A day after recording his first NHL shutout, Leevi Merilainen stopped 24 shots to help the Ottawa Senators defeat the Dallas Stars 3-2 on Sunday at the Canadian Tire Centre.
The Stars (27-14-1) had won their last seven games and scored 27 goals during this streak.
Trailing 3-1, the Stars cut the deficit to a single goal when Evgenii Dadonov scored with 52.7 seconds left on the clock. However, they were unable to complete the comeback.
Sunday’s match marked Merilainen’s first home outing this season. His first five starts took place abroad.
The two teams played a second match in two evenings.
Jason Robertson opened the scoring in the first period for the Stars, but Merilainen then managed to keep the Senators in the lead.
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Josh Norris tied the game early in the second period, following a pass from Drake Batherson. He hit the puck on the fly to score his first goal in six games.
The Senators took the lead 39 seconds later. Goalkeeper Casey DeSmith was caught out of position and Tim Stützle took advantage of the situation to score his 14th goal of the season.
The Stars thought they tied the game 2-2 midway through the second period during a power play. However, the Senators contested the goal and replays confirmed that there had been offside when entering the zone. The goal was canceled.
Matthew Highmore widened the gap to 3-1 after 21 seconds of play in the third period. He scored his first goal in the NHL since April 21, 2022, while he wore the colors of the Vancouver Canucks.
DeSmith stopped 25 shots in front of the Stars net.
Canada
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