NEWARK, N.J. (AP) — Jason Robertson scored his 17th goal of the season, Jake Oettinger stopped all 31 shots he faced and the Dallas Stars shut out the New Jersey Devils 3-0 on Wednesday night.
While Robertson kept building his case to make the U.S. Olympic team scoring on a give-and-go with Esa Lindell, a trio of other Finns were responsible for the Stars’ other offensive production. Roope Hintz fed Miro Heiskanen for the Stars’ first goal, while Mikko Rantanen scored on a rebound to get their third.
Oettinger, also likely Milan-bound as one of three American goaltenders, was at his best at the other end of the ice to pick up his first career victory against the Devils — the last of the NHL’s other 31 teams he hadn’t beaten. Oettinger made back-to-back pad saves on Luke Glendening and Juho Lammikko late in the first period and denied Dawson Mercer (twice) and Connor Brown on some high-quality chances in the second.
Lindell and captain Jamie Benn each had two assists. The Stars have killed off 19 consecutive penalties over the past six games and improved to 12-0-0 when leading at the second intermission.
Dallas was playing its first game without its second-longest-tenured player, Tyler Seguin, who tore the ACL in his right knee Tuesday night at the New York Rangers. Coach Glen Gulutzan said Seguin will probably miss the rest of the season.
Jacob Markstrom allowed three goals on 27 shots for New Jersey, which lost a third game in a row and for the sixth time in its past nine. Top player Jack Hughes has been out this entire stretch and is expected to miss at least another month after undergoing surgery to repair a non-hockey finger injury.
Up next
Stars: Return home to face San Jose on Friday night.
Devils: Host Vegas on Friday night.