NHL-Stars take 2-0 series lead with win over Wild

April 16 (The Sports Xchange) - Jamie Benn scored the game-winning goal midway through the third period and goalie Kari Lehtonen stopped 25 of 26 shots for the Dallas Stars in a 2-1 win against the Minnesota Wild in Game 2 of the Western Conference first-round series on Saturday night at American Airlines Center. Benn scored his second goal of the playoffs with 9:37 remaining in regulation, beating Wild goaltender Devan Dubnyk with a backhand through his five-hole on a breakaway. Benn gained possession inside the neutral zone after Cody Eakin flipped the puck off the boards from inside the Dallas zone. Benn rushed up the left side of the ice and then finished with a backhand for the eventual game-winner. Minnesota cut it to 2-1 with 7:18 remaining in regulation when Marco Scandella beat Lehtonen far post on a slap shot from the right point. Dallas leads the best-of-7 series 2-0. Game 3 is at Xcel Energy Center in Minnesota on Monday. Antoine Roussel scored his first career playoff goal off a deflection. Scandella was trying to clear the puck from behind the visiting goal, but the puck first hit the skate of Ales Hemsky and deflected a second time off Roussel's skate. The puck flipped over the top of the goal, hitting Wild goaltender Devan Dubnyk in the back of his mask before crossing the line. However, play was blown dead and the initial call on the ice was no goal since Dubnyk had caused the goal to wobble on its moorings. Following a lengthy video review, the original call was overturned and Roussel was credited with the goal since the puck crossed the line and Dubnyk had only wobbled the net instead of dislodging it. Lehtonen made one of his better saves of the night 1:02 into the game when he denied a wrist shot by Nino Niederreiter with a pad save on a breakaway. Lehtonen also turned away a wrist shot by Mikael Granlund at close range with 8:36 remaining before the first intermission. The game was scoreless after one period with Dallas outshooting Minnesota 14-7. Stars center Tyler Seguin skated on both the first and fourth lines for Dallas in his first game back from an Achilles injury sustained on March 17. Seguin finished with 15:40 of ice time. Dubnyk stopped 26 of 28 shots in a losing effort before leaving the ice with 41 seconds remaining. Lehtonen denied Wild captain Mikko Koivu as he attempted to redirect a shot at close range with 27.1 seconds remaining as Minnesota had the extra attacker. Minnesota got one final power play with 4.4 seconds remaining after a crosschecking call on Patrick Eaves, but Dallas won the ensuing faceoff and was able to clear the puck as the final horn sounded.