Sergei Bobrovsky’s dominance of the Dallas Stars continued Saturday night, and Brad Marchand supplied the finishing touch.
Bobrovsky stopped all 15 shots he faced for his third shutout of the season as the Florida Panthers blanked the Stars 4-0, snapping Dallas’ four-game home winning streak and extending Florida’s mastery of the Western Conference contender.
Marchand scored twice and added an assist, Anton Lundell had a goal and an assist, and Sam Bennett also found the net as the Panthers bounced back from a 6-2 loss at Colorado on Thursday. Sam Reinhart chipped in with two assists for Florida, which has now won five straight games against Dallas, including a shootout victory at home on Nov. 1.
Bobrovsky improved to an eye-popping 21-2-2 in his career against the Stars, turning in another calm, efficient performance as Dallas was held to a season-low shot total. The Stars were shut out for the first time since a 3-0 loss to Edmonton in Game 2 of last season’s Western Conference final.
Florida struck early in the second period when Lundell opened the scoring just 19 seconds in, toe-dragging between two defenders before tucking the puck inside the post for his third goal in five games. Bennett made it 2-0 later in the period when his shot deflected off his right skate and into the net, a goal upheld after video review.
Marchand pushed the lead to 3-0 on the power play with just 15 seconds left in the second period, ending Dallas’ streak of 35 consecutive successful penalty kills. The Panthers entered the night with the NHL’s worst road power play at 9.3%, while the Stars owned the league’s top unit both overall (33%) and at home (40%). Dallas finished 0-for-3 with the man advantage and was outshot 3-1 in those situations.
Marchand sealed the result with an empty-net goal late in the third, completing a dominant night for Florida.
Dallas goaltender Jake Oettinger, who began Saturday leading the NHL with 14 wins, stopped 18 shots but dropped his second straight start after winning six in a row. He fell to 1-7-1 in his career against the Panthers.
The loss marked the first time the Stars have dropped consecutive games in regulation since an 0-3 skid in mid-October, following a strong 9-0-2 stretch. Florida, meanwhile, continued to assert itself against one of the league’s elite teams.
The Panthers visit Tampa Bay on Monday to wrap up their four-game road trip. The Stars return home to host the Los Angeles Kings on Monday.
