DALLAS (AP) — Defenseman Thomas Harley scored with 0.2 seconds left in the first period and Arttu Hyry added an empty-netter with 0.3 left in the game as the Dallas Stars beat the Columbus Blue Jackets 3-1 on Saturday night.
Mikko Rantanen also scored for the Stars, who broke a two-game losing streak during which they never led to finish a season-long six-game homestand 4-2-0.
Defenseman Damon Severson scored and Jet Greaves stopped 14 shots for the
Blue Jackets, who dropped the last two games of a three-game road trip.
Jake Oettinger, fifth in the NHL with a 1.69 goals-against average going into play, stopped 25 of 26 shots to bounce back after allowing seven goals in his two previous outings.
Stars defenseman Miro Heiskanen had two assists.
Harley whistled a shot from the left half wall into a sliver of space between Greaves’ right skate and the post for his first goal of the season to give the Stars a 2-0 lead.
Rantanen had opened the scoring 33 seconds into a power play at 2:16 of the first period after Greaves was called for delay of game. Rantanen tapped in a cross-crease, backhand pass from Wyatt Johnston for his team-high seventh goal.
Severson scored at 6:21 of the third, about four minutes after the Stars successfully challenged a Jackets goal by Valeri Nichushkin for offside.
Dallas killed Columbus’ one power play, running its top-ranked penalty kill to 28 straight successful dating to Oct. 13.
Blue Jackets defenseman Ivan Provorov made his season debut after being placed on injured reserve on Oct. 1. Columbus used 11 forwards and seven defensemen.
Two of Dallas’ wins on the homestand came against the Stars’ two previous coaches — Columbus’ Rick Bowness and Pete DeBoer of the New York Islanders.
The teams will play their other inter-conference game next Thursday at Columbus.
Blue Jackets: Host Colorado on Tuesday.
Stars: Visit Washington on Tuesday.
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