Benn posts hat trick to lead Stars past Blues, 4-1

Jamie Benn returned from a brief injury absence to record a hat trick and help the visiting Dallas Stars beat the St. Louis Blues for the second time in 10 days, 4-1 on Saturday night. Defenseman John Klingberg had a goal with two assists and Ben Bishop stopped 29 shots for the Stars, who continued their push toward the Western Conference playoffs by completing a 3-1-0 road trip.

Dallas, which ended the Blues' team-record 11-game winning streak with a 5-2 victory on Feb. 21, snapped their seven-game home winning stretch Saturday. Though third in the Central Division and three points better than Dallas, St. Louis has managed just nine non-shootout goals while going 2-3-1 since the 11-game run. Blues rookie Jordan Binnington made 17 saves during his first loss in eight starts at home.

Benn, meanwhile, has five goals in the last two games against the Blues, and 19 with 39 points in 39 career contests versus St. Louis. Back from missing the previous two games with an upper-body injury, Benn got Dallas on the board when he deflected home a blast from Taylor Fedun at 16:52 into the first period. Klingberg then put the Stars up 2-0 shortly after, when he took a pass from Blake Comeau and skated untouched through the slot to send one past Binnington.

Things were quiet much of the second period until some pushing and shoving between multiple players on both sides awoke the home crowd with just over six minutes to play. Then with 4:20 left in the second, St. Louis' Alex Pietrangelo scored to cut Dallas' lead in half. But after the Blues' Mackenzie MacEachern drew a retaliatory roughing call, Benn responded on the power play to push the Stars' lead back to two as he delivered a quick wrister by Binnington at 17:11 in the period. He clinched the victory with a late empty-netter.

Pietrangelo has three goals in four games for St. Louis. --Field Level Media

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