Stars 4, Oilers 2
DALLAS -- Dallas Stars center Jason Spezza had a hat trick, including the game-winner late in the third period, and goalie Kari Lehtonen stopped 26 of 28 shots in his first start of the season, a 4-2 win against over the Edmonton Oilers on Tuesday night at American Airlines Center.
Spezza's first tally came 2:12 before the first intermission when he scored from a nearly impossible angle. His wrist shot came from outside the right circle and struck the pad of Oilers goaltender Anders Nilsson before crossing the line.
Stars rookie center Mattias Janmark was credited with the primary assist on the Spezza goal, giving him three points (two goals, one assist) in his first three NHL games.
Spezza's second tally came with 4:30 remaining in regulation, when he beat Nilsson through the five-hole with a wrist shot from the high slot. Spezza completed the hat trick with an empty-net goal with 57 seconds remaining.
Left winger and captain Jamie Benn also scored for Dallas (2-1-0).
Edmonton got goals from defenseman Oscar Klefbom and center Connor McDavid, his first NHL goal. Left winger Benoit Pouliot had two assists for the Oilers.
Midway through the opening frame, Dallas lost right winger Patrick Eaves to a lower-body injury. Eaves, who did not return to the ice, had been skating on the Stars' top line with Benn and center Tyler Seguin.
Early in the second period, Benn made it 2-0 with a nice wraparound goal. After receiving the puck behind the visiting net, he skated around the right side of the net and tucked the puck inside the near post, beating Nilsson through the five-hole.
However, the Oilers answered twice to tie the game with two goals within 1:23 later in the middle frame, making it 2-2. Klefbom scored with a hard slap shot from the left circle that deflected in off the arm of Dallas center Vernon Fiddler at 10:55.
Then, McDavid, the first overall pick in the 2015 draft, scored his first career goal by deflecting in a shot by defenseman Andrej Sekera past beat Lehtonen, far post.
The Stars had an apparent goal by right winger Patrick Sharp waved off at 9:43 of the third period. Sharp looked to have put a shot past Nilsson at the far post but after a lengthy review, the play was ruled dead.
Nilsson stopped 48 of 51 shots before leaving the ice with 1:20 remaining.
NOTES: Oilers D Andrew Ference, C Rob Klinkhammer and D Griffin Reinhart were scratched. ... Stars D Patrik Nemeth, RW Valeri Nichushkin and D Jamie Oleksiak were scratched. ... Oilers G Anders Nilsson was making his Edmonton debut. Nilsson has 23 games of NHL experience with the Islanders and spent last season in the KHL. ... Stars G Kari Lehtonen was making his first start of the season. Lehtonen's last start came April 3 against St. Louis when he allowed six goals on 19 shots. ... Oilers LW Taylor Hall skated on Edmonton's first line after missing morning skate due to illness and being called questionable by Oilers coach Todd McLellan. ... Stars C Colton Sceviour, a healthy scratch in Dallas' first two games, was making his season debut and appearing in his 100th NHL game. ... Tuesday marked the first of three regular-season meetings between these teams.