Bruins rally to defeat Stars

DALLAS -- Brad Marchand scored two goals to help the Boston Bruins to a 7-3 win against the Dallas Stars at American Airlines Center on Saturday.
Tuukka Rask made 26 saves for Boston (32-21-6), which trailed 3-1 after the first period before scoring six straight goals.

"I think we were a little frustrated [after the first period], but we had a calming sense of mind," said Marchand, who had an assist. "After that period, we just seemed like we were confident. We knew there was a lot of time left in the game and we know we're a good team, especially with the way we've been playing lately on the road. We showed a lot of character tonight. I thought we have to be happy with this win and hopefully we can build off this momentum."
Kevan Miller, Loui Eriksson, David Krejci, Brett Connolly and Matt Beleskey each had a goal for the Bruins, who went 4-2-0 on their season-high six-game road trip.

Connolly scored an empty-net goal to put Boston ahead 6-3 with 2:44 remaining, seconds after Dallas goaltender Kari Lehtonen headed to the bench for the extra attacker. Beleskey capped the Bruins outburst by scoring off a rebound on the power play with 23 seconds remaining.
"It's a good sign that you can regroup after a first period like that," Rask said. "We made some mistakes. We also had kind of some unlucky bounces there and tough goals. We worked back at it, got the goals and got the reward, so it's a great win."
Patrice Bergeron, Dennis Seidenberg, Zdeno Chara and Joe Morrow each had two assists, and Connolly and Krejci each had one for Boston, which went 3-for-6 on the power play. Entering Saturday, the Bruins were 1-for-32 on the power play since the All-Star break.
"Tonight, we were able to capitalize (on the power play)," Boston coach Claude Julien said. "Our guys did a great job in front of that net there battling for those loose pucks or even battling to create a good screen on their goaltender."

Ales Hemsky, Antoine Roussel and Patrick Sharp scored for Dallas (37-17-6), which lost its third straight (0-2-1). Jason Demers had two assists, and Lehtonen made 35 saves.
"I think being embarrassed should raise your desperation," Stars coach Lindy Ruff said. "We finally got some of our guys on the board, from [Patrick] Sharp and [Antoine] Roussel. Real good effort in the first, but we didn't have all 12 [forwards] going. We allowed the other team to play three-quarter ice on us. In a 3-1 game, they should have to come all the way. In a 3-1 game, we gave them some pretty good looks on the rush. That wasn't good hockey."
After Jamie Benn was denied on an early breakaway and Demers hit the right goal post, Dallas took the lead 11:59 into the first period when Hemsky beat Rask top shelf and to the short side on a wrist shot from the left circle.
Marchand tied it at 13:24 of the first when he scored on a backhand after he got behind Stars defenseman Alex Goligoski and Connolly hit him in stride in the slot.

Dallas regained the lead at 15:44 of the first when Roussel redirected a wrist shot by Johnny Oduya from near the Boston blue line for his ninth goal.
The Stars went ahead 3-1 when Sharp ended an 18-game goal drought with his 17th of the season at 16:28 of the first. It was Sharp's first goal since Jan. 3 at the New York Islanders.
"We're a good team when all five guys are on the same page and playing with speed and playing with structure," Sharp said. "That got away from us as the game went on, and it showed on the scoreboard."
Boston responded with three goals in the second period to take a 4-3 lead into the third. Marchand scored his second of the game and 30th of the season, on the power play, at 13:24 to pull the Bruins within one. His wrist shot from just outside the left circle beat Lehtonen to the far post.
Miller tied it 35 seconds later with a wrist shot from the right point that bounced in the slot before landing inside the right post.

The Bruins took their first lead with 52 seconds remaining in the second when Eriksson scored his 21st goal by poking in a loose puck that was sitting between Lehtonen's legs. Lehtonen made the initial save after Seidenberg's pass deflected off Eriksson's right skate, but Eriksson, who played for the Stars from 2006-13, alertly knocked it into the Dallas net.
Krejci, who played his 600th NHL game, put the Bruins ahead 5-3 when he scored with the man-advantage 4:50 into the third period. His wrist shot from near the Dallas blue line deflected in off Oduya's right knee.
"Obviously, it was a big win, especially against a team like that on the road, but we have to stay even-keeled," Krejci said. "Don't get too high or too low, just kind of go about our business, regroup and come back strong in two days."
After a 6-3 loss at the Arizona Coyotes on Thursday, Dallas has allowed five or more goals in back-to-back games twice this season, a trend center Tyler Seguin doesn't want to see continue.
"I think we've really got to take advantage of the day off (Sunday) and look back at these last two games," he said. "We can't leave our goalies out to dry for 13 goals in two goals; that's kind of pathetic."