Stars 4, Devils 2
DALLAS -- Valeri Nichushkin had a goal and an assist, Mattias Janmark had two assists and Kari Lehtonen stopped 18 of 20 shots for the Dallas Stars in a 4-2 win over the New Jersey Devils on Friday night at American Airlines Center, snapping a four-game losing streak.
Dallas (39-20-7) also got a goals from Jason Spezza, Colton Scevour and Vernon Fiddler in its first home win since Feb. 13 against Washington.
New Jersey (31-28-7) got goals from Adam Henrique, who now has four goals in his last four games, and Devante Smith-Pelly.
Smith-Pelly scored his eighth goal of the season with 4:19 remaining in regulation on a tap-in at the far post after John Moore's slap shot from the left point deflected off the end boards. Damon Severson collected the carom and passed it to Smith-Pelly, who scored into the open net to make it 3-2.
Cory Schneider stopped 14 of 17 shots before leaving the ice 2:05 into the third period because of an injury with Keith Kinkaid replacing him.
The Stars nearly went up 4-1 early in the third period, but Tyler Seguin's wrist shot from the left circle at 6:26 found the far post.
Kinkaid made seven saves in relief of Schneider before leaving the ice with 1:30 remaining. Schneider returned with 1:07 remaining before heading to the bench again with 45 seconds left.
New Jersey had a power play with 32 seconds remaining thanks to a hooking call on Johnny Oduya, but an empty-net goal by Fiddler with 19.8 remaining, the 100th goal of his career, iced the win for Dallas.
Dallas struck first when Nichushkin scored his ninth goal of the season 8:01 into the first period. Severson turned the puck over near the Dallas blue line, a wayward pass intercepted by Janmark.
Janmark hit Nichushkin with a pass near the Devils' blue line and Nichushkin skated across the front of the visiting goal and finished with a wrist shot into the left side of the New Jersey net to make it 1-0.
Early in the first period, Dallas lost young defenseman John Klingberg to a lower-body injury. Klingberg logged 1:25 of ice time on two shifts before leaving the ice. He did not return.
The Devils pulled even when Henrique scored his 23rd goal of the season off a backhand 5:14 into the second period. Adam Larsson's wrist shot from near the Dallas blue line deflected off heavy traffic in front of the Stars net and the puck fell to Henrique, who scored from near the far post.
Dallas regained its lead 1:01 later when Spezza scored his 23rd goal of the season off the rush. Janmark fed Spezza from the left side. Spezza got his stick on the end of Janmark's pass, which hit Spezza in stride, knocking it through the five-hole of Schneider.
The Stars doubled their lead to 3-1 when Sceviour redirected a wrist shot by Alex Goligoski from near the Devils' blue line at 11:24 of the second period.
Sceviour was one of a number of players in front of the visiting net, and he got his stick on Goligoski's attempt long enough to redirect it into the back of the net for Sceviour's ninth goal of the season.
Goligoski created enough space to take the initial shot by forcing New Jersey's Tuomo Ruutu to the ice.
NOTES: The Devils scratched RW Bobby Farnham and D David Warsofsky. The Stars scratched D Jordie Benn (lower body), RW Patrick Eaves (illness), LW Travis Moen, D Jamie Oleksiak and LW Patrick Sharp (lower body). ... Devils G Cory Schneider appeared in his 55th game of the season. ... RW Brett Ritchie was recalled from AHL Texas on Thursday and skated on Dallas' top line alongside LW Jamie Benn and C Tyler Seguin. ... Devils D David Schlemko, who had two assists in a 5-4 overtime win at Nashville on Thursday, played five games for Dallas during the 2014-15 season. ... Stars D Johnny Oduya spent four seasons with New Jersey. ... The Devils concluded a two-game road trip. ... The Stars wrapped up a run with five of seven games on home ice. ... Devils D Andy Greene appeared in his 295th consecutive game, the sixth-longest run in Devils history.