Blue Jackets topple Stars 2-1 at AAC

Columbus snaps Dallas’ quest for third straight win with 2-1 win in defensive battle at the American Airlines Center Tuesday night.

Sometimes, it’s just not your day. This is that day for the Dallas Stars.

Improvement on defense and incredible goalie work from Ben Bishop had propelled the Stars over the past two weeks and that theme stayed the same throughout the first two periods.

The matchup was between the only two organizations with the same exact record (22-15-3) in the NHL and a crucial match for the Stars who continue to chase the Predators and Blues in the Central.

Deadlock at 0-0 for the first two periods helped Ben Bishop tally over 120 minutes of game action since his last goal allowed.

Columbus took the air out of the AAC by slowing the pace down drastically and lulled the Stars to sleep for much of the game.

That was until Dallas broke the tie before the seats warmed back up in the 3^rd. Devin Shore put one in the back of the net for the second straight game with a wrister only 44 seconds into the period.

All the momentum looked to swing in favor of the Stars, especially when Stephen Johns found a wide-open chance on the left side of the net. The slap shot that was headed into the upper left-hand corner was then slapped above the crossbar by goaltender Sergei Bobrovsky.

Then that momentum began to shift.

The shot would have made it 2-0 Dallas with just over 15 minutes left, but the handle save by Bobrovsky opened the door for Columbus the other way.

Johns missed a body-check near center ice which opened up Matt Calvert to assist Oliver Bjorkstrand for his 7^th goal of the season and the equalizer.

78 seconds later, Bjorkstrand struck once more to make it 2-1 Blue Jackets with 13:48 remaining in the game.

The final 10 minutes of the game saw Dallas with multiple opportunities with the puck on the attacking end but no luck as Bobrovsky continued to turn away shots.

With the 2-1 Columbus win, Bobrovsky now has a 10-2 career record against Dallas when starting and the Blue Jackets snap their three-game losing streak.

Penalties were rare, with only one combined power-play and Columbus never seeing a player in the box.

The Stars remain in sixth place in the conference and just four points behind Nashville for third in the Central Division.

Dallas takes the ice again against New Jersey, Thursday at 7:30pm CT in a rematch of the 2000 Stanley Cup Finals.

For more Stars coverage follow the Dallas Sports Fanatic on Twitter at @Dallas_Fanatic and my personal Twitter at @Kyle_Youmans.