Stars edge Penguins with 2 goals in 3rd, reclaim Central lead

Joe Pavelski and Jamie Benn scored 1:36 apart to break a tie in the third period, and the Dallas Stars took sole possession of first place in the Central Division with a 3-2 win against the Pittsburgh Penguins at American Airlines Center in Dallas on Thursday.

Dallas moved one point ahead of the second-place Minnesota Wild, who lost 5-4 in a shootout at the Philadelphia Flyers on Thursday. It is tied with the Los Angeles Kings for second in the Western Conference and four points behind the Vegas Golden Knights, who won 3-2 at the Calgary Flames on Thursday.
Jason Robertson had two assists, and Roope Hintz scored for the Stars (39-19-14), who are 2-0-1 in their past three. Jake Oettinger made 40 saves.
"We found a way to win against a really good team that's as desperate as they come," Dallas coach Peter DeBoer said. "We'll take the two points and hopefully get our team game a little bit better. … We started to play more direct. We started to play the way you need to play this time of year to win in the [Stanley Cup] Playoffs."

Sidney Crosby and Pierre-Olivier Joseph scored, and Casey DeSmith made 30 saves in his first start since March 11 for the Penguins (35-27-10), who have lost five of six. They won 5-2 at the Colorado Avalanche on Wednesday.
Pittsburgh remained two points behind the New York Islanders for the first wild card into the playoffs from the Eastern Conference, and one point ahead of the Florida Panthers for the second wild card. Florida lost 6-2 to the Toronto Maple Leafs on Thursday.
"I think the group feels good about our game," Penguins coach Mike Sullivan said. "I thought we played well enough to win. We didn't win. The other team is a good team as well. It was a competitive hockey game.
"There was a lot to like about our overall game on both sides of the puck. We just have to keep fighting here."
Pavelski gave the Stars a 2-1 lead on a power play at 9:49, deflecting a shot from the point by Miro Heiskanen, and Benn made it 3-1 at 11:25 with a wrist shot from the slot off a rebound by Max Domi.

Joseph cut it to 3-2 on a wrist shot at 13:43.
"From the start of the game, I think we wanted it," Joseph said. "I think we showed some determination by playing hard like we did. There are a lot of good things that we can take from this game."
Hintz put Dallas ahead 1-0 on his 33rd goal of the season at 8:45 of the first period. Robertson deflected a pass from Colin Miller in the neutral zone for Hintz, who drove to the left face-off circle for a wrist shot.
"Every team tries to be at their best these last 10 games," Hintz said. "I think it's huge to get more wins before the playoffs."
Crosby tied it 1-1 at 4:00 of the second period. Jake Guentzel set up a one-timer from Mark Friedman, but the puck deflected off his right knee to Crosby for a tap in at the left post.

Bryan Rust nearly gave the Penguins a lead at 5:54 of the third when he received a pass from Crosby for a backhand above the crease, but Oettinger stretched to make the save with his right pad.
"We liked a lot of our game," Rust said. "We played against a really good team there. … I thought we weren't able to capitalize on some of our chances."
Oettinger allowed five goals in each of his previous two starts, including on 27 shots in a 5-4 overtime loss to the Seattle Kraken on Tuesday.
"I just did the exact same thing I always do and got a big win," Oettinger said. "I feel like I'm one of the best goalies in the world and I haven't shown that. A lot of people have been saying [that] they think I'm exhausted. No one knows how I feel except for me. I feel great."
NOTES: Dallas forward Tyler Seguin had three shots on goal, one hit and one blocked shot in 13:56 of ice time after being a game-time decision. He missed the previous six games with a lower-body injury. … Heiskanen had one assist to extend his point streak to 12 games (four goals, 16 assists). It is the longest streak by a defenseman in Stars/Minnesota North Stars history, surpassing Craig Hartsburg (1986-87). ... Penguins goalie Tristan Jarry was unavailable with a lower-body injury after making 28 saves Wednesday. There is no timetable for his return. Dustin Tokarski was recalled on an emergency basis earlier Thursday from Wilkes-Barre/Scranton of the American Hockey League and arrived in the second period. … It was Crosby's first goal in 11 games at American Airlines Center, giving him a road goal against all 31 opposing NHL teams. … Stars forward Radek Faksa was a late scratch with an illness.