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National Hockey League
BOXSCORE | RECAP
Dallas 5, Washington 4
When: 8:00 PM ET, Saturday, January 17, 2015
Where: American Airlines Center, Dallas, Texas
Referees: Darcy Burchell, Chris Rooney
Linesmen: Tony Sericolo, Greg Devorski
Attendance: 18532

Stars 5, Capitals 4: Antoine Roussel and captain Jamie Benn scored 16 seconds apart early in the third period to stem a comeback as host Dallas handed Washington back-to-back losses for the first time since Nov. 29-Dec. 2.

Tyler Seguin, Jason Spezza and Erik Cole each recorded a goal and an assist as the Stars survived blowing a three-goal lead to beat the Capitals for the sixth straight time. Rookie defenseman Jyrki Jokipakka collected a pair of assists following a promotion from the minors earlier in the day and Kari Lehtonen turned aside 28 shots.

Red-hot captain Alex Ovechkin and Nicklas Backstrom each registered a goal and an assist for Washington, which has lost two in a row in regulation after earning a point in each of its previous nine games (7-0-2). Eric Fehr and Andre Burakovsky added second-period goals while Justin Peters made 21 saves in his first appearance since Nov. 29.

Ovechkin scored on a breakaway 21 seconds into the third period to draw the Capitals even at 3-3, but Roussel knocked home a rebound at 3:14 and Benn buried a crossing pass from Seguin seconds later. Backstrom's one-timer from the slot with 3:26 to play cut the deficit to 5-4.

Spezza's behind-the-back pass during a power play set up Seguin all alone in front 2:26 into the contest before Cole's redirect with 1:42 left in the period doubled the lead. Spezza finished off a 3-on-1 rush 4:13 into the middle session before Fehr beat Lehtonen between the pads 77 seconds later and Burakovsky cut the deficit to 3-2 with a laser with 3:54 left in the period.

GAME NOTEBOOK: Seguin took over the league lead with his 27th goal while also reaching 50 points on the season. ... Ovechkin scored for the ninth time in 10 games to move within one goal of tying Rick Middleton (448) for 59th place on the all-time list. ... Stars C Vernon Fiddler returned after missing two games, but D Trevor Daley (undisclosed) sat out along with F Brett Ritchie, who was placed on injured reserve.
Top Game Performances
 
Washington   Dallas
Nicklas Backstrom 2 Points Erik Cole 2
Nicklas Backstrom 1 Goals Erik Cole 1
Nicklas Backstrom 1 Assists Jyrki Jokipakka 2
N/A Power Play Goals Tyler Seguin 1
N/A Short Handed Goals N/A
Justin Peters .808 Save Percentage Kari Lehtonen .875
Justin Peters 21 Saves Kari Lehtonen 28
Team Stats Summary
 
Team Shots Goals Power Play Penalty Kill Penalty Mins Face Offs Won
Washington 32 4 0-3 4-5 10 47
Dallas 26 5 1-5 3-3 6 23
Upcoming Games
  • Dallas will play their next game on the road against Chicago. The Stars have a W/L % of .579 after a win and .360 after a loss.
  • Washington will play their next game at home against Edmonton. The Capitals have a W/L % of .480 after a win and .600 after a loss.