Stars Use 4-Goal Second Period to Dominate Blue Jackets, 5-1

Joe Pavelski #16 of the Dallas Stars flips in a goal against Elvis Merzlikins #90 of the Columbus Blue Jackets at the American Airlines Center on April 15, 2021 in Dallas, Texas.
Glenn James/NHLI via Getty Images

Joe Pavelski scored his team-high 18th goal of the season as one of five Dallas players with a goal and an assist, and the Stars scored four times in 6 1/2 minutes in the second period to beat the Columbus Blue Jackets 5-1 on Saturday night.

Denis Gurianov, Jamie Benn, John Klingberg and Esa Lindell also had a goal and an assist for the Stars, who are on a season-high six-game point streak (3-0-3).

Rookie goalie Jake Oettinger made 20 saves in improving to 5-0-1 this season against Columbus.

Vladislav Gavrikov scored for the Blue Jackets, who are 0-4-1 in their last five games and 2-10-2 in their last 14. Joonas Korpisalo was pulled after allowing four goals on 16 shots, three during a 3:24 span midway through the second.

After Gavrikov and Benn traded first-period goals, Gurianov began Dallas' second-period barrage on a give-and-go with Benn at 10:10. A little more than 3 minutes later, Pavelski hit on a spinning backhander from the low slot. Klingberg scored another 20 seconds later when a puck deflected off sliding Blue Jackets defenseman Scott Harrington. After Elvis Merzlikins replaced Korpisalo, Lindell scored on a wrist shot from the high slot with 3;20 left.

Jason Robertson and Roope Hintz had two assists each.

Dallas swept the two-game series from Columbus beginning with Thursday's 4-1 win to finish the season series 5-2-1. The Stars rallied from a 1-0 deficit in both games to improve to 4-10-7 in games in which their opponents scored first.

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Blue Jackets center Max Domi drew a 10-minute misconduct penalty late in the second period, his second in three games.

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