Coming off tough loss, Stars face struggling Devils

The Dallas Stars will be looking for a bounce-back effort when they host the struggling New Jersey Devils on Thursday.

Dallas, which is among a trio of teams fighting for the Central Division lead, appeared en route to its sixth straight win Tuesday before collapsing in the third period of a 4-3 loss to the visiting Florida Panthers.

Trailing 3-0 at the eight-minute mark of the second period and still down 3-1 going into the third, Florida scored three times in the final nine minutes against the Stars, who were opening a five-game homestand.

"We can't give them two power plays in the last 10 minutes," Dallas coach Pete DeBoer said. "It's a good learning experience for us that way. And then if you do take penalties, you've got to get the job done, whether that's a big save or execution."

Joe Pavelski, Jason Robertson and Wyatt Johnston each had a goal and an assist for the Stars, and Jake Oettinger made 26 saves.

"This is a great reminder of what's ahead of us," Pavelski said. "We're going to be in this situation again against good teams in the playoffs, and you're up by two or you're down by one, your game can't change. You've got to go out and win periods, create momentum, and keep moving the game forward."

The 20-year-old Johnston (24 goals, 27 assists, 51 points) became the fourth player in Stars/North Stars history to reach the 50-point mark in a season at age 20 or younger. He has eight points (five goals, three assists) in his past four games.

New Jersey has lost two in a row and five of six as it plays the second game of a four-game road trip. The Devils are chasing a Stanley Cup playoff spot with 17 games to play.

Kaapo Kahkonen, who was acquired in a trade from the San Jose Sharks on Friday, made 23 saves in his Devils debut on Monday, but New Jersey fell to the host New York Rangers 3-1. Simon Nemec averted the shutout, scoring with 2:34 remaining.

"I thought we came up light a little bit in a couple areas, little loose puck battles," Devils coach Travis Green said. "A lot of nights, those little battles determine the game. Obviously, our power play needs to get us one, and we didn't convert on some really good chances where we had some good looks, or even backdoor plays that didn't connect that we're capable of."

New Jersey went 0-for-4 on the power play, including failing to score on a five-minute major opportunity.

"This late in the season, it's hard five-on-five to score goals, and obviously you need your power play to step up in those times, especially late in the game," Devils forward Jesper Bratt said. "We just need our power play to honestly be better there. We could have made a difference for the team and we did not. Frustrating."

Defenseman Santeri Hatakka has been recalled from the Utica Comets of the American Hockey League. Jonas Siegenthaler left the game against New York after a hit to the head by Matt Rempe.

Roope Hintz scored twice in a three-goal second period and Scott Wedgewood made 29 saves to lead the Stars to a 6-2 victory in the teams' first meeting of the season Jan. 20 in New Jersey.

—Field Level Media