Stars hand Coyotes fifth straight loss

GLENDALE, Ariz. -- Maybe the Dallas Stars should show up two hours before all their road games.
After mechanical problems delayed their flight from Texas on Tuesday, the Stars got 35 saves from Kari Lehtonen in a 3-2 win against the Arizona Coyotes at Gila River Arena.
Jason Spezza, Jamie Benn and John Klingberg scored for Dallas (15-14-7), which is 4-1-1 in its past six games and 5-9-4 on the road.

WATCH: All Stars vs. Coyotes highlights
"It was a trying day and one where we could have gotten frustrated and made excuses," Spezza said. "We just wrapped our head around the fact that it is what it was and we had to find a way to win a game. I think the guys did a great job staying focused."
Klingberg's empty-net goal to put the Stars up 3-1 with 1:08 remaining turned out to be the game-winner after Coyotes forward Radim Vrbata scored on a penalty shot with 6.6 seconds left to make it 3-2.
Anthony Duclair ended a 22-game goal drought for the Coyotes (11-19-5), who have lost five games in a row and scored 27 goals in their past 15 games (3-9-3). Mike Smith made 26 saves.

Spezza scored shorthanded 2:48 into the second period, slipping past Vrbata and flipping a shot over Smith's shoulder to put Dallas up 1-0.
"We don't play too bad, but we end up losing another one-goal game. It's not good enough," Vrbata said. "We have to find ways to win those close games. The special teams make the difference. The shorthanded goal was on me, and they get a power-play goal, and that's the difference."
Duclair scored his second goal of the season to tie it 1-1 at 3:37 of the second. Lehtonen made the save on Martin Hanzal's shot, but the puck sat in the crease. Tobias Rieder took two swings at it before Duclair finally pushed it over the goal line.
Duclair, who scored 20 goals last season as a rookie, had not scored since Nov. 3 against the Nashville Predators.
"It's been awhile … way too long. For that puck to go in was a pretty good feeling," Duclair said.
Benn scored his 10th goal, sixth on the power play, at 12:03 of the second to make it 2-1. Tyler Seguin's pass missed Benn's stick but deflected off his skate and behind Smith, who appeared to kick the puck into his net.

Goal of the game

Recognizing he was skating against a backpedaling forward, Spezza caught Vrbata flat-footed and swooped to the net before dumping a shot over Smith for his shorthanded goal.

Save of the game

Klingberg not only scored what proved to be the game-winner, he made a huge save in the first period. With the puck heading toward the goal line, Klingberg swept it away during a big scrum in front of the Dallas net with less than 13 minutes left in the first period.

Unsung performance of the game

After their scheduled 8:30 a.m. CT flight to Phoenix was delayed, the Stars went back to their practice facility in Frisco, Texas, to get in a morning skate before returning to the airport. They reached the hotel across the street from Gila River Arena a little more than two hours before the opening faceoff, and then went out and got the two points.

Highlight of the game

Vrbata has scored 43 NHL shootout goals, and he used his patented move to beat Lehtonen on a penalty shot, ending with a high flip off the backhand.

They said it

"It's nothing. It's emotions in the game. The day I don't have emotion is probably the day I'll be done playing. I'm an emotional guy. I like to battle. I enjoy that part of the game." -- Coyotes goalie Mike Smith on his double minor for roughing against Radek Faksa late in the second period
"I tried to get my head up and I knew it was him. It's tough. I play the point on the power play, and it's tricky when you aren't used to gapping up. It's harder for us forwards to pivot; we're not as good as defensemen. … I just tried to take advantage of the forward being back there."-- Stars forward Jason Spezza on getting around Radim Vrbata for his shorthanded goal in the second period

Need to know

Hanzal's assist on Duclair's goal was his 299th NHL point. … Lehtonen is 13-4-4 in 22 career games against the Coyotes.

What's next

Stars: Host the Colorado Avalanche on Thursday (8:30 p.m. ET; FS-SW, ALT, NHL.TV)
Coyotes: Host the New York Rangers on Thursday (9 p.m. ET; FS-A PLUS, MSG, NHL.TV)