Sabres shut out by Dallas 4-0

Buffalo, N.Y. (WGR/WBEN) - The Buffalo Sabres were unable to extend their winning streak to three games in their 4-0 loss to the Dallas Stars at KeyBank Center on Thursday night.

The Stars convert on a two-on-one opportunity in the offensive zone to score the game's first goal. Mikko Rantanen joined Jason Robertson on the off-man rush. Robertson buried a wrist shot past Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen for his second goal of the year. Rantanen and Wyatt Johnston assisted on the score that gave Dallas a 1-0 lead.

The Sabres were outshot in the first period, with Dallas being credited with eight shots on goal. Buffalo had five shots in the opening period. Luukkonen made eight saves, while Jake Oettinger stopped all five shots to help the Stars enjoy a one-goal lead through 20 minutes.

A shot from just inside the blue line helped extend the Stars lead to 2-0 over Buffalo midway through the second period. Sam Steel took the shot from the high slot area that went through traffic in front of the net and beat Luukkonen. Thomas Harley and Rantanen assisted on the Steel's first goal of the season.

Rantanen scored his first goal and registered his third point of the game with a goal in the later stages of the second period. The forward took advantage of a fortunate bounce off the boards to catch Luukkonen out of the net and score. His second goal of the year was assisted by Nils Lundkvist and Johnston to make the score 3-0 in favor of Dallas.

A Jack Quinn cross-checking minor penalty helped set Dallas up for their fourth goal of the night and extend their advanatage to 4-0 over Buffalo. Roope Hintz scored his first goal of the season to give the Stars their first power play goal of the season. Johnston and Rantanen added another assist to their respective totals on the special teams goal.

Buffalo outshot Dallas 11-3 in the third period, but were unable to beat Oettinger. The Sabres were credited with 26 total shots in the loss and did not score on their three power play chances. Luukkonen made 14 saves on 18 shots.

Goal Summary

First Period
BUF: NONE
DAL: 9:03 - Jason Robertson (2) (Mikko Rantanen, Wyatt Johnston)

Second Period
BUF: NONE
DAL: 9:36 - Sam Steel (1) (Thomas Harley, Mikko Rantanen). 13:57 - Mikko Rantanen (2) (Nils Lundkvist, Wyatt Johnston). 15:33 - Roope Hintz (1) PPG (Wyatt Johnston, Mikko Rantanen)

Third Period
BUF: NONE
DAL: NONE

Stats of the Game

Three Stars of the Game
1. Mikko Rantanen -DAL
2. Wyatt Johnston -DAL
3. Roope Hintz -DAL

What's Next
The Sabres have two more game remaining on their homestand, and next up is Utah on Saturday night. Buffalo and the Mammoth drop the puck at 7:00 p.m. on the flagship home of the Sabres Radio Network, WGR. Pregame coverage with Brian Koziol begins at 6:00 p.m.