Sabres shut out by Stars

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

The Stars take advantage of a 2-on-1 opportunity in the offensive zone to score the game's first goal. Mikko Rantanen joined Jason Robertson on the odd-man rush, but it was Robertson burying a wrist shot past Sabres goalie Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen for his second goal of the year.

The Sabres were outshot in the first period, with Dallas being credited with eight shots on goal to Buffalo's five. Luukkonen made seven saves, while Stars netminder Jake Oettinger stopped all five shots faced.

A shot from the high slot area helped extend the Stars' lead to 2-0 midway through the second period. Sam Steel took the shot that went through traffic in front of the net and beat Luukkonen through the five-hole.

Rantanen scored his second goal of the season 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.

A Jack Quinn cross-checking minor penalty helped set Dallas up for their fourth goal of the night. This time, it was Stars forward Roope Hintz scoring his first goal of the season to give Dallas their first power play tally of the year.

Buffalo outshot Dallas, 11-3, in the third period, but were unable to beat Oettinger in the end. The Sabres were credited with 26 total shots in the loss, and, once again, did not score on any of their three power play chances.

Luukkonen made 14 saves on 18 shots faced in the loss.

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SCORING RECAP

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

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STATS OF THE GAME:

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Bluestar Three Stars of the Game:

1. Mikko Rantanen - DAL
2. Wyatt Johnston - DAL
3. Roope Hintz - DAL

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What's next:

The Sabres continue their five-game homestand with a matchup against the Utah Mammoth on Saturday. Faceoff at KeyBank Center is slated for 7 p.m. on the radio home of the Sabres - WGR. Pregame coverage with Brian Koziol begins at 6 p.m.