The Carolina Hurricanes and Dallas Stars played Thursday for the third time this season.
No extensive video work or skull session was needed. The two teams know each other tendencies. Just throw the puck down and go.
The Canes and Stars combined for an entertaining game, Carolina winning 5-3. It was played before a few thousand fans at American Airlines Center, adding a different element during the pandemic.
Both teams made pushes in an ebb-and-flow type of game. Jordan Staal had a goal and assist for the Canes (8-3-0), setting up Sebastian Aho for a power-play in the first period with a neat no-look pass and then hustling to score in the second, lunging across the ice.
With the Stars (5-3-3) leading 3-2 late in the second, Brock McGinn tied it for Carolina, scoring for the fourth straight game, a personal best. After Brett Pesce’s shot from the point, McGinn grabbed the loose puck for his fifth of the season.
When Nino Niederreiter scored at 3:58 of the third, taking a pass from Dougie Hamilton and faking out goalie Anton Khudobin, Carolina had a 4-3 lead. Warren Foegele had a late empty-net goal after Dallas pulled Khudobin for an extra attacker.
The Canes hunkered down around goalie James Reimer, who saw a lot of rubber Thursday, facing 37 shots.
Pesce had a pair of assists for the Canes as did center Vincent Trocheck, who returned from a lower-body injury that kept him out the last game.
The Canes and Stars play the second game of the Central Division mini-series on Saturday -- their fourth game of the season.
