Dallas Stars Declaw Panthers; Tom Wandell Scores Twice In 4-1 Victory

The Dallas Stars got back on track as they beat up on the Florida Panthers. Jamie Benn (three assists) and Tom Wandell (two goals) led the Dallas Stars to a 4-1 win over the Panthers, three days after being embarrassed by the Tampa Bay Lightning. Kari Lehtonen made 27 saves and nearly had his first shutout of the season as the Stars were perfect on the penalty kill for the first time in six games. The Stars are now 5-1-0 on the young season and hope to continue their strong start when they kick off a six-game homestand Saturday night against Nashville.

The Dallas Stars need Jamie Benn to be successful. When Adam Burish was taken out of the game with a misconduct I wondered if Benn would move up to RW, but Crawford decided to reunite the Ott, Benn and Wandell line instead as he moved Segal up to the second line. Benn responded with three assists and generally outstanding play the entire game; his line created all sorts of havoc on a night with the top two lines had a bit of a dry spell. If the Stars hope to actually be a successful team this season, this deep scoring ability will be key later in the year.