Stars top Avs 4-2 for 1st 3-game winning streak this season

DALLAS (AP) — Tyler Seguin had two goals and an assist and the Dallas Stars beat the lowly Colorado Avalanche 4-2 on Thursday night for their first three-game winning streak of the season.

Seguin's 12th goal of the season, a one-timer from the middle of the left circle on a pass from captain Jamie Benn, put the Stars up 2-0 in the first period. He added his 13th into an empty net in the closing seconds.

Seguin and Benn assisted on Jamie Oleksiak's wrister from the right circle for a 3-1 lead early in the second period, right after Benn had a shot ricochet off the crossbar.

The Stars are 4-0-1 their last five games. Colorado has won only three of its last 17 games, and has the NHL's worst record at 12-22-1.

Stars goalie Kari Lehtonen stopped 13 of 14 shots before coming out of the game with 15 minutes left after being barreled over by Jarome Iginla.

Antti Niemi took over in net, and about 2 1/2 minutes later gave up Mikhail Grigorenko's goal off a rebound that got the Avs within a goal.

Calvin Pickard started in goal for Colorado had 30 saves while Semyon Varlamov missed another game because of a groin injury.

Matt Duchene got his 400th career point late in the first period when he scored his 13th goal of the season. The net was open with Lehtonen out of position after another shot slipped under his pads. But Duchene was then shoved from behind by Radek Faksa and fell backward on the ice after his face hit the crossbar.

Duchene, the third overall pick in the 2009 draft by Colorado, became only the second member of that draft class to reach 400 NHL points. The other is New York Islanders captain John Tavares, who was the first overall pick that year and reached 400 points late in the 2014-15 season.

NOTES: Stars C Cody Eakin was back after serving a four-game suspension for charging New York Rangers goaltender Henrik Lundqvist on Dec. 15. ... Tyson Barrie assisted on both Colorado goals. ... Stars RW Patrick Eaves got his 100th career assist in the first period on Devin Shore's sixth goal of the season, the first goal of the game.

UP NEXT:

Avalanche: Hosts the New York Rangers on New Year's Eve. Colorado has lost nine straight home games since Nov. 15.

Stars: Home for their annual New Year's Eve game. They host Florida on Saturday night.