ESPN

Dallas Stars at San Jose Sharks
Saturday March 31, 9:30 p.m.
TV: Fox Sports Southwest
Radio: KTCK-1310 (AM)

About the Stars

The Stars (42-31-5) lost 5-2 at Vancouver on Friday night, falling from third place in the Western Conference to seventh place.

“It’s big. It just puts a little more pressure on that one tomorrow and they only get bigger after that,” Stars captain Brenden Morrow said after the loss. “We came on this road and lost one in Calgary and lost one here. It just puts more pressure and desperation on those next games.”

Saturday’s game is the first of a key home-and-home series with the Sharks. The two teams meet again Tuesday in Dallas. The Stars lead the ninth place Sharks by one point.

“We have a chance to control our own destiny and that starts tomorrow,” said Stars forward Jake Dowell. “We’ll be glum about this tonight, but tomorrow we’ll get back at it.”

Kari Lehtonen will start in goal for the Stars.

Injuries: LW Eric Nystrom (leg) and RW Radek Dvorak (ankle) and D Mark Fistric (abdominal strain) are out.

About the Sharks

The Sharks (39-29-10) lost their second straight game, falling 2-0 at Phoenix Thursday. The loss dropped the Sharks to ninth in the Western Conference standings.

"We had a ton of opportunities, some really good looks at the net, but it didn't go in for us," said San Jose coach Todd McLellan. "They capitalized on their chances, we didn't. That's the game. I keep saying that we've got to leave these (losses) behind and move on, but with four left we better make some hay quick."

The Sharks have four games left – two against Dallas and two against Los Angeles – and think it’s possible they may need to win them all to get in.

We don't have much of an option, the last two games have put us in a hole," forward Ryane Clowe said. "We can't afford to lose any games, so if that means (going) 4-0, then yeah."

Injuries: D Douglas Murray (lower body) is questionable.

Series notes

*This is the fifth of six meetings between the two teams this season.

*The Stars are 1-3-0 in the season series.

*The Sharks are 3-0-1 in the series.

*November 19, at Dallas: Sharks 4, Stars 1
*December 8, at San Jose: Sharks 5, Stars 2
*February 2, at San Jose: Sharks 5, Stars 2
*March 8, at Dallas: Stars 4, Sharks 3 (SO)

Statistical tidbits

*The Stars are 1-3-0 in their last four road games.

*The Sharks are 5-1-0 in their last six home games.

*The Stars have allowed five goals in three of their last four road games.

*The Sharks have scored one goal on 67 shots over the last two games.

*The Stars are 1-10-2 in the second games of back-to-backs this season.

In a tight playoff race and needing points, the Dallas Stars couldn’t find a way to get any in Vancouver on Friday night, falling 5-2 to the Canucks. But they’ve got to put the loss behind them and move on to San Jose, where they open a crucial home-and-home series with the Sharks Saturday night.

“We need to find a way to regroup. We have a big home-and-home against San Jose. We’ve got to focus on that,” said Stars forward Steve Ott. “We’ve got to kick the loss as soon as we can and move on to the next game because there are only four games left.”

Friday’s loss in Vancouver knocked the Stars out of first place in the Pacific Division and third in the Western Conference to seventh in the West. They trail Los Angeles, a 4-1 winner in Edmonton Friday night, by one point in the division and lead the ninth place San Jose Sharks by one point.

“We have a chance to control our own destiny and that starts tomorrow,” said Stars forward Jake Dowell. “We’ll be glum about this tonight, but tomorrow we’ll get back at it.”

The Stars had a chance to enhance their destiny Friday night, but Vancouver Canucks goaltender Cory Schneider wouldn’t have any part of it. He turned in a stellar performance, stopping 28 of 30 shots to lead Vancouver past the Stars.

“I thought we played well. We had chances. Five-on-five I thought we were going real good, but once again (Cory Schneider) was real good and made good saves on us,” said Stars coach Glen Gulutzan. “You run it into that every now and then. Goalies win you games and our goalie has won us enough this year. I thought it was a pretty equal game, but Schneider withstood the test. … We played well. We just didn’t get anything to go and we made a few mistakes that cost us. You can’t do that against Vancouver.”

The Stars played a strong first period, outshooting the Canucks 13-8. But the Canucks scored the only goal of the period. Jannik Hansen set up Chris Higgins, who beat Kari Lehtonen with a quick shot from the slot at the 6:43 mark.

Cory Schneider, who got the start in goal because Roberto Luongo had some stiffness in his neck, was sharp in the first, making several nice stops to keep the Stars off the scoreboard.

The Stars drew even early in the second period, when Ott scored off the rebound of a Jamie Benn shot at the 3:16 mark.

But Schneider kept the Stars from taking the lead with some big saves while the Stars were shorthanded. He stopped Ott busting in on net and then made a spectacular toe save on Loui Eriksson during Vancouver’s second power play of the game.

He then stopped Vernon Fiddler’s point blank shorthanded attempt during the Canucks third power play of the game. But the Canucks ended up taking the lead on that power play when Sami Salo scored on a blast from the right point at the 11:01 mark. A little more than five minutes later, Vancouver defenseman Andrew Alberts took a pass from Henrik Sedin and scored from the left circle to make it a 3-1 game.

“That’s why the goaltender is there. He was able to keep us in the game until we were able to score a couple of goals,” said Canucks coach Alain Vigneault.

The Canucks extended their lead to 4-1 at 9:06 of the third when Sedin set up Alex Burrows, who scored from close range. A short time later the Stars pulled goalie Kari Lehtonen, to rest his for Saturday’s crucial game in San Jose.

Richard Bachman took over in net and Vancouver’s Maxim Lapierre cashed in on a wide open look from the slot to make it a 5-1 game.

Dowell scored a late goal to make it a 5-2 final.

Notes

*The Stars ended the season 14-6-0 against the Northwest Division.

*Stars forward Reilly Smith, playing in his second NHL game, played 7:47 and had one shot on goal. He started the game on the fourth line, but in the third period was bumped up to the second line with Jamie Benn and Steve Ott.

*Mark Fistric (abdominal strain), Radek Dvorak (ankle) and Eric Nystrom (leg) were out for Dallas.

*The Stars were 0-1 on the power play and 2-3 on the penalty kill in the game.

FRISCO -- Things are trending Tomas Vincour’s way these days. The young Dallas Stars forward is playing well and, most important, the team is winning.

“Team first for me. When the team is doing great it’s always a great feeling,” Vincour said. “I am part of a winning team. It’s a huge thing for me and every day is so much fun. Every day is a challenge for me to get better and help the team keep rolling.”

And Vincour has made a contribution to the Stars’ current 9-0-1 run that has propelled them to the top of the Pacific Division and the third seed in the Western Conference. He’s been logging solid minutes on the team’s fourth line, and he’s chipped in offensively.

He scored a late game-tying goal and then the shootout winner in a victory over San Jose on Thursday and scored what turned out to be the game-winning goal in a 3-1 victory over Edmonton on March 2.

“He’s been real good,” Stars coach Glen Gulutzan said. “Strong along the walls, using his size and strength. You can see him holding off some bigger defensemen at this level. I think he is playing with some confidence and poise. Those young guys are going to be big for us to give us energy throughout this last push, these last 13 games.”

It’s been an up and down season for Vincour, who has eight points (4 goals, 4 assists) in 37 games with Dallas. He started the season in the NHL but has been sent to the AHL a couple times, and he missed 14 games with a knee injury. He was in the AHL when the Stars came out of the All-Star break, but after captain Brenden Morrow went out with an injury Vincour was called back up and has been in the lineup for 19 straight games.

“The more you play you’re confidence gets higher,” Vincour said. “All the guys are great. They try to help you on the ice and off the ice, too. That’s really huge for me as a young guy.”

Sometimes you forget how young Vincour is. He’s just 21-years-old. And just two years out of junior hockey with just 61 NHL games under his belt.

This season he’s had a mentor in fellow Czech Radek Dvorak, a proven NHL veteran who has been a solid role model for Vincour.

“That’s been huge. Devo is like my dad,” Vincour said. “He’s a great leader, he’s been around the league for a long time. You can see his work ethic off the ice. He’s the first guy in the room and he’s working out before everyone gets here. That’s what you have to take from him, the experience and the work ethic. And you’ve got to push yourself.”

And pushing himself is what Vincour has been doing and it’s paying dividends.

“He’s got a good, long career in the NHL ahead of him,” said Gulutzan. “He works real hard. He had a great summer putting in work conditioning-wise, getting himself ready to play. In his own words, ‘getting serious about the game.’ Credit to him, he’s working his way into our lineup.”

Notes: Souray doubtful for Tuesday

*Defenseman Sheldon Souray practiced Monday, but is doubtful for Tuesday’s game against Minnesota.

*RW Radek Dvorak didn’t practice Monday. He is questionable for Tuesday with an ankle injury.

*LW Jake Dowell missed Monday’s practice due to illness.

*The Stars recalled defenseman Jordie Benn from the Texas Stars of the AHL on Monday.

FRISCO -- Stars defenseman Sheldon Souray is questionable for Tuesday's game at Minnesota with a lower body injury. Souray did practice Monday morning in Frisco.

"He skated, which is a good sign for us. I think he is doubtful for tomorrow for sure," said Stars coach Glen Gulutzan. "We'll see what he feels like for Wednesday (at Winnipeg), but doubtful for tomorrow."

Forward Radek Dvorak, who injured his ankle in Saturday's game against Anaheim, did not practice Monday.

"Devo is 50-50 for Tuesday. He's got a little bit of a lower body injury," Gulutzan said. "It's not serious."

Adam Burish took Dvorak's spot on a line with Eric Nystrom and Vernon Fiddler during Monday's practice.

Also not on the ice Monday were center Mike Ribeiro and left wing Jake Dowell. It was a maintenance day for Ribeiro and he'll be a game player Tuesday, according to Gulutzan. Dowell was sick.

Kari Lehtonen will start in goal Tuesday. Gulutzan said they'll make a decision on Wednesday's starter after they see what happens in Tuesday's game.

"We've got three games in four nights and we have to decide how we are going to use our goaltenders," said Gulutzan. "We're just going to see what the workload is the first night and go from there."

FRISCO, Texas -- Stars defenseman Sheldon Souray will miss Saturday's game against Anaheim with a lower body injury. Souray left Thursday night's shootout win over San Jose in the second period with the injury and did not return.

"He's a little sore today. He won't be a game player for tomorrow," Stars coach Glen Gulutzan said. "I'd say he's 50-50 for the Tuesday-Wednesday games (at Minnesota and Winnipeg)."

Steve Ott, who missed Thursday night's game with back spasms, is questionable for Saturday.

"We'll see after the morning skate," Gulutzan said.

Brenden Morrow, who has missed the last 18 games with neck/back issue, took part in Friday's optional skate. He's getting closer to returning, but whether he'll play Saturday is up in the air.

"Right now it's one day at a time. I got a good skate in today. I'll see how I feel when I wake up tomorrow," Morrow said. "I think tomorrow is questionable. If I don't get in there tomorrow, I am expected in Minnesota at least."

Morrow will skate with the team Saturday morning and determination on his status will be made then.

"I think we'll see after the morning skate where he is at," Gulutzan said. "Brenden and I are going to talk here shortly to see where he is at. I would say Tuesday Brenden is for sure and tomorrow, we'll see after the morning skate."

Defenseman Mark Fistric, who left Thursday's game early in the third period, is fine, according to Gulutzan.

"He'll be a game player tomorrow," Gulutzan said.

The players taking part in the optional skate today were Morrow, Kari Lehtonen, Richard Bachman, Jake Dowell, Tomas Vincour, Ryan Garbutt, Toby Petersen and Adam Pardy.

Lehtonen will start in goal tomorrow.

DALLAS -- Stars forward Steve Ott is out for tonight's game against the San Jose Sharks due to back spasms.

Ott took part in the Stars skate Thursday morning, but left the ice early. Stars coach Glen Gulutzan said at the time that Ott wasn't feeling well.

Ryan Garbutt took Ott's spot on the Stars' second line with center Jamie Benn and right wing Adam Burish in Thursday night's game.

Jake Dowell, activated from IR Thursday afternoon after missing seven games with a broken finger, was back in the lineup. Dowell took Garbutt's spot on the fourth line.

The Dallas Stars have activated forward Jake Dowell, who has missed the last seven games with a broken finger, from injured reserve.

Stars coach Glen Gulutzan said this morning that Dowell isn't expected to play in Thursday's game against San Jose at American Airlines Center. But the Stars activated Dowell late this afternoon just in case Steve Ott is unable to play. Ott has been sick the past few days and left the ice early at this morning's skate.

Dowell was injured in the Feb. 21 game at Montreal.

FRISCO, Texas -- Stars captain Brenden Morrow, who has missed the 14 games, with neck and back issues, resumed skating in Frisco on Thursday. It was the first time Morrow has been on the ice since he went out of the lineup in early February.

"Progressing pretty good," Morrow said after coming off the ice. "This is the first skate in about three weeks and so far no pain. I guess that’s a good sign."

Morrow hasn't played since Feb. 2 at San Jose. He's been doing off-ice work on the neck and back issues.

"It hasn’t been fun. It’s been a real strict core regimen to help stabilize the spine and try to relieve the stress on certain joints that I guess were causing me some problems," Morrow said. "It hasn’t been fun, but the guys have been playing well and that makes it a lot easier."

Morrow skated on his own Thursday at one end of the rink during the Stars' optional practice in Frisco. He also took part in a shootout drill at the end of practice. He said it's going to take some time before he's ready to play in a game.

"I am nowhere near game shape. It’s probably going to be a week or so before I am in any action," Morrow said. "It’s going to be skating and different movements that my body hasn’t been in and make sure I am not causing any pain and then we’ll start getting in some practices, getting bumped around a bit. I’ll take it slow at the beginning and then ramp it up before getting into a game."

Practice notes

*Besides Brenden Morrow, other players on the ice in Frisco on Thursday morning included Richard Bachman, Philip Larsen, Tom Wandell, Ryan Garbutt, Toby Petersen, Adam Pardy, Tomas Vincour and Jake Dowell.

*Morrow and Dowell (broken finger) will not travel with the team, and will continue to skate in Frisco.

*Stars coach Glen Gulutzan said Kari Lehtonen will start in goal Friday against Edmonton.

DALLAS -- The Pittsburgh Penguins are in town tonight to take on the Dallas Stars. It's another big game for the Stars, who are battling for a playoff spot in the Western Conference.

Jamie Benn will return to the Stars lineup after missing the last six games with a leg injury.

"I’m excited. You want to get back in there and help your team out to try and make a strong push for the playoffs," Benn said. "There’s two big points on the line tonight and we need them.”

Kari Lehtonen is in goal for the Stars and Marc-Andre Fleury will get the start for the Penguins.

Sidney Crosby, who is on injured reserve with concussion and neck issues, skated with the Penguins this morning at American Airlines Center.

Jake Dowell (broken finger) skated at the AAC this morning. Stars coach Glen Gulutzan said Dowell is one week away. Stars captain Brenden Morrow is expected to start skating later this week and could be ready after the Stars return from their upcoming road trip.

Here's the Stars projected lineup:

Eriksson-Ribeiro-Ryder
Ott-Benn-Burish
Nystrom-Fiddler-Dvorak
Garbutt-Wandell-Vincour

Souray-Robidas
Fistric-Daley
Goligoski-Larsen

Lehtonen

Every game is big at this point of the season and the importance of Thursday's game isn’t lost on the Dallas Stars. A win will help them move them within to at least one point of eighth place and, if Calgary loses to Phoenix, the Stars would move into the top eight in the West.

“We look every single day to see what the Western Conference standings look like. We want to be a playoff team obviously and continue to build from there,” said Stars forward Steve Ott. “You look at even third place isn’t too far away. I know it’s stretching and not being completely realistic at this time, but it’s becoming a lot closer every single day. Hopefully we can find a way to continue to get points.”

Third place in the West is a stretch, but not totally out of reach. The Stars are five points behind San Jose, but the Sharks do have a couple games in hand.

But right now just getting into the playoff picture is the goal, and to do that and solidify a spot the Stars are going to have to do something they really haven’t done since the beginning of the season – put together a good run.

“If we can find a way to put three, four or above (wins) together that’s going to continue to a put pressure on a lot of other teams,” Ott said. “You’ve seen streaks already. Phoenix had a great streak they just put together and that’s why they are where they are right now. We need to find one. We need to find a way to string a few together and collect those valuable points at this crunch time of the season.”

Lineup notes

Sheldon Souray will be back after missing seven games with a foot injury and will be paired with Philip Larsen to start the game, according to Stars coach Glen Gulutzan. Adam Pardy will be the healthy scratch.

“The last three games he’s played real well,” Gulutzan said of Pardy. “It’s real good to have that depth on D, and we’ve got competition again. I think Pards have proved his worth coming back in here a little bit and got himself back on the map to play. Now we’ve got some competition for jobs.”

Adam Burish, who missed the last game due to illness, will be back in the lineup. He will play on the fourth line with Ryan Garbutt and Toby Petersen. Garbutt will play center, which is his natural position.

Matt Fraser, called up from the Texas Stars due to Jake Dowell breaking a finger, will be a healthy scratch.

Jamie Benn (leg) and Brenden Morrow (neck/shoulder) are still out.

Richard Bachman is in goal tonight.

Here’s the Stars’ projected lineup.

Eriksson-Ribeiro-Ryder
Ott-Wandell-Vincour
Nystrom-Fiddler-Dvorak
Petersen-Garbutt-Burish

Goligoski-Robidas
Fistric-Daley
Souray-Larsen

Bachman

Dallas Stars at Chicago Blackhawks
Thursday February 23
7:30 p.m.
TV: Fox Sports Southwest
Radio: KTCK-1310 (AM)

About the Stars

The Stars (30-26-4) won 3-0 at Montreal Tuesday behind Kari Lehtonen’s 31-save shutout. Ryan Garbutt scored his first NHL goal and Mike Ribeiro scored a goal in his first regular season game in Montreal since being traded from the Canadiens to Dallas in 2006.

The Stars are two points out of a playoff spot and if they win Thursday, and Calgary loses to Phoenix, the Stars would move into eighth place in the Western Conference.

“What we have to do to be successful is copy what we did in (Tuesday) night’s win,” said Stars coach Glen Gulutzan. “We have to play as a team; we have to keep things short and hard. That’s what we’ll focus on (Thursday).”

Richard Bachman will start in goal for Dallas.

The Stars placed center Jake Dowell (broken finger) on injured reserve Wednesday and recalled left wing Matt Fraser from the Texas Stars of the AHL.

Injuries: RW Adam Burish (illness) and D Sheldon Souray (foot) are probable. C Jamie Benn (leg) is doubtful. C Jake Dowell (finger) and LW Brenden Morrow (neck/shoulder) are out.

About the Blackhawks

The Blackhawks (33-21-7) won their fourth straight game, defeating Detroit 2-1 at United Center on Tuesday. Corey Crawford stopped 31 shots and the Blackhawks got goals from Jimmy Hayes and Marcus Kruger.

The Blackhawks were without captain Jonathan Toews, who missed the game with an upper body injury.

"In 82 games, you're going to play without some players on any given night," Blackhawks forward Patrick Sharp said. "Losing him was big, but we rallied around each other and all stepped up."

Toews will not play Thursday against the Stars.

Injuries: D Niklas Hjalmarsson (upper body) is probable. C Jonathan Toews (upper body), LW Daniel Carcillo (knee) and D Steve Montador (upper body) are out.

Series notes

*This is third of four meetings between the two teams.

*The two teams haven’t played since they split a back-to-back to open the season.

*Both teams are 1-1-0 in the season series.

*October 7, at Dallas: Stars 2, Blackhawks 1
*October 8, at Chicago: Blackhawks 5, Stars 2

Statistical tidbits

*The Stars are 5-5-2 since the All-Star break.

*The Blackhawks are 4-6-1 since the break.

*The Stars are 13-14 on the penalty kill over their last four games.

*The Blackhawks are 0-30 on the power over the last 11 games.

*The Blackhawks are 15-16 on the penalty kill over the last six games.

*Chicago has allowed three goals over the last three games.

*Thursday’s game at Chicago and Friday’s game vs. Minnesota in Dallas will be the Stars’ 12^th back-to-back set of the season. They are 5-4-2 in first games of back-to-backs this season and 0-9-2 in second games.

Richard Bachman will get the start in goal Thursday when the Dallas Stars play at Chicago. It will be Bachman's first start since Feb. 2, when he stopped 32 of 37 shots in a 5-2 loss at San Jose.

Kari Lehtonen, who has started the last 10 games for the Stars over an 18-day span, will have a couple days rest heading into Friday's home game against Minnesota, when the Stars will try to win in the second game of a back-to-back for the first time this season.

Sheldon Souray, who has missed the last seven games with a foot injury, will return to the lineup Thursday.

Jamie Benn, who has missed three games with a leg laceration and a charley horse, remains day-to-day. He is not expected to play Thursday.

The Stars also will be without forward Jake Dowell, who was placed on injured reserve today with an upper body injury. The Stars recalled left wing Matt Fraser from the Texas Stars of the AHL.

The Dallas Stars have placed forward Jake Dowell on injured reserve with an upper body injury. Dowell, who was injured in last night's 3-0 victory at Montreal, will miss at least one week.

To fill the void, the Stars have called up left wing Matt Fraser from the Texas Stars. Fraser ranks fourth in the AHL in goal scoring with 26 in 50 games.

This is Fraser's second call up of the season. He played one game just before the All-Star break, registering no points in 3:57 of ice time against Anaheim on Jan. 24.

It was a big night in Montreal for Ryan Garbutt, Mike Ribeiro and Kari Lehtonen and it helped add up to a big two points for the Dallas Stars.

Garbutt scored his first NHL goal, Ribeiro scored in his first regular season game in Montreal since being traded to Dallas in 2006 and Lehtonen stopped 31 shots for his second shutout of the season as the Dallas Stars beat the Montreal Canadiens 3-0 at Bell Centre Tuesday night.

“It was a big game for us,” said Ribeiro. “We threw pucks at the net, kept the game simple, our PK did a great job and obviously our goaltender has to be there every night to give you chance to win.”

The win moved the Stars to within two points of the eighth and final playoff spot in the Western Conference with 22 games remaining.

The Stars got a great start in the game, outshooting Montreal 16-6 in the first period. Montreal had two shots through the first half of the period, and both came from center ice.

“They’re battling like we are to get into a spot. We need to put together a full 60 minutes and the first ten minutes in a game to set the tone is what you are really looking for,” said Stars coach Glen Gulutzan.

The Stars broke through at the 14:12 mark of the first period when Ryan Garbutt scored his first NHL goal. After Garbutt put a shot on net, Toby Petersen won a battle behind the net to get the loose puck to Jake Dowell, who backhanded it from behind the goal to Garbutt, who rifled it past Habs goalie Carey Price from the left circle.

“It felt great out there, and after I got that goal it was a weight off my shoulders,” Garbutt said. “I just started playing the game with my instincts, I guess.”

Garbutt, playing in his third NHL game, had a game-high six shots on goal.

“I’ve just been doing what the coaches have been telling me – funnel the puck to the net,” Garbutt said. “I am just using my linemates out there. I am playing with great linemates since I got here and they make it real easy on me. Just keep moving my feet and trying to put pucks on net.”

Lehtonen and the Stars penalty kill came up big in the second period into early in the third, thwarting four Montreal power plays.

“Kari Lehtonen helped in that regard,” said Gulutzan. “I thought we blocked some key shots. They got some shots through, but we cleaned up a lot of those rebounds and ones we didn’t, Kari did. That was the key for us tonight."

A few minutes after the Stars killed off what was left of Montreal’s fourth power to play to start the third period, they then struck for two quick goals to put the Canadiens away.

Trevor Daley circled around the Montreal net and sent a cross-ice pass from the left circle to Mike Ribeiro, who one-timed the puck past Price at the 4:32 mark to put the Stars up 2-0 and then lifted his arms up in the air a couple of times in celebration.

“I don’t celebrate like that usually,” Ribeiro said. “I was just excited. It took me a while to celebrate, to find out what to do. I just wanted to put my arms up. It was big goal for us and a big play by Trevor Daley.”

Ribeiro has points in four straight games.

“It was a huge goal. You could see Ribby was as slick as ever tonight. He made some real nice plays and played a great two-way game,” Gulutzan said. “I was really happy for him to come back here in front of family and stuff and to do that is a big thing for anyone. It was nice that he got to go out there as the first star.”

On the next shift, Price turned the puck over when he tried to pass the puck up the middle of the ice. Tomas Vincour picked it off and set up Tom Wandell, who scored from the slot at the 5:09 mark to give the Stars a 3-0 lead.

“It was nice to get those two goals to make it 3-0 and make it a little easier on me,” said Lehtonen.

Notes: Stars lose Dowell during game; Burish misses game due to illness

*The Stars lost Jake Dowell to an upper body injury during the game. His status going forward is not known.

*Stars forward Adam Burish missed Tuesday’s game due to illness.

*The Stars were without defenseman Sheldon Souray (foot), center Jamie Benn (leg) and left wing Brenden Morrow (neck/shoulder). Souray could play Thursday. Benn is doubtful for Thursday. Morrow remains on injured reserve.

Kari Lehtonen stopped 31 shots for his second shutout of the season and 19th of his career as the Dallas Stars won 3-0 at Montreal Tuesday night. Ryan Garbutt scored his first career goal for the Stars, who moved to within two points of the eighth and final playoff spot in the Western Conference. Mike Ribeiro and Tom Wandell also scored for the Stars, who won for just the second time in the last seven games (2-3-2).

First period

The Stars dominated the first period, outshooting the Canadiens 16-6 to six and scoring the period’s only goal.

The goal came at the 14:12 mark when Jake Dowell backhanded a puck from behind the net to Ryan Garbutt, who fired the puck past Montreal goalie Carey Price from the left circle for his first NHL goal.

Stars forward Adam Burish was a late scratch due to illness. Toby Petersen, who has been a scratch the last four games, moved into the lineup to take Burish’s place.

Second period

The Canadiens had three full power plays in the second and the fourth that had 49 seconds remaining when the period ended, but they couldn’t take advantage of any of them.

Stars goalie Kari Lehtonen made 14 saves in the period, including seven with the Stars shorthanded.

Steve Ott came close to extending the lead while the Stars were shorthanded a fourth time, hitting the post with a slap shot late in the second.

The Stars had 11 shots on in the second and had a 27-20 advantage through two periods.

Third period

The Stars killed off what was left of Montreal’s fourth power play to open the third period and then scored two goals in 37 seconds to take a commanding 3-0 lead.

Trevor Daley circled around the Montreal net and sent a cross-ice pass from the left circle to Mike Ribeiro, who ripped a one-timer past Price at the 4:32 mark to put the Stars up 2-0.

Moments later Price turned the puck over when he tried to pass the puck up the middle of the ice, and Tom Wandell scored from the slot at the 5:09 mark to give the Stars a 3-0 lead.

Lehtonen made 11 saves in the third, including nice ones on Lars Eller and Louis Leblanc to preserve his second shutout of the season.

The Stars lost center Jake Dowell in the period to an upper body injury.

Stars lineup

Eriksson-Ribeiro-Ryder
Ott-Wandell-Vincour
Nystrom-Fiddler-Dvorak
Garbutt-Dowell-Petersen

Goligoski-Robidas
Fistric-Daley
Pardy-Larsen

Lehtonen (starter)
Bachman

Injured: Burish (illness), Souray (foot), Benn (leg), Morrow (neck/shoulder)
Scratched: None