DALLAS _ The Stars were given one period to win the game Tuesday night.
They had one period to get by the Panthers, to keep pace in the Western Conference playoff race, and to earn their first win of a crucial five-game homestand. When the Stars needed their best, Tyler Seguin, Jamie Benn and Alexander Radulov combined to deliver it.
Radulov scored the game-winning goal of a 4-2 win over Florida on Tuesday night, snapping a brief two-game losing streak and helping Dallas remain two points back of St. Louis for third place in the Central Division. The Stars opened up a five-point edge on Minnesota for a playoff spot.
Radulov's goal came with less than 10 minutes remaining, and broke a 2-2 tie. It came after a masterful keep at the offensive blue line by Seguin, and a nifty assist from Benn, capping an offensive push from the Stars and their top line.
Radulov added an empty-net goal to finish with two goals and one assist (though Radulov's empty-net goal never went in the goal, it was awarded to Dallas after Mike Hoffman threw his stick to break up the play). Benn had a goal and two assists. Seguin had four assists.
While Benn, Seguin, and Radulov haven't often started a game together, coach Jim Montgomery has reunited them when the team needs offensive pushes or on offensive zone draws. They often remind him why they are so potent together and one of the best combinations in the league, and on Tuesday night, they helped carry the Stars past the pesky Panthers.
John Klingberg scored a power play goal in the second period, and Ben Bishop made 19 saves in his first game back in the lineup. Bishop missed the previous two games with a lower-body injury, and was beaten twice by Panthers center Aleksander Barkov.
Bishop's shutout streak ended at 233 minutes and four seconds when Barkov beat him 2:11 into the first period. The streak ranks as the longest in franchise history and the 24th longest in NHL history.
For the Stars, the result was crucial. A loss would have dropped them four points behind the Blues and left them three ahead of the Wild. While Thursday's game against Colorado still remains important, it doesn't have a must-win label that it might have carried had Dallas lost a third straight game Tuesday night.
Winning the third period was also critical. Florida is the league's worst third-period team. Their minus-20 goal differential in the final 20 minutes was last in the NHL entering Tuesday. The Panthers had lost nine times when leading after two periods and 13 times when tied after two periods.
