DALLAS – Kari Lehtonen assured a successful NHL debut for Dallas Stars coach Glen Gulutzan.

Lehtonen stopped 37 shots, Alex Goligoski and Jamie Benn scored second-period goals, and the Stars held on for a 2-1 decision over the Chicago Blackhawks on Friday night in the opener for both teams.

“He had a great performance,” Gulutzan said about Lehtonen. “I thought he was the difference. … Kari was our backbone tonight.”

Gulutzan was promoted over the summer by general manager Joe Nieuwendyk from the Stars’ AHL affiliate to succeed Marc Crawford, who was fired at the end of last season after the team missed the playoffs for a third straight season.

“It’s a relief,” Gulutzan said. “Now I know I can win one.”

Lehtonen was at his best in the second period, making a series of sliding saves while Chicago built a 22-12 shots advantage, a total pumped up by three power plays.

“All the penalties seemed to be (against) us,” Lehtonen said. “It was a tough task there, but the penalty killing unit took most of the crazy chances away. It was a great battle. I was able to see the puck well tonight.”

Lehtonen came up with a key stop with about 5 minutes left on

Read More from the Article Source: Full Article