfortable 2-0 lead. Then Duchene added what ended up being the game-winner with 11:10 left in regulation, as the Blackhawks later got within one on goals from Ryan Donato and Connor Bedard.
However, Jake Oettinger (22 saves) proved stout down the stretch and Duchene put home an empty-netter for the Stars, who have outscored opponents 16-5 while starting 5-0-0 at home for the first time since 1998-99.
Patrick Maroon had two assists and Petr Mrazek, starting on back-to-back nights, made 26 saves for the Blackhawks, who lost their fourth consecutive contest in the opener of a five-game road trip.
The aggressor from the start, Dallas opened the scoring 9:17 into the game. Esa Lindell gained the puck in his own end, then flipped it all the way into Chicago’s zone for Dadonov to collect, break in alone, deke Mrazek and score his first goal of the season.
Dallas made it 2-0 with 5:18 left in the second. After Mrazek stopped Miro Heiskanen’s point-blank backhander, the puck bounced off the crossbar and fell into position for Benn to bang home.
Heiskanen earned his second assist of the night when Duchene went upstairs to beat Mrazek at 8:50 of the third with one second remaining on a Dallas power play.
The Stars’ cushion evaporated when Donato was credited with his third goal of the campaign amid a heavy net-front scrum with 10:26 left in the third. Things got even more interesting when Bedard took a long pass from Maroon, streaked in and beat Oettinger for his third marker of the season.
The Blackhawks outshot Dallas 10-5 in the third period after totaling just 14 shots on goal — to the Stars’ 25 — through the first two periods of the game.
–Field Level Media
