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Mattias Janmark and Others Collect Three Points in 7-1 Stars Win Over Sabres

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The Dallas Stars completed a successful four game road trip, collecting seven of a possible eight points, by thoroughly gutting the Buffalo Sabres to the tune of 7-1. A slew of Stars had multiple points in the game. Mattias Janmark (2 G, 1 A) Esa Lindell (1 G, 2 A), and John Klingberg (3 A) all collected three points. Jamie Benn (1 G, 1 A), Jason Spezza (2 A), Alexander Radulov (2 A), and Radek Faksa (1 G, 1 A) also contributed with two points a piece.

Martin Hanzal left the game in the second period with a lower body injury and did not return to the game. Kari Lehtonen started in net and had a tidy game with 26 saves on 27 shots.

Coach Hitchcock’s decision to put Remi Elie on a line with Spezza and Janmark paid off early as that line scored the first goal. Elie came in to clean up a rebound on Spezza and Janmark’s initial chances. The second power play unit also chipped in with a power play goal from Janmark, his first of the game, when his follow-up chance on a rebound nicked Buffalo defensemen Jake McCabe and found its way past Robin Lehner.

The second period featured a flurry of goal scoring. Janmark benefitted from a smooth breakout play, setting him up to use his speed to get past the Sabres defense and pick a high corner on Lehner for his second goal of the game. The Sabres boosted their woeful power play numbers with a goal from Sam Reinhart. Jack Eichel had the initial shot, and Reinhart deftly backhanded the rebound past Lehtonen.

The Stars gained back their three goal lead with a goal on a redirect from Benn, which chased Lehner from the net. The goal kept Benn’s points streak alive at seven games. Chad Johnson didn’t fare much better than Lehner when he came in, with Lindell beating him from the point as he was being screened to push the Stars lead to four.

Stephen Johns broke his stick on a shot from the point, and the puck was redirected by Faksa. The goal was scored by Faksa while Johns was headed off the ice in frustration, unaware that he had just collected a point. Tyler Pitlick chipped in later in the third period, sending a majority of the Sabres fans to the exits, with a deflection from Klingberg’s shot from the high slot. The assist gave Klingberg his third of the game to keep his Norris trophy bid juiced.

Play of the Game

Sure, there are several goals to choose from that were far more important to the game; but the Radek Faksa goal on Stephen Johns’ broken stick shot attempt takes the cake here. Johns left the ice in frustration while his attempt was being batted in by Faksa to give him an assist in the game. It’s the type of good fortune that Johns deserves after enduring some bad breaks throughout his time in Dallas.

The Upset Three Stars of the Game

1. Mattias Janmark (2 G, 1 A) – Janmark’s speed was an asset in the game as he used it to beat Lehner for his second goal. His first goal also gave the Stars a much needed tally from their second power play unit. He won the game early.

2. Esa Lindell (1 G, 2 A) – Lindell had one of his best games of the season and played well in all three zones. He was mistake free and collected three points for his efforts.

3. John Klingberg (3 A) – There are several candidates to choose from, but Klingberg gets the edge for following up his scoreless game against Columbus with a three point effort.

The Goals

First Period

5:03 In a sequence that had Robin Lehner flailing on the play, Remi Elie cleaned up a rebound on shots from Mattias Janmark and Jason Spezza to open up the scoring. Stars 1, Sabres 0

14:09 Mattias Janmark scored a power play goal, his second point in the game, off a rebound from an Esa Lindell shot. Janmark’s attempt hit Buffalo defender Jake McCabe and went in past Robin Lehner. Stars 2, Sabres 0

Second Period

6:25 Mattias Janmark scored his second goal of the game, and third point overall, with a rush up the left side, putting the puck over Robin Lehner’s glove hand on the top shelf. Stars 3, Sabres 0

8:54 On the Sabres power play, Sam Reinhart was posted near the net and backhanded a Jack Eichel generated rebound in past a sprawling Kari Lehtonen. Stars 3, Sabres 1

9:32 Jamie Benn deflected John Klingberg’s shot from the point in past Robin Lehner for his seventh straight game with a point. Stars 4, Sabres 1

12:08 Jamie Benn dropped a pass to Alexander Radulov, who then went across the blue line to Esa Lindell. Lindell scored from the point as backup Chad Johnson was being screened. Stars 5, Sabres 1

17:31 Stephen Johns’ stick broke on a shot from the point, but the attempt was redirected by Radek Faksa past Chad Johnson to give the initially frustrated Johns an assist he didn’t expect. Stars 6, Sabres 1

Third Period

7:24 After a successful penalty kill, John Klingberg’s shot from the high slot was redirected by Tyler Pitlick to help the Stars match their highest scoring output of the season. Stars 7, Sabres 1

Sabres lineup
Benoit Pouliot — Jack Eichel — Kyle Okposo
Evander Kane — Ryan O’Reilly — Jason Pominville
Zemgus Girgensons — Evan Rodrigues — Sam Reinhart
Scott Wilson — Johan Larsson — Jordan Nolan

Marco Scandella — Rasmus Ristolainen
Jake McCabe — Justin Falk
Josh Gorges — Casey Nelson

Robin Lehner
Chad Johnson

Scratched: Nicholas Baptiste, Victor Antinpin

Injured: Nathan Beaulieu (illness), Zach Bogosian (lower body), Jacob Josefson (lower body)

Stars lineup
Jamie Benn — Tyler Seguin — Alexander Radulov
Remi Elie — Jason Spezza — Mattias Janmark
Antoine Roussel — Radek Faksa — Tyler Pitlick
Devin Shore —Martin Hanzal — Brett Ritchie

Esa Lindell — John Klingberg
Dan Hamhuis — Greg Pateryn
Dillon Heatherington — Stephen Johns

Kari Lehtonen
Ben Bishop

Scratched: Gemel Smith, Julius Honka

Injured: Marc Methot (knee)

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