Sharp, Stars stave off Sabres
DALLAS -- Patrick Sharp had two goals and Kari Lehtonen stopped 21 shots in relief of starter Antti Niemi for the Dallas Stars in a 4-3 victory over the Buffalo Sabres Thursday at American Airlines Center.
Jamie Benn and Tyler Seguin also scored for Dallas (20-20-10), who snapped a three-game winless streak.
Buffalo (20-19-9) got two goals and an assist from Evander Kane and another goal from Matt Moulson, but saw its three-game winning streak. Anders Nilsson made 33 saves.
The Sabres nearly tied the game 9:02 into the third period after Lehtonen denied an initial shot from Rasmus Ristolainen. William Carrier and Zemgus Girgensons attempted to knock in the rebound, but Esa Lindell knocked the puck out of the crease with his glove to preserve Dallas' 4-3 lead.
Sam Reinhart appeared to make it 4-4 on a backhand with 9:54 remaining, but since the puck was sitting under Lehtonen, replays during an official-ordered review were inconclusive and the play was called no-goal.
Nilsson left the ice with 30 seconds remaining, but the Sabres couldn't find an equalizer, even with several quality opportunities at close range.
Officials had one last review after the final whistle to determine if the puck had crossed the goal line with 11 seconds remaining during a flurry of activity in front of the Dallas net, but a lengthy review determined it did not.
Kane gave Buffalo an early lead with his 13th goal of the season at 3:44. Kane blew by John Klingberg before beating Niemi with a forehand.
Dallas allowed the first goal in seven consecutive games.
The Sabres doubled that lead at 9:30 of the first period when Moulson scored a power-play goal with a tip-in at the near post. Kane picked up the primary assist by feeding Moulson after skating around the back of the Dallas goal.
Dallas got on the board with 9:01 left in the first period when Patrick Sharp scored his fifth goal of the season on a wrist shot from the left point, which beat Sabres goaltender Anders Nilsson far post -- the first of four unanswered goals for the Stars.
Buffalo led 2-1 after one period but was outshot 17-5.
Kari Lehtonen replaced Niemi, who stopped three of five shots, in goal to start the second period. It was Lehtonen's seventh consecutive appearance while Niemi was pulled for a third straight game.
Dallas tied it 42 seconds into the second period when Benn scored a power-play goal. Benn sent a wrist shot under Nilsson's glove from the right circle for his 13th goal of the season.
Buffalo coach Dan Bylsma used a coach's challenge on Benn's goal, asserting that Patrick Eaves was offside. However, replays proved inconclusive, so the goal stood.
Sharp added his second goal when he sent a wrist shot under Nilsson's blocker with 6:44 remaining in the second period from the left circle, giving Dallas its first lead at 3-2.
Seguin made it 4-2 with his 18th goal of the season 4:36 before the second intermission. Seguin's shot trickled under Nilsson before the puck was accidentally tapped in by Cody Franson.
Kane scored again with 1:05 remaining in the second period off a turnover to make it 4-3. Kane intercepted an attempted clearance by Sharp at the right point and beat Lehtonen, who was screened by Brian Gionta, with a well-placed wrist shot.
Dallas led 4-3 after two periods and outshot Buffalo 36-11.
NOTES: The Sabres scratched LW Nicolas Deslauriers, D Jake McCabe and D Casey Nelson. ... The Stars scratched C Radek Faksa (lower body), RW Jiri Hudler and D Patrik Nemeth. ... Sabres G Anders Nilsson was starting his eighth game of January. ... Stars G Antti Niemi was starting for the first time since January 17 at the Rangers. ... Sabres RW Kyle Okposo will be Buffalo's representative at the 2017 NHL All-Star Game on Sunday in Los Angeles. This is Okposo's first All-Star appearance. ... Stars C Tyler Seguin is Dallas' lone All-Star. The first 10,000 fans into the arena Thursday received a Seguin bobblehead. ... Both teams resume action Tuesday with Buffalo concluding a run of six straight on the road in Montreal while Dallas hosts Toronto. ... For the second consecutive game, Stars coach Lindy Ruff made the morning skate optional. ... Scouts from the Blackhawks, Canadi