DALLAS -- Dallas Stars captain Jamie Benn delivered his second career hat trick and added an assist for good measure, giving him an NHL-leading 87 points for the season, winning him the Art Ross Trophy as the Stars beat the Nashville Predators 4-1 before a sellout crowd at American Airlines Center on Saturday night.
Benn scored twice in the second period and again with 2:05 left in regulation on an empty-netter. He then picked up a secondary assist on Cody Eakin's goal with nine seconds remaining to give him a one-point edge over New York Islanders center John Tavares, who finished one point behind Benn with 86.
"It felt good (to do this at home)," Benn said. "It's a little bittersweet because obviously we're not in the playoffs. But it was pretty special to see your teammates work so hard for you."
Benn's first goal came 7:35 into the game when he flicked a backhand pass from Eakin over the glove of Nashville backup goaltender Carter Hutton for his 33rd goal of the season.
After Filip Forsberg tied it for Nashville with 11:33 remaining, Benn then put the Stars ahead for good two minutes later when he redirected a shot by John Klingberg for a power-play goal to make it 2-1.
Benn then completed the hat trick late in regulation, prompting the capacity crowd to hurl a cascade of chapeaus onto the ice.
"He's a first-class guy on and off the ice," Stars center Vernon Fiddler said of Benn. "At the end of the day, he's a guy that gets the job done. It's not easy to get more than a point a game in this league and outscore all the other guys, especially where he's come from. He wasn't a first-rounder or your top pick that was a shoo-in for the top scorer of the league. He's worked for every inch he's got."
Dallas finished the year on a four-game winning streak and the Stars were 14-5-0 over their final 19 games.
The Stars also got a 24-save performance from backup goaltender Jhonas Enroth, who was making his fourth consecutive start in net.
Nashville lost its sixth straight game but the Predators will face the Chicago Blackhawks in a first-round playoff series beginning on Wednesday in the Music City.
But naturally, the hot topic of conversation was the magnitude of what Benn had just accomplished, becoming the first Art Ross winner in franchise history.
"What he did was special. That doesn't happen very often," Stars head coach Lindy Ruff said. "To end up winning the league scoring, that's an incredible accomplishment. As a coach, you're proud to see one of your players accomplish that."
True to form, Benn thanked his teammates, even singling out linemate Tyler Seguin, who didn't play against the Predators after being late to practice on Friday, for their role in him bringing home the hardware.
"Yeah, he's a big part of the success that I've had," Benn said of Seguin. "Obviously we have great chemistry out there. He's a heck of a hockey player. I've got to tip my hat to him too. He's been a big part of this process."
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