Merilainen makes 24 saves, Senators end Stars’ winning streak at 7 with 3-2 victory

By The Associated Press

Ottawa Senators goaltender Leevi Merilainen (1) celebrate with teammate Shane Pinto (12) at the end of NHL hockey game action against the Dallas Stars in Ottawa, Ontario, Sunday, Jan. 12, 2025. (Justin Tang/The Canadian Press via AP)[ASSOCIATED PRESS/Justin Tang]

OTTAWA, Ontario (AP) — Leevi Merilainen made 24 saves in his Ottawa home debut and the Senators ended the Dallas Stars’ seven-game winning streak with a 3-2 victory Sunday night.

Merilainen was coming off his first NHL shutout Saturday in a 5-0 victory in Pittsburgh. The 22-year-old Finn’s five previous starts this season were on the road.

Josh Norris, Tim Stutzle and Matthew Highmore scored for Ottawa.

Evgenii Dadonov and Jason Robertson scored for Dallas. Casey DeSmith made 25 saves. The Stars also played Saturday, winning 2-1 in a shootout in Montreal.

Takeaways

Senators: Ottawa rebounded after giving up the first goal.

Stars: Dallas faded in the second period and was unable to match Ottawa’s energy.

Key moment

The Stars appeared to tie it at 2 on a power play midway through the second,. but the Senators challenged and it was ruled offside.

Up next

Both teams are back in action Tuesday night. The Stars will be at Toronto, and the Senators will visit the New York Islanders.

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AP NHL: https://www.apnews.com/hub/NHL