Aleksander Barkov scored the winning goal with 5:22 left as the Eastern Conference-leading Florida Panthers used a three-goal third period to beat the Dallas Stars 4-3 on Tuesday night.
The winner came only seconds into a power play when Florida’s captain took a shot from the middle of the right circle, and the puck ricocheted off a Stars player in front of Matthew Tkachuk who was at the side of the net ready to knock it in.
Tkachuk assisted on the first three goals for the Panthers, who won for the 18th time in 21 games. That included the tying goal with six minutes left when he sent a puck toward the net and Sam Bennett had his stick in the air to deflect it past All-Star goalie Jake Oettinger.
That came only 38 seconds before Barkov’s goal, and was the middle of three Florida goals in 3 1/2 minutes.
Jason Robertson, Wyatt Johnston and Joe Pavelski each had a goal and an assist for the Central Division-leading Stars, who had their season-best five-game winning streak snapped.
Panthers goalie Sergei Bobrovsky hadn’t allowed more than two goals sine Jan. 19, but his personal 12-game stretch ended when Robertson and Johnston scored 23 seconds apart in the second period to put Dallas up 3-0. Bobrovsky stopped 27 shots.
Oettinger had 26 saves.
Florida’s first goal was Sam Reinhart’s 46th, the second-most in the NHL. He popped the puck over Oettinger’s left shoulder on a power play midway through the second period. Carter Verhaeghe added another power-play tally on a 40-foot wrister with 8:51 left.
The Stars led 3:19 into the game after Robertson knocked a puck off the sideboard, got it back from Johnston and then had a clear breakaway that ended with his pass to Pavelski for a goal.
Robertson extended his points streak to seven games, matching his longest of the season, with his 23rd goal and 44th assist.
Up next: The Stars host New Jersey on Thursday night in the second of their five consecutive home games. Dallas beat the Devils 6-2 on the road Jan. 20.
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