Roope Hintz scores twice, Stars beat Predators 3-2
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — Roope Hintz scored his second goal of the game with 52.3 seconds left to give the Dallas Stars a 3-2 victory over the Nashville Predators on Tuesday night.
Jamie Benn had a goal and an assist and Jake Oettinger made 26 saves for the Stars, winners of three of four.
Filip Forsberg and Yakov Trenin scored and Juuse Saros made 30 saves for Nashville, losers of two straight.
In the final minute, Hintz found a loose puck on the right side and fired it by Saros.
Benn scored the game’s first goal at 1:19 of the opening period.
Tyler Seguin forced a turnover inside the Nashville blue line and the puck came to Benn, who fired a wrist shot past Saros on the glove side for his 14th goal.
The goal was the 343rd of Benn’s career, placing him alone in second place on the franchise’s goals list. Mike Modano holds the franchise record with 434.
Forsberg made it 1-1 at 56 seconds of the second.
With the teams skating 4-on-4, Mattias Ekholm banked a pass off of the boards to Alexandre Carrier, whose shot was turned aside by Oettinger, but Forsberg was in front to bury the rebound.
With Dallas on a power play, Hintz redirected Jason Robertson’s shot from the center of the blue line, giving the Stars a 2-1 lead at 2:15 of the second.
Robertson extended his points streak to five games. He has one goal and seven assists over that stretch.
Trenin tied it again at 8:15 of the second with a short-handed goal off of a wrist shot from the slot that went in just underneath the crossbar.
NHL DEBUT
Stars left wing Frederik Olofsson made his NHL debut. The 26-year-old Olofsson became the third Star to make his NHL debut eight-plus years after being drafted.
Olofsson was selected in the fourth round (98th overall) in 2014 by the Chicago Blackhawks. He had three shots on goal in the game in 9:16 of ice time.
OH BABY
Predators forward Matt Duchene missed the due to what the team called, “Baby reasons.” Duchene and wife Ashley welcomed daughter Ellie Jo into the world earlier in the day.
Prior to the holiday break, Duchene scored a goal in each of his last four games, equaling a career high. Duchene scored in four-straight two other times in his career.
WHAT’S NEXT
Predators: At Anaheim on Friday night.
Stars: At Minnesota Thursday night.
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