DALLAS (AP) — Kari Lehtonen stopped 37 shots, Alex Goligoski and Jamie Benn scored second-period goals, and the Dallas Stars held on to beat the Chicago Blackhawks 2-1 on Friday night in the opener for both teams.
Lehtonen was at his best in the second period, making a series of sliding saves while Chicago built a 22-12 shots advantage, a total pumped up by three power plays.
Lehtonen came up with a key stop with about 5 minutes left on Jamal Mayers’ short-handed attempt from the left circle, and denied Patrick Sharp on a solo rush with 4 minutes remaining.
With goalie Corey Crawford on the bench in favor of a sixth attacker, Nick Leddy scored from the left circle with 13.6 seconds to play as Chicago avoided the shutout. Crawford made 31 saves.
The teams will meet again Saturday night in Chicago.
