Dallas Stars goaltender Casey DeSmith (1) makes a save with his leg during the first period of an NHL hockey game against the Utah Hockey Club, Monday, Dec. 23, 2024, in Salt Lake City. (AP Photo/Tyler Tate)
SALT LAKE CITY (AP) — Roope Hintz scored his team-leading 15th goal to help the Dallas Stars beat Utah 3-2 on Monday night.
Hintz snapped a 1-1 tie 12:39 into the second period. Jamie Benn and Colin Blackwell also scored for Dallas, and Casey DeSmith made 24 stops.
The Stars had lost two in a row.
Kevin Stenlund and Barrett Hayton scored for Utah, and Karel Vejmelka had 27 saves. Utah has won just one home game in December.
Dallas jumped in front in the first when Blackwell scored following a Utah turnover. Stenlund responded with his sixth of the season at 12:41.
Benn lifted the Stars to a 3-1 lead when he got his seventh with 2:10 left in the second.
Utah pulled one back on Hayton’s goal with 8:21 left in the third but couldn’t find the tying goal.
Takeaways
Stars: Aggressive defense and relentless attacking helped Dallas create several quality shots during a dominant second period.
Utah: Home ice struggles continued for Utah, which fell to 1-4-3 in its last seven home games.
Key moment
The second-period goals for Hintz and Benn gave the Stars enough of a cushion to pull out a second road win against Utah in December.
Key stat
The Stars had an 18-6 advantage in shots on goal in the second.
Up next
Dallas hosts Minnesota on Friday, and Utah hosts Colorado on Friday.
___
AP NHL: https://apnews.com/hub/nhl
By JOHN COON
Associated Press
