Coyotes end Stars' winning streak

GLENDALE, Ariz. - It took him nine years, 554 NHL games and more scrums and slashes around enemy nets than he can count, so Arizona Coyotes forward Martin Hanzal wasn't about to treat his 100th NHL goal with a shrug of the shoulders.
Hanzal scored two goals, including the long-sought milestone in the second period, and Louis Domingue made 37 saves to help the Coyotes to a 3-1 win against the Dallas Stars at Gila River Arena on Thursday.

Hanzal sits 293 goals behind teammate Shane Doan's franchise record, but kidded that he was just pacing himself at age 29 and had plenty of time challenge his 39-year-old teammate.
"Yeah 100, it's just a number. But it's a nice number," said Hanzal, who has never scored more than 16 goals in any season but has filled a big role for the Coyotes as their best down-low presence. "It took me what, nine years? So maybe another 35 and I might catch [Doan]."

Ales Hemsky scored for the Stars (44-22-9), who lost in regulation for the second time in the past 10 games (6-2-2). Kari Lehtonen made 26 saves. The Stars remain two points ahead of the St. Louis Blues for the Central Division lead but have played one more game.
"It's going to be a good test these last (seven) games," Dallas forward Patrick Sharp said. "We know we're going to the playoffs, but we want to make sure we're playing our best hockey the next few weeks and we have to find a way to be better than we were tonight."
Hanzal scored in the second period to give Arizona a 2-1 lead and got his first shorthanded goal in more than seven years for Arizona (33-34-7), which won for the fifth time in the past seven games. Hanzal has the game-winning goal in both victories against Dallas this season.
"What he goes through every night and what he deals with to make us successful is so important," Doan said. "We kind of score our goals the same way. They usually aren't too pretty. But I'm a huge Marty Hanzal fan. And when he's playing well, we're harder to beat."

Tobias Rieder scored for the Coyotes, who were 0-for-6 on the power play and missed a penalty shot but still managed to end Dallas' three-game winning streak.
Domingue allowed one goal in each of his past three starts, stopping 95 of 98 shots and teaming with Mike Smith to give the Coyotes the stable net presence they have missed this season.
"It's beneficial for both of us to have a break here and there and have good practice time," said Domingue, who played 22 straight games and more minutes than any other NHL goalie while Smith was recovering from abdominal surgery. "When you go into practice fresh, your energy level is way higher and you accomplish better things, and it's the same when you go into games."
The Stars and Coyotes combined for 26 shots in the first period and scored goals nine seconds apart.

Arizona had extended pressure in the offensive zone that paid off at 14:11. Brad Richardson had a shot blocked, but the puck slid back to the point where Connor Murphy was able to one-time it and Rieder redirected it past Lehtonen.
Rieder's 14th goal established a career high and was his second in as many games.
But the Stars answered off the ensuing faceoff. Antoine Roussel stripped the puck from Zbynek Michalek at the Arizona blue line and set up Hemsky with a give-and-go pass that he converted at 14:20 to tie the game.
Arizona regained the lead 55 seconds into the second period. Oliver Ekman-Larsson put the puck towards the net with Hanzal battling in front. Hanzal battled for the loose puck, which ended up deflecting off Stars defenseman Alex Goligoski and past Lehtonen. Hanzal was credited with goal No. 100.

The Coyotes had a great chance to widen the lead at 12:10 when Richardson was taken down from behind by Stars forward Jamie Benn and awarded a penalty shot. But Richardson put his attempt over the net.
The penalties particularly bothered Dallas coach Lindy Ruff.
"Two or three of them were just mental mistakes, throwing pucks over the net (for delay of game)," Ruff said. "We had so good spots, but when you are that light on faceoff percentage (37 percent) and have six penalties and a penalty shot, it's tough."
Domingue had 10 saves into the period, including one against Cody Eakin early and two in the final seconds on Radek Faksa and Goligoski to keep Arizona in front.

"I love it when he just catches the puck and hands it back to the referee (saying), 'Let's go again.' I like that calm," Coyotes coach Dave Tippett said.
Domingue made two saves on Jason Spezza early in the third period before his team turned a too many men on the ice penalty into an insurance goal.
Hanzal deflected a Klas Dahlbeck shot past Lehtonen, but it hit the crossbar and landed in the crease. Hanzal pounced on the rebound and pushed in his 13th goal at 7:51 to give the Coyotes a 3-1 lead. It was Hanzal's third career shorthanded goal but his first since Dec. 4, 2008, against the Toronto Maple Leafs.
Doan played in his 1,459th game, tying Stars great Mike Modano for sixth place on the NHL's all-time list of most games played with one franchise.