– by Adesina O. Koiki
A Lot of Sports Talk editor-in-chief
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DALLAS — It had been almost a full month since the Dallas Stars had played inside friendly confines, but it did not take too long for them to recapture the goal-scoring magic that’s been a mainstay in Big D all season long.
Logan Stankoven scored twice while Roope Hintz dished out a career-high four assists as the Stars scored three first-period goals on their way to a 6-2 victory over the Los Angeles Kings inside American Airlines Center on Friday night.
The Stars had not played inside the American Airlines Center since February 2, as they were on the road for three games before the 4 Nations Tournament break, then traveled for three more away games afterward. But Dallas was well on its way to its fourth consecutive home victory after Matt Duchene scored on the power play 11:59 into the first period to give the Stars the lead for good at 2-1. Stankoven added the first of his two tallies just 2:12 after Duchene’s goal to double the lead.
Dallas’ second power-play goal, from Wyatt Johnston almost five minutes into the second period, extended the Stars’ lead to three. In the third, Stankoven added his second before Sam Steel scored a shorthanded goal to complete the all-around performance from the Stars.
“[Stankoven] was due. He works so hard, and he’s ridden the roller coaster that a lot of young players in this league ride of confidence. He stuck with it,” Dallas coach Pete DeBoer said. “I thought tonight, he hung around the net and both of his goals were kind of stopping inside. L.A. probably defends that area better than any team in the League, so the fact that he was in there and found some pucks was great for him and great for us.”
Jake Oettinger made 29 saves for the Stars and earned his 28th win, tied for second in the league in that category.
Warren Foegele and Trevor Moore scored for the Kings, who have lost two straight.
*Editor’s note: Above the byline is the photo gallery from Friday evening’s game, with photos taken by ALOST staff photographer Ross James. After clicking on a photo to enlarge the picture, press the left and right arrow buttons on either side of the caption to scroll through the rest of the pictures that appear on the first page. Also, click on the numbers and/or arrow appearing immediately below the picture grid to load the next set of photos. There are 31 pictures in total.
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