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A couple notes on former Dallas Stars for your Sunday morning:

*Former Stars left wing James Neal got a big contract extension from the Pittsburgh Penguins. The Penguins announced Sunday morning that they signed Neal to a six-year extension worth $5 million per season.

Neal, who was acquired from the Stars along with defenseman Matt Niskanen in exchange for defenseman Alex Goligoski last season, has 30 goals this season, which ranks third in the NHL.

The Stars signed Goligoski to a four-year, $18.4 million extension last month.

*Former Stars defenseman Nicklas Grossman made his debut with the Philadelphia Flyers on Saturday. The Flyers lost 6-4 to the Penguins, but Grossman had a solid game. He played 18:26, was a plus-one, had eight hits and three blocked shots.

The Stars traded Grossman to the Flyers on Thursday in exchange for a 2012 second-round pick and a 2013 third-round pick in the NHL Entry Draft.

FRISCO -- This season hasn’t gone the way Adam Pardy was expecting. Pardy, who signed a two-year, $ 4 million contract with the Dallas Stars as a free agent in July, has been scratched more times than he has been in the lineup.

But he was in the lineup Thursday night against Calgary. It was his first game for the Stars in more than a month. In between there were 13 healthy scratches and a two-game conditioning stint in the American Hockey League.

“It’s been tough. It’s been a long year. I haven’t had a lot of games,” said Pardy. “It’s been frustrating in a sense. It’s been tough to get in the lineup, so it was nice to get out there and feel good on the ice and go make a step forward.”

Thursday’s game was Pardy’s 23rd of the season. He logged 15:58 of ice time, was a plus-one, had two hits and one blocked shot.

“I thought he came in and played a really good game. For not playing for a while and coming in, I think it was a good scenario for him to come in against his old team,” Stars coach Glen Gulutzan said after the game. “It kind of amped him up and it’s a good way to get your foot back in the lineup. That’s the Pardy that we’re accustomed to seeing. I hope he’s just going to keep moving from there.”

The 27-year-old Pardy, who has one assist and a minus-seven rating this season and has been scratched a total of 29 times, knows that he needs to keep moving forward.

“I know consistency is the key right now. Anyone can have one good game. Anyone can do that,” Pardy said. “It’s just a matter of making sure that (Saturday) night that I bring the same effort and the same composure, the same things I need to be effective.”

Pardy was in the lineup Thursday because the Stars traded Nicklas Grossman to Philadelphia and Sheldon Souray is still out with a foot injury. The Stars have six healthy defensemen, and that means opportunity is knocking for Pardy.

“It is an opportunity to solidify himself in this lineup,” said Gulutzan. “I thought he played very good (Thursday) night and he needs to build on that and keep going.”

And the opportunity isn’t lost on Pardy.

“It’s funny how this game changes, everything can change in the blink of an eye. Last week I was down there (in the AHL on conditioning assignment) and this week I am up here playing again, back in the lineup,” Pardy said. “The way it looks right now I am in there and it’s an opportunity to make up for a lost year I guess, to make up for lost time.”

Garbutt gets the call

With Jamie Benn out at the least the next two games with a cut on his leg, the Stars have called up forward Ryan Garbutt from the Texas Stars of the AHL.

The 26-year-old Garbutt, who has 16 goals and 17 assists in 50 games for Texas, was never drafted and started his pro career in the Central Hockey League.

“It’s pretty exciting. I got the call (Thursday) night at about 10 o’clock and it was pretty tough to fall asleep,” Garbutt said. “It seems like a long journey. It’s been a lot of hard work.”

Notes

*Stars coach Glen Gulutzan said Jamie Benn will miss Saturday’s game at Phoenix and didn’t think Benn would be ready for Sunday’s game versus Nashville. Gulutzan said he is hopeful Benn can play Tuesday at Montreal.

*Benn was at the Stars practice facility in Frisco Friday, walking around on crutches. Benn said it took 13 stitches to close the cut, which he suffered during Thursday night’s game when Flames defenseman Mark Giordano’s skate caught him on the left leg.

“I just went to go hit the guy, he kept the puck in, I kind of fell and his skate cut the back of my leg. It was a little bit of a freak accident,” Benn said. “You just hope it’s not too bad. It was bleeding pretty good there right when it happened. I tried to hobble off pretty quick and the doctors did a good job of stitching me up.”

DALLAS -- With the Dallas Stars in overtime and really in need of the extra point, Mike Ribeiro delivered, and delivered in slick fashion. Ribeiro’s highlight reel goal with 2:59 left in the extra period lifted the Stars to a 3-2 over the Calgary Flames at American Airlines Center.

“That’s just the way he lives, greasy Ribeiro. That was unbelievable, what an unbelievable individual effort by him,” Stars forward Steve Ott said of Ribeiro’s goal. "That was just phenomenal. I'm still in awe. I thought I blacked out on the bench.”

Ribeiro used a behind-the-back move to work his way into the slot and then ripped the puck past Flames goaltender Miikka Kiprusoff.

“I’m glad he shot it because we bug him to shoot all the time, and it was a real nice shot,” said Stars coach Glen Gulutzan. “I can’t get my head around it quite, the stick maneuver there. I’ll have to see the replay.”

The Stars snapped a three-game winless streak and pulled to within two points of Calgary, which is in ninth place in the Western Conference standings. The Stars remain four points out of eighth place.

The Stars won on a night when leading scorer Jamie Benn was lost during the game. Benn was injured in a second period collision with Flames defenseman Mark Giordano, whose skate cut Benn on the leg.

“He's got stitches in his leg and he's going to be day-to-day," said Gulutzan. "It's a pretty decent size cut.”

And just a few hours before the game, the Stars announced they had traded defenseman Nicklas Grossman to the Philadelphia Flyers for a couple of draft picks.

“We lost a good hockey player and this is a man’s game and it’s a business deal. But there’s always personal things aside when you’ve got a quality, quality individual like Grossy both on and off the ice,” said Gulutzan. “They’re a tight-knit group, so certainly guys were a little upset, meaning they’re going to miss a friend, but they’re pros and they came out and played.”

The Stars, who have been plagued by slow starts in some recent games, started strong Thursday night, scoring the game’s first goal at the 9:42 mark of the first period. Jake Dowell sent a pass from behind the net to Adam Burish, who lifted the puck over Kiprusoff from close range.

“I was happy with the start. I mean both teams were ready. We’re in a playoff battle against each other, but I thought we had energy and we played the right way,” said Gulutzan. “We got pucks deep and we grinded. I thought they were prepared as well but I thought we stuck with it for 60 and that’s the biggest thing.”

The Flames tied the game with 53 seconds in the first on a goal by Jarome Iginla, who finished off an odd-man rush.

The Stars scored on their only power play of the game, taking a 2-1 lead on a goal by Ott with 2:17 left in the second.

But the Flames, who ran their points streak to seven games (4-0-3), were able to tie it with 5:03 left in the third period on a goal by Mike Cammalleri.

“We’ll take the point,” said Flames coach Brent Sutter. “Obviously to score late in the game like that to get the point was huge, but I didn’t think we played overly well here tonight.”

And the Stars were happy they to the two points, points they desperately need as they try to keep pace in the playoff race.

"It's so ridiculously tight, the standings now," Ott said. "Obviously, those clichés, playoff games the rest of the way, it's so true. Those extra points become so valuable to make the playoffs. Last season we missed by one point and this year, we need to find a way to continue to stay in the race with those five or six teams we're battling with. This one brought us a step closer."

Notes

*The Stars were 1-1 on the power play and 3-3 on the penalty kill.

*Stars defenseman Sheldon Souray missed his fourth straight game with a foot injury.

*Stars captain Brenden Morrow missed his seventh straight game with neck/back issues.

*Forward Toby Petersen was the lone healthy scratch for the Stars.

*Thursday’s attendance was 11,839

Here are some quotes from Stars general manager Joe Nieuwendyk on today's trade that sent defenseman Nicklas Grossman to the Philadelphia Flyers for a 2012 second-round pick and a 2013 third-round.

On Grossman

“I’ll start by thanking Nick Grossman for all his years of service here in a Dallas Stars uniform. He was a drafted player and developed through the system and has just been a tremendous pro all these years and been a good teammate. So, that’s the part that makes it difficult. But he’s a quality person and we wish him luck.”

On the impetus for the trade

“Well, obviously when guys have contracts and they’re nearing their end, you make decisions on going forward. I think as an organization, we felt that we have some depth at that position now, which we hadn’t had in previous years and made the decision to make the deal that we did in order to give not only Mark Fistric more of an opportunity but to get Adam Pardy going and we have some kids that are knocking on the door as well.”

Were there any contract extension talks with Grossman

“We had initial talks. I think a few months ago, three months ago but we didn’t have any after that to be honest with you. We kind of watched our team and watched how we were unfolding and made the decision that this was the best thing for us moving forward.”

On if this deal signifies the Stars will be sellers at the deadline instead of buyers

“Well, I don’t really like the term and I know everyone wants to talk about that. I just think today is an isolated case and it shows that we’re going to be active. We’re going to look at things that make our hockey club better going forward and if things present themselves that do that, we’ll take a strong look at it. But I think it just shows today that this is not an indication that we’re going to be sellers. This is an indication that we’re going to be active and listen to everybody.”

The Stars have traded defenseman Nicklas Grossman to the Philadelphia Flyers for two draft picks. Here's the release from the team:

Dallas Stars General Manager Joe Nieuwendyk announced today that the club has traded defenseman Nicklas Grossman to the Philadelphia Flyers in exchange for a second-round selection in the 2012 NHL Entry Draft (originally Los Angeles’ pick) and a third-round selection in the 2013 NHL Entry Draft (originally Minnesota’s pick).

Grossman, 27, has skated in 52 games for the Stars this season, earning five assists and 26 penalty minutes. The 6-4, 230-pound defenseman has played in 333 NHL games scoring three goals and 38 assists for 41 points.

The Dallas Stars quest for three straight wins fell short in San Jose Thursday night as they lost 5-2 to the Sharks. The Stars are now three points behind Minnesota for the eighth and final playoff spot in the Western Conference. The Stars are now 0-8-1 in the second game of back-to-backs this season. Steve Ott and Jamie Scored for the Stars. Richard Bachman stopped 32 of 37 shots. San Jose outshot the Stars 37-21 and won 40 of 52 (77 percent) faceoffs.

First period

The Sharks struck 4:42 into the game to take the early lead. A Brent Burns shot from the point deflected off Sharks forward Michal Handzus and past Stars goalie Richard Bachman.

Bachman made some big stops to keep it a one-goal game. He made a nice stop on a blast from Joe Thornton and then stopped Joe Pavelski on a breakaway and then denied Pavelski’s rebound bid.

But the Sharks extended the lead by taking advantage of the game’s first power play when Pavelski’s shot from the point made its way through traffic and past Bachman at the 16:32 mark.

The Sharks outshot the Stars 15-7 in the period.

Nicklas Grossman, who missed Wednesday night's game with the flu, was back in the lineup. The Stars dressed seven defensemen scratched Jake Dowell from the fourth line.

Second period

The Stars killed off the remaining 40 seconds of a San Jose power play to open the period and then thwarted another full Sharks power play a short time later.

The Stars then got a couple of power plays and cashed in on the second one to cut the San Jose to 2-1. As Steve Ott was trying to bust in on net, Sharks defenseman Dan Boyle tried to clear the puck away and ended up it firing it into his own net at 12:41 of the second.

But the Sharks went on their fourth power play less than a minute later and scored to take a 3-1 lead. Patrick Marleau tipped in a Brent Burns centering pass at the 14:59 mark.

Less than two minutes later, Nicklas Grossman turned the puck over to Joe Pavelski, who set up Joe Thornton, who had an easy tap in to give the Sharks a 4-1 lead.

The Sharks outshot the Stars 13-4 in the second period and had a 28-11 advantage through 40 minutes.

Third period

Jamie Benn scored off a rebound at 6:22 of the third to cut San Jose’s lead to 4-2, but that was as close as the Stars would get.

Ryane Clowe scored later in the period to give the Sharks a 5-2 lead.

The Stars outshot the Sharks 10-9 in the third. San Jose had a 37-21 advantage for the game.

Stars lineup

Ott-Benn-Ryder
Morrow-Ribeiro-Eriksson
Nystrom-Fiddler-Dvorak
Wandell-Burish

Souray-Robidas
Goligoski-Larsen
Fistric-Daley
Grossman

Scratched: Dowell, Petersen, Pardy
Injured: None

It will be the battle of the backups tonight as the Dallas Stars take on the Sharks in San Jose.

Richard Bachman will get the start for the Stars. Bachman is 6-2-1 with a 2.50 goals against average and a .917 goals against average this season. It will be his first start since January 17, when the Stars lost 3-2 in a shootout to Detroit. Bachman’s played once against San Jose, stopping all eight shots in 20 minutes of relief work on December 8.

Sharks goalie Antti Niemi got dinged up in practice yesterday and won’t play tonight. The Sharks will go with backup Thomas Greiss, who is 6-4-1 with a 1.98 goals against average and .927 save percentage this season.

“The last three starts he’s kept teams to one goal and he’s come in and played very well,” said Sharks coach Todd McLellan. “There isn’t any added pressure on him. He just comes in and plays his game, and that’s what we want to see.”

It looks like Sharks forward Ryane Clowe, who has missed the last six games with a facial fracture, will be back in the lineup tonight.

Stars defenseman Nicklas Grossman, who missed last night’s game with the flu, is questionable for tonight’s game.

ESPN.com's Pierre LeBrun has some trade deadline items related to the Dallas Stars. GM Joe Nieuwendyk told LeBrun time will tell how the Stars approach the trade deadline. Obviously, how the Stars do over next few weeks will dictate the plan moving forward.

"I think it’s a little early yet," Nieuwendyk said. "I think all these teams will have a better idea in a few weeks depending on how things shake out. There’s a lot of tire-kicking going on, but we’ll have to see how things work out."

LeBrun also has a brief item on Stars defenseman Nicklas Grossman, who will be an unrestricted free agent on July 1. Grossman could spark interest if the Stars don't sign him to an extension prior to the deadline, which is Feb. 27. You can read the latest from LeBrun here.

Also, a reminder that tonight's tilt against the Ducks is on Fox Sports Southwest Plus.

Here's where you can find the game in the Dallas Fort Worth Area, according to FSSW.

AT&T U-Verse - Ch. 692 (1692 HD)
Charter Cable - Ch. 300
DirecTV - Ch. 680 (680-1 HD)
Dish Network - Ch. 448 (9518 HD)
Time Warner Cable - Ch. 960 (requires digital cable box)
Verizon FIOS - Ch. 77 (577 HD)

For people outside Dallas/Fort Worth, click here to find out where to find the game in your area.

Also, this Saturday’s game vs. Minnesota (Feb. 4), which was originally scheduled on FOX Sports Southwest Plus, has been moved to TXA 21. Saturday’s game begins with the Ed Belfour Hall of Fame Recognition Ceremony at 7 pm.

And the April 7 home game vs. St. Louis has been moved from TXA 21 to FOX Sports Southwest Plus.

If you were expecting a low scoring, grind it out game between the Dallas Stars and Los Angeles Kings Thursday, they didn’t deliver. What they provided was an intense, revved up that game that had 79 shots on goals, 76 hits, 13 power plays and when it was over the Stars had a 5-4 shootout victory.

“I thought it was a tremendous hockey game tonight, maybe not for the coaches but for the fans,” said Stars coach Glen Gulutzan. “It was exciting, it was fast through 65 full minutes.”

And it was a big two points for the Stars, who picked up a point on the eighth place Kings and moved into seventh place in the West based on points percentage.

"I try to tell myself not to look at the standings, but every day I am searching them out to see if the change from 3 to 4 o’clock,” Gulutzan said. “We are playing playoff hockey. It's going to be a tough stretch here, but (games) 40 through 60, we've got to be strong."

The Stars squandered 2-0 and 3-1 leads in the game, but then scored a late goal to overcome a 4-3 deficit to tie and force overtime.

Loui Eriksson led the offensive attack for the Stars, scoring two goals in regulation, including the game-tying goal with 5:25 remaining, and then tallying the lone goal of the shootout.

“Of course it was an important win for us. It’s always a tight game against L.A. I thought we came back there pretty good and finally won the game. It was two big points for us,” said Eriksson. “It was really intense out there. We took too many penalties, but we found a way to stick with it.”

Stars goalie Kari Lehtonen, despite surrendering four goals against, was superb. He had several big saves at key times and stopped all three shots he faced in the shootout.

“He played great. They put a lot of shots on net, both teams did,” said Stars forward Eric Nystrom. “He was a huge part of it tonight.”

The Stars built a 2-0 lead with goals 51 seconds apart in the first 20 minutes. Brenden Morrow won a puck battle in the Dallas end, helping put the Stars on the rush and Eriksson tallied from close range at the 14:04 mark.

A short time later the Radek Dvorak won a puck battle against Kings defenseman Jack Johnson and set up Nystrom, who scored off the rebound of his own shot at the 14:55 mark.

Anze Kopitar scored on the Kings second power play of the game at 6:16 of the second to make it a 2-1 game. The Stars were up 3-1 later when Alex Goligoski scored on an odd-man rush. A little more than two minutes later Stars defenseman Nicklas Grossman misplayed a puck, leading to a breakaway for Trevor Lewis, who scored on a backhand shot.

The Stars got into penalty trouble early in the third period and the Kings scored two power play goals to take a 4-3 lead. Johnson scored on a five-on-three to tie the game and then Dustin Brown scored later in the period on another power play chance to make it a 4-3 game.

But the Stars got a four-minute power play with a little less than eight minutes left when Mike Richards went after Stars captain Brenden Morrow, who had just nailed Kopitar with a hard hit behind the Dallas net. Richards picked up an instigator and an unsportsmanlike conduct for picking up the instigator while wearing a visor.

“Richie [Mike Richards] stepped up for Kop and did his job,” Brown told the Kings official site. “That rule (the penalty for visor) is right in the rule book. There’s no arguing on that one. There’s no arguing that or the instigator. I didn’t see it, but I’m assuming he went right after him and got the two for instigating, and then the other one is automatic.”

Kopitar was down on the ice for a while before leaving on his own power. He did not return to the game. The word after the game was that Kopitar had an upper body injury. The Kings apparently didn’t have any issues with Morrow’s hit and Gulutzan said it looked legal to him.

“We watched it in slow motion and in my mind it was a clean hit," Gulutzan said. "He fell very awkward. I hope he is OK. I don’t know the extent of anything there. He fell awkwardly into the boards. I don’t think anything will come of it, but that is for the league to decide.”

On the four-minute power play, the Stars kept the Kings pinned in their own zone for more than two minutes before Eriksson scored from close range to tie the game at 4-4 with 5:25 remaining.

There was no scoring in overtime, but there was plenty of action, especially after Kings defenseman Drew Doughty ran over Lehtonen. That set off a scrum and the two teams played the final 21 seconds of overtime three-on-three.

In the shootout, Eriksson scored the lone goal, slipping the puck past quick with one hand. Lehtonen stopped Jarret Stoll, Brown and Lewis to secure the win for the Stars.

“There was some great intensity in the game,” said Nystrom. “Guys were moving their feet and skating well. That’s a big rival for us and if you can’t get up for a game like that, you are playing the wrong sport. It was great energy with the guys and a huge win for us.”

Notes

*Stars forward Loui Eriksson has 10 points (4 goals, 6 assists) over the last 6 games.

*Stars center Mike Ribeiro missed his second straight game with a knee injury.

*Adam Pardy was the lone healthy scratch for Dallas.

The Dallas Stars had their chances Tuesday night in Anaheim, but they couldn’t capitalize and it proved costly in a 5-2 loss to the Ducks at Honda Center.

“We’ve got to capitalize on our opportunities,” said Stars coach Glen Gulutzan. “We did have some opportunities early and especially in another team’s building if you get a chance you’ve got to make good on it. That’s the key. I didn’t mind our defensive game and structure, but at the end of the day you’ve got to get points.”

The loss snapped a two-game winning streak for the Stars, who hit the midway point of the season with a 23-17-1 record. They currently rank ninth in the Western Conference in points with 47 and are two points behind eighth place Los Angeles. They are in eighth place in the West based on points percentage.

The Stars fell behind 1-0 Tuesday night when Saku Koivu, who scored three goals for Anaheim, tipped a Toni Lydman shot past Stars goalie Kari Lehtonen 1:30 into the game.

After that, the Stars dominated the first period and had several chances. Jamie Benn hit the post with Dallas on a power play. Ducks goalie Jeff Deslauriers, called up from the AHL due to injuries to Jonas Hiller and Dan Ellis, stopped back-to-back quality bids by Michael Ryder. Nicklas Grossman hit a post. Benn had an open side of the net, but couldn’t get a shot off.

“Capitalizing on your chances is the key,” said Gulutzan. “I think we hit four posts in the first period. “Maybe if one of those goes maybe we’re not chasing the game.”

The Ducks extended the lead to 2-0 midway through the second period when defenseman Luca Sbisa fired a shot from the left board that flew into the net over Lehtonen’s shoulder.

The Stars scored two goals 1:04 apart early in the third period to tie the game, but the Ducks called a timeout and then took control of play after that and scored three unanswered goals.

After the puck slipped under the stick of Benn in the Anaheim zone, Teemu Selanne gathered it up in the neutral zone, raced into the Dallas zone and dropped the it to Koivu, who drove the net and scored on a backhand shot to put Anaheim 3-2 at 9:32 of the third.

Matt Beleskey scored off the rebound of a Andrew Cogliano shot with Anaheim on an odd-man rush to give the Ducks a 4-2 lead with 5:20 left in the game.

Koivu rounded out the scoring with an empty-net goal, giving him the hat trick and sealing the Ducks’ third straight win.

“We stuck with the game plan and you saw the result early in the third. They called a timeout and came at us pretty strong and put a lot of pressure on us,” said Stars defenseman Stephane Robidas. “There were a few breakdowns and that’s what happened. I think we played a pretty good game for the first two periods and early in the third, but after that they just took over.”

Notes: Ribeiro day-to-day with knee injury

*Stars center Mike Ribeiro, who missed Tuesday’s game with a knee injury, is listed as day-to-day. An MRI revealed Ribeiro has a slight MCL tear. He is not expected to play Thursday against Los Angeles.

*Stars defenseman Sheldon Souray returned to the lineup after missing six games with an ankle injury. He logged 14:14 of ice time in the game.

*Stars forward Jamie Benn missed a few shifts in the second period after needing some stitches over his left eye.

*The Stars were 3-3 on the penalty kill and are now 13-13 over the last six games.

*The Stars were 0-3 on the power play and are now 2-27 (7.4%) over the last nine games.

*Toby Petersen and Jordie Benn were healthy scratches for the Stars. Ribeiro, Philip Larsen and Tomas Vincour are out with injuries.

The Dallas Stars saw their two-game winning streak come to an end with a 5-2 loss to the Anaheim Ducks at Honda Center Tuesday night. The Stars rallied from a 2-0 deficit to tie the game early in the third period, but Anaheim rattled off three unanswered goals to secure the victory. Steve Ott and Alex Goligoski scored for the Stars, who fell to 23-17-1 on the season. Kari Lehtonen stopped 21 of 25 shots and fell to 2-3-0 since returning from a groin injury. Saku Koivu scored three goals for Anaheim, which won its third straight game.

First period

The Ducks took the lead 1:30 into the game when Saku Koivu tipped a Toni Lydman shot past Stars goalie Kari Lehtonen.

The Stars had ample scoring chances after that. Jamie Benn hit the post with the Stars on a power play. Michael Ryder’s point blank backhand shot was turned away by Ducks goalie Jeff Deslauriers. Nicklas Grossman hit the post. Benn had an open net, but couldn’t get a shot off. Eric Nystrom had a good chance stopped by Deslauriers.

Second period

Stars forward Steve Ott, who struggled to get off the ice late in the first period, was back out on the ice for the start of the second period.

The Stars had a power play, their second of the game, early in the period, but couldn’t take advantage.

Anaheim extended its lead to 2-0 on its second shot of the period at the 9:22 mark of the second. Luca Sbisa beat Kari Lehtonen with a shot from the left wall.

Jeff Deslauriers kept the Stars off the board with a nice stop on Dallas forward Loui Eriksson, who broken in on net and got on net off a spin move.

Kari Lehtonen helped keep the Stars within a goal, stopping Teemu Selanne’s point blank bid with less than a minute to go in the period.

The Ducks had 35 seconds of five-on-three power play late in the period, but couldn’t take advantage.

Third period

After killing off 1:15 of Anaheim power play time to start the period, the Stars struck for two quick goals to tie the game at 2-2.

Ott scored off a blast from the top of the left circle at the 1:39 mark to cut the Anaheim lead to 2-1.

Just 1:04 later Alex Goligoski scored from the right circle to make it a 2-2 game.

But the Ducks got the lead back at the 9:32 mark. Off the rush, Selanne dropped the puck to Koivu, who drove the net and scored off a backhand shot to give Anaheim a 3-2 lead.

The Ducks extended the lead to 4-2 with 5:20 remaining when Matt Beleskey scored off the rebound of an Andrew Cogliano shot with Anaheim on an odd-man rush.

The Stars pulled Lehtonen with about 1:30 to go for the extra attacker, but the Koivu scored into the empty net with 53.7 seconds left for his third goal of the game.

Stars lineup

Ott-Benn-Ryder
Morrow-Wandell-Eriksson
Nystrom-Fiddler-Dvorak
Dowell-Burish

Goligoski-Robidas
Grossman-Daley
Souray-Pardy
Fistric-Pardy

Lehtonen (starter)
Bachman

Scratched: Petersen, Jordie Benn
Injured: Ribeiro (knee), Larsen (concussion-like symptoms), Vincour (knee)

Dallas Stars center Mike Ribeiro put on a solid showing in Nashville Thursday night, mixing skill and grit in leading the Dallas Stars to a 4-1 victory over the Predators.

Ribeiro scored two first period goals, left the game late in the second after getting hit in the face with a puck but returned in the third period to help the Stars close out the victory that helps them keep pace in the very tight Western Conference.

“Some of that elusiveness you saw tonight was on display. I thought his compete level was real high. It was a great game,” said Stars coach Glen Gulutzan. “He came back after losing some teeth and getting stitches and he’s diving to block shots. I really liked his game. Some fantastic moves.”

Ribeiro opened the scoring for the Stars 4:18 into the game, slipping by Nashville defenders Roman Josi and Kevin Klein and then beating Predators goalie Pekka Rinne with a backhand shot.

After Nashville had tied the game on a goal by Gabriel Bourque, Ribeiro struck again with 38.7 seconds left in the first to give the Stars a lead that would hold up for the rest of the game. After Rinne couldn’t handle a Nicklas Grossman shot from the left point, the puck dropped behind the Nashville goalie and Ribeiro poked it into the net to put the Stars up 2-1.

Ribeiro left the game late in the second period when he was hit in the face by a Trevor Daley shot with the Stars on the power play.

"He's not as good looking as he was before,” said Gulutzan. “He's lost some teeth and he's got some stitches in his mouth. We’re just thankful it wasn’t a broken jaw or something like that.”

Ribeiro left the ice, but then returned midway through the third period wearing a full cage.

“It was pretty gritty. I don’t know if people noticed, but he went down to block Shea Weber’s shot late in the third period. We’re up 4-1 and there’s two minutes to go,” said Stars defenseman Stephane Robidas. “He showed a lot of courage. He came back and played a really good game. He’s a big piece of our team. “

The Stars made it a 3-1 game in the second period when Predators defenseman Ryan Suter reversed the puck behind his own net, but it went right to Stars forward Jamie Benn who quickly put it past a surprised Rinne at the 8:46 mark.

The Stars came close to extending the lead three times within the next two on plays by Steve Ott. He hit the post on a breakaway, was pulled down on another breakaway and was awarded a penalty shot, and then hit the post on the penalty shot.

The Stars made it 4-1 in the third, taking advantage of another Nashville turnover. After Predators defenseman Shea Weber lost the puck, Jamie Benn set up Tom Wandell, whose shot from the left circle was tipped into the net by Adam Burish.

“If you look at our game tonight it was a pretty solid win,” said Robidas. “It’s a tough team to play. There are not too many teams that come in that building and win. It’s a tough team to play against and you ask anybody, it could be one of the toughest teams to play against. We knew what we had to bring.”

The loss snapped a three-game winning streak for the Predators and spoiled the return of Weber, who had missed the last four games with a concussion that resulted from a hit by Stars defenseman Mark Fistric in the Stars’ 6-3 victory over the Predators on December 23.

“They tracked well and we just didn’t have enough push,” said Nashville coach Barry Trotz. “We weren’t sharp. It was a self-inflicted four goals. That’s how I look at it.”

Notes

*Stars defenseman Stephane Robidas returned to the lineup after missing six games with a foot injury.

*Nashville fans booed Stars defenseman Mark Fistric, whose hit knocked Predators defenseman Shea Weber out of the lineup for four games.

*Fistric and Nashville forward Jordin Tootoo fought 1:46 minutes into the game.

*The Stars were 3-3 on the penalty kill and are 8-8 on the PK over the last four games.

*The Stars were 0-4 on the power play and are now 2-22 over the last seven games.

*Jamie Benn had one goal and one assist, giving him three straight multi-point games.

*Toby Petersen and Jake Dowell were healthy scratches for the Stars, who dressed seven defensemen in the game.

The Dallas Stars picked up two key points Thursday night, beating the Predators 4-1 in Nashville. The victory pulled the Stars to within one point of the Predators in the Western Conference standings. Mike Ribeiro scored two goals and Jamie Benn had one goal and one assist for his third straight multi-point game. Adam Burish also scored for the Stars. Kari Lehtonen stopped 24 of 25 shots to improve to 15-6-1 on the season. The Stars were 3-3 on the penalty kill and are now 8-8 on the PK over the last four games.

First period

Just 1:46 into the game Predators forward Jordin Tootoo dropped the gloves with Stars defenseman Mark Fistric, whose hit had knocked Nashville captain Shea Weber out of action the previous four games.

The Stars opened the scoring at the 4:18 mark when center Mike Ribeiro beat Nashville defensemen Roman Josi and Kevin Kline and then backhanded the puck past Pekka Rinne from close range.

The Predators drew even 8:31 of the period when Tootoo beat Stars defenseman Adam Pardy in a puck battle behind the Dallas net and centered the puck to Gabriel Bourque, who then beat Stars goalie Kari Lehtonen from close range.

The Stars took a 2-1 lead with 38.7 seconds left in the period. Nicklas Grossman put a shot on net from the left point that got behind Rinne and Ribeiro poked it into the net for his second goal of the game.

Second period

The Stars made it a 3-1 at 6:28 of the second period. After Nashville defenseman Ryan Suter reversed the puck behind his own net it went right to Stars forward Jamie Benn, who quickly put it past surprised Predators goalie Pekka Rinne.

The Stars came close to making it a 4-1 game seconds one later, but Steve Ott hit the post on a breakaway.

Ott got a shorthanded breakaway a couple minutes later, but was pulled down by Suter and was awarded a penalty shot. Ott had Rinne beat, but his shot hit the post and it remained a 3-1 game.

The Stars went on their second power play of the game late in the period and lost Mike Ribeiro when he was hit in the face by a Trevor Daley one-timer.

Third period

Ribeiro returned later in the third period wearing a full cage.

The Stars extended the lead to 4-1 at 12:53 of the third, cashing on a Nashville turnover in its own end. Jamie Benn set up Tom Wandell, whose shot from the left circle was tipped into the net by Adam Burish.

Stars lineup

Morrow-Ribeiro-Eriksson
Ott-Benn-Ryder
Nystrom-Fiddler-Dvorak
Wandell-Burish

Grossman-Daley
Goligoski-Robidas
Fistric-Pardy
Benn

Lehtonen (starter)
Bachman

Scratched: Dowell, Petersen

Richard Bachman will make his fourth straight start Friday when the Dallas Stars play at the New Jersey Devils. Bachman is 3-0-0 with a 0.90 goals-against average and .970 save percentage in four appearances since being called up because of an injury to Kari Lehtonen.

He'll be playing in back-to-back games, but it's nothing new to Bachman, who has played three games in three nights at times in the minors.

"I've seen him play three in three nights [in the AHL] and play well in all three," Stars coach Glen Gulutzan said. "I have no problem playing him back to back. I think our team has to play well in front of him, which we are more than capable of doing."

Gulutzan said he hasn't decided on any other lineup moves. There are a few bumps and bruises on the blue line, including Nicklas Grossman (elbow). The Stars could play seven defenseman, meaning Mark Fistric would be in the lineup. If they decided to go with 12 forwards, Toby Petersen would be in the lineup.

"We wanted to see how Gross is, but he's fine. He'll be a game player. We're not sure how healthy we are on D," Gulutzan said. "We are either going to go six [defense] and 12 [forwards] or seven [defensemen] and 11 [forwards]."

Just a reminder, Friday's game will be starting at 7 p.m. It was originally a 6 p.m. start, but it has been changed to 7 because of the Scott Niedermayer number retirement ceremony.

FRISCO -- The Dallas Stars will be getting some key players back as they kick off a key five-game road trip in San Jose Thursday. Defensemen Alex Goligoski (broken thumb) and Trevor Daley (back) are in for Thursday's game and captain Brenden Morrow is likely to return.

"We'll definitely have two defensemen back in Goligoski and Daley," said Stars coach Glen Gulutzan. "Brenden is 90 percent ready and we'll see. If we waited until Saturday, he'd be 100 percent. He's real close. I would expect he's a game player for Thursday."

With Goligoski and Daley back in and Mark Fistric out due to the three-game suspension, Gulutzan said he will pair Goligoski with Philip Larsen for Thursday's game. Daley skated with Nicklas Grossman in practice and Sheldon Souray and Stephane Robidas skated together.

Once Fistric returns, and assuming no other injuries, the Stars will have eight healthy defensmen. A decision will have to be made then. Stars GM Joe Nieuwendyk said they'll deal with that next week.

Gulutzan said backup Richard Bachman will get a start during the road trip, but he's not sure when.

Here was the practice lineup Wednesday.

Eriksson-Benn-Ryder
Morrow-Ribeiro-Ott
Nystrom-Fiddler-Dvorak
Dowell-Wandell-Vincour/Petersen

Souray-Robidas
Grossman-Daley
Goligoski-Larsen
Fistric-Pardy

Raycroft
Bachman