Jack Eichel scored two goals and the Buffalo Sabres defeated the Dallas Stars 4-1 on Monday.
Tyler Ennis scored 19 seconds into the first period. Ennis returned after missing 30 games with a groin injury that required surgery.
Jake McCabe also had a goal and Robin Lehner made 31 saves after missing the past three games with an illness.
The Sabres snapped a two-game losing streak and beat the Stars for the first time in four matchups.
Radek Faksa scored for the Stars in the opener of a three-game road trip. Kari Lehtonen stopped 25 shots. Dallas has lost two in a row and six of eight.
Eichel gave the Sabres a 3-1 lead 7:07 into the second period when he scored from the left side of the net on a power play. It was Eichel's first goal in five games. He scored again into an empty net with 9.3 seconds left for his third two-goal game of the season.
Buffalo built a 2-0 lead in the first 13 minutes.
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Ennis took the first shot of the game and beat Lehtonen with a wrist shot from the right circle. McCabe got his first goal of the season on a power play with 7:26 remaining in the first when he intercepted Jamie Benn's clearing pass and took a slap shot from the high slot.
Buffalo's Taylor Fedun had a goal disallowed prior to the power play when it was ruled that Lehtonen touched the puck after a delayed penalty on Faksa for hooking.
Faksa poked in the rebound off Jiri Hudler's slap shot that hit the post to make it 2-1 with 4:46 remaining in the first period.
The Stars appeared to tie the game 1:38 into the second period when Patrick Eaves tipped in Stephen Johns' long shot. But Sabres coach Dan Bylsma successfully challenged that Eaves was offside.
NOTES: Eichel set a career high with 10 shots on goal. The Sabres are 6-0-1 this season when Eichel scores. ... Sam Reinhart assisted on Eichel's goal and has 13 points in his past 13 games. ... Stars D Jamie Oleksiak missed his third straight game with a hand injury. ... Buffalo recalled F Cal O'Reilly from the minors on Saturday. O'Reilly entered the lineup in place of Nicolas Deslauriers (healthy scratch). ... The Stars allowed a goal on each of the first three shots in Saturday's 5-4 loss to Minnesota. They are 3-13-5 when allowing the first goal this season. ... The Sabres have won their past five games against Western Conference teams. ... Both teams played the first game of a back-to-back.
UP NEXT
Stars: At Rangers on Tuesday
Sabres: At Toronto on Tuesday