DALLAS – Alex Chiasson broke a third-period tie with his first goal in 13 games, and Lindy Ruff earned his 600th NHL coaching victory with a 3-2 win over his former team, the Buffalo Sabres, on Monday night.
Jamie Benn’s slap shot from the blue line deflected off Chiasson and past goalie Jhonas Enroth for a power-play goal at 10:25 of the third.
The Stars opened a two-point lead over their closest pursuers for eighth place in the Western Conference. Ruff posted his first 571 wins with the Sabres before joining the Stars.
Defensemen Jordie Benn and Alex Goligoski both scored their third goal of the season for the Stars, who overcame a 1-0 deficit. Benn had been scoreless for 11 games, and Goligoski had gone 48 without a goal.
Tyler Ennis scored twice for Buffalo, with Matt Moulson assisting on both goals. The second got the Sabres even at 3:23 of the third.
Dallas (29-22-10) has 68 points. Winnipeg and Vancouver each have 66.
Enroth made 36 saves, and Dallas’ Kari Lehtonen had 21.
Dallas dominated the first period everywhere but on the scoreboard as the Sabres took a 1-0 lead.
The Stars recorded 14 of the first 17 shots, but failed to score on three power plays despite putting seven shots on goal.
Dallas nearly gave up a short-handed goal on the third advantage, but Matt D’Agostini’s shot hit the crossbar.
The Sabres scored on their next shot. Drew Stafford skated in on the left side, and when Dallas’ Trevor Daley slid on the ice to try to block a shot, Stafford passed the puck across to Ennis, who scored at 17:17.
Dallas outshot the Sabres 16-5 in the period, which ended with Enroth stopping Chiasson’s close-range backhand.
Chiasson put a team-high four shots on goal in the first, including some of the Stars’ best chances. Enroth had stopped Chiasson’s slap shot on Dallas’ first power play, as well as two Cody Eakin slap shots.
The Stars tied it 1:30 into the second period when Benn sent a slap shot from the left point past Enroth, with help from a screen by his brother Jamie.
Six seconds before the period ended, Gologoski scored.
Ryan Garbutt deflected Trevor Daley’s slap shot off the post. Shawn Horcoff gathered in the rebound and sent a backhanded pass across the goalmouth to Goligoski, who scored into the left side of the net.
The Stars had a 12-9 advantage in shots, for a two-period total of 28-14.
Buffalo tied it when Moulson’s shot went over the net but bounced back off the glass to Ennis, who tucked the puck into the lower right corner.
The loss ended a season-best three-game winning streak for Buffalo (18-35-8).
NOTES: The Stars were 1 for 26 on power plays in their previous seven games. . Eakin left the game with 3 minutes remaining because of an undisclosed injury. . Jamie Benn has 15 points (six goals, nine assists) in his last 11 games. . Enroth has stopped 101 of 110 shots in his last three games. . In his last four games against Dallas, Moulson has six goals, two assists.
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