Bachman makes 29 saves to carry Oilers to shutout win over Stars
Richard Bachman got a win against his former team, and put a dent in their playoff chances.
Bachman made 29 saves for his second NHL shutout and the Edmonton Oilers beat the Dallas Stars 4-0 on Friday night.
"On a selfish note, it feels good to beat them," said Bachman, a fourth-round draft pick of the Stars in 2006. "Our guys did some really good things, blocking shots when I couldn't see them and capitalizing on our opportunities. We gave them a few odd-man rushes that we probably didn't like, but it was a really good hockey game."
Jordan Eberle, Derek Roy, Benoit Pouliot and Andrew Miller scored to help the Oilers win their second straight game.
"Richard was unbelievable," Oilers coach Todd Nelson said. "He was perfect."
Kari Lehtonen made 24 saves for the Stars, whose four-game winning streak ended.
"We can't afford to give up any points right now," Stars defenseman Alex Goligoski said. "We knew we probably had to win out, maybe room to lose a couple of points at best. This loss hurts."
Dallas remained eight points behind Winnipeg for the final wild-card spot in the Western Conference, with just seven games left.
"That was a tough one," Dallas forward Shawn Horcoff said. "We didn't play the game we have been playing lately that had made us successful. It cost us tonight. It is pretty disappointing. We still have to believe that we have a chance if we run the tables from here and just put it behind us."
Edmonton got off to a quick start, scoring on the game's first shot at 33 seconds. Ryan Nugent-Hopkins fanned on a shot, but hooked the puck in front for Eberle, who beat Lehtonen for his 22nd goal of the season.
Since the NHL All-Star break, only Dallas captain Jamie Benn has scored more points than Eberle.
Lehtonen kept it a one-goal game midway through the second period, stopping Nugent-Hopkins on a clear breakaway attempt.
Dallas had 23 shots on Bachman through 40 minutes, to 16 for Edmonton.
Edmonton made it 2-0 midway through the third. Nail Yakupov's pass from behind the net went off the skate of defender Alex Goligoski to Roy, who snapped it past Lehtonen for his 12th of the season.
The Oilers went up by three goals a few minutes later as Taylor Hall spotted Pouliot at the side of the net during a scramble in the Dallas end and the veteran winger potted his 17th.
Edmonton rookie Miller was awarded a late penalty shot and scored his first-career NHL goal to make it 4-0.
"Usually, I get a little nervous, but I was able to calm down and take some breaths, do my move and luckily it went in," Miller said. "It was nice to get the first one out of the way."
The Stars wrap up a three-game trip in Vancouver on Saturday. The Oilers are idle until Monday when they travel to Colorado.
Notes: Dallas had six straight wins at Rexall Place dating to Feb. 15, 2011. ... Dallas defenseman Trevor Daley (lower body) remained out and is day-to-day. Winger Valeri Nichushkin was activated on a return from a hip injury but was sent to the AHL's Texas Stars for a conditioning stint.
