Dallas Stars Reclaim Division Lead, Down Calgary Flames

The Dallas Stars started the day with a ceremony to honor former defenseman Karlis Skrastins in a pregame ceremony involving his wife and three daughters. Fans and players alike were very emotional during an event that highlighted Karlis as a hardworking hockey player, who took that dedication and spirit into every aspect of his life. The ceremony focused more on celebrating him as a Dallas Star and ambassador of the sport, but tears were still flowing, despite the positive tone.

When the puck finally dropped on the hugely important afternoon contest, it didn't take the Stars long to get down to business. Jamie Benn opened the scoring with a wrap-around goal in the opening two minutes, with the unlikely assists going to Adam Burish and Adam Pardy. Just a few minutes later, red hot sniper Michael Ryder netted the insurance marker on a feed from Mike Ribeiro.

Midway through the first period Michael Cammalleri pulled the Flames within one, assisted by Anton Babchuk and Mark Giordano. That would be it, as far as offense, until a wide-open Jamie Benn would put the game out of reach with three and a half minutes remaining in the game, on a heady pass from Steve Ott. Brenden Morrow would add an empty net goal in the dying minutes, and the Stars would come away with a crucial two points.

Scoring Summary
1st Period
01:37 DAL Jamie Benn (23) Wrap-Around - Assists: A. Burish (12) & A. Pardy (2)
07:17 DAL Michael Ryder (33) Wrist Shot - Assists: M. Ribeiro (42) & K. Lehtonen (3)
12:27 CGY Mike Cammalleri (16) Snap Shot - Assists: A. Babchuk (7) & M. Giordano (16)
2nd Period
none
3rd Period
16:27 DAL Jamie Benn (24) Snap Shot - Assists: S. Ott (26) & T. Daley (21)
18:32 DAL EN - Brenden Morrow (10) Wrist Shot - Assists: none

Defending Big D 3 Stars
1) Kari Lehtonen
2) Jamie Benn
3) Michael Ryder