Recap: Stars score three in third, beat Coyotes for seventh straight win

DALLAS -- Through the first 40 minutes of Monday's game against Arizona, the Stars grinded. Not much in terms of scoring chances came from either team, but that all changed in the third period when the Stars turned up the heat.

With a go-ahead goal from rookie Jacob Peterson and two more from captain Jamie Benn, the Stars came away with a 4-1 victory over the Coyotes in front of 17,256 at American Airlines Center.
The win kept the good times rolling for the hottest team in the NHL. They tied a franchise record with seven consecutive victories overall and equaled the second-longest home winning streak in franchise history with eight straight at American Airlines Center.
Furthermore, the Stars have gone 9-1-0 over their past 10 games to vault themselves into third place in the Central Division with 28 points and a 13-7-2 record.
"It shows we're doing something right around here right now," Benn said to reporters after the game. "We're playing some good hockey. Even when we have some tough periods, we're finding ways to win. Everyone's contributing, and goalies are a big part of that. Top to bottom, good team efforts."
According to head coach Rick Bowness, the Stars got back to their identity in the third period. They got their forecheck back, got their intensity back and got back to playing their game. In the end, their pressure in the offensive zone was simply too much for the Coyotes to handle.
"We weren't playing at the level we needed to play at for forty minutes," Bowness said. "They were playing really well and we weren't doing enough to overcome it but we did in the third."
Braden Holtby wasn't peppered with pucks, finishing with 18 saves on 19 shots, but he stopped all nine in the first and all five in the third period to improve his record this season to 5-4-1.
Roope Hintz got the scoring started for the Stars at the 13:48 mark of the first period when he buried a shot in the slot for his team-leading 11th goal of the season.

It gave the 25-year-old forward 11 goals in his past 11 games and 16 points in 22 games overall.
With the assist, Jason Robertson increased his point streak to a season-high six straight games (four goals, six assists) and gave him 16 points (six goals, 10 assists) over his past 12.
The Coyotes evened the score just three minutes into the middle frame when Shayne Gostisbehere wired a shot past Holtby for his fourth goal and team-leading 17th point of the season.
It remained a scoreless contest until the 9:01 mark of the third period when Peterson finished a terrific feed from Alexander Radulov to give the Stars a 2-1 lead. The goal, Peterson's fourth of the season, was also his second in as many games against the Coyotes.

"He's got a knack, and if you see him hanging out in front of the net, he'll take the puck behind the net," Bowness said of Peterson. "He's trying to make plays. He's like Rads that way. He's not afraid of going into that heavy area."
Benn followed up with two quick strikes to put the game out of reach.

What's next for the Stars is a three-game road trip that begins Wednesday in Vegas, continues Thursday in LA and finishes Saturday in San Jose.
This story was not subject to the approval of the National Hockey League or Dallas Stars Hockey Club.
Kyle Shohara is the Digital Manager for DallasStars.com and writes about the Stars/NHL. Follow him on Twitter @kyleshohara.