Jason Robertson opens scoring as Stars blank Sabres 4-0 in Buffalo

The first goal Thursday night belonged to Jason Robertson, and the Dallas Stars never gave it back.

Robertson opened the scoring at 9:03 of the first period at KeyBank Center, finishing a 2-on-1 rush with Mikko Rantanen by beating Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen low on the blocker side. Dallas went on to a 4-0 win over the Buffalo Sabres, and Jake Oettinger stopped all 26 shots he faced for his second shutout in a row. The Stars are 2-2-0 and have won two straight.

Building from the opener

Sam Steel doubled the lead at 9:36 of the second period with a shot from well above the slot that went through a crowd and between Luukkonen's pads. At 13:57, a Nils Lundkvist point shot caromed off the end boards, and Rantanen backhanded the rebound into the open net for a 3-0 lead.

Roope Hintz closed the scoring at 15:34 on the power play. Taking Wyatt Johnston's feed in the right circle, he picked the top far corner, ending Dallas' 0-for-9 start on the man advantage this season.

Rantanen had a goal and three assists, the 26th four-point game of his career, according to NHL.com. Johnston had three assists. Oettinger's shutout streak stands at 146:55, the second longest of his career.

How the teams saw it

Rantanen pointed to the skating. "We had our legs again, I think that's the key," he said. "Playing well, you need to skate well, and I think the last two games we've been playing really fast."

Hintz kept the message simple. "I think we're just trying to play hockey," he said. "Don't think too much and try to play with the instincts and make a play if it's there, and then just try to play quick hockey."

Coach Glen Gulutzan said the defensemen have been moving the puck well and the forwards have been getting to the right spots.

Buffalo, also 2-2-0, has allowed the first goal and fallen behind by at least two in each of its last three games. Sabres coach Lindy Ruff said his team has to start better and finish its early chances. Defenseman Mattias Samuelsson said falling behind "is never easy in this league," adding, "Yeah, kind of been shooting ourselves in the foot with that."

Sources

nhl.com

The Associated Press