Stars 4, Predators 1
Mike Ribeiro scored twice in the first period and Jamie Benn added a goal and an assist as the Dallas Stars spoiled Nashville captain Shea Weber's return with a 4-1 road victory over the Predators on Thursday.
Adam Burish also tallied and Loui Eriksson notched a pair of assists for Dallas, which had lost three of four.
Weber returned to Nashville's lineup after missing four games with a concussion suffered in a 6-3 loss at Dallas on Dec. 23. The blue-liner played 17 1/2 minutes and registered one shot and a minus-2 rating.
Ribeiro opened the scoring less than 4 1/2 minutes into the game when he skated around defenseman Roman Josi in the slot and used a deke on Pekka Rinne before sliding a backhander into a vacant net.
After Gabriel Bourque knotted the contest at 8:31 with his first career goal, Ribeiro tapped in a loose puck in the crease with one hand on his stick, giving the Stars the lead for good with 39 seconds left in the opening period.
Benn made it 3-1 just 6 1/2 minutes into the second.
Thinking his defense partner was in position for a pass, Nashville's Ryan Suter banked the puck off the end boards behind the net. However, Benn was there alone near the right post and fired the puck past an unsuspecting Rinne for his 11th goal.
Dallas nearly opened a three-goal lead two minutes later, but Steve Ott hit the left post on a penalty shot after being harassed by Suter during a breakaway. Burish accomplished the feat in the third by deflecting Tom Wandell's slap shot past Rinne.
Rinne made 26 saves for the Predators, who had their three-game winning streak snapped.