Mikko Rantanen scored once and assisted on three other goals as the Dallas Stars shut out the Buffalo Sabres 4-0 on Thursday night at KeyBank Center.
Falling behind has become a concerning early-season trend for the Sabres, and Thursday night was no different. At 9:05 of the first period, Jason Robertson broke in on a two-on-one, froze Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen and wristed the puck past him to make it 1-0.
The one-goal deficit proved too much for the Sabres to overcome, as Dallas goaltender Jake Oettinger stopped all 26 shots he faced.
The Stars added three goals in the second period. Sam Steel made it 2-0 at 9:18, wristing a shot through traffic and past Luukkonen. Rantanen extended the lead at 13:54, backhanding the puck into the net after it caromed off the boards and out in front.
Roope Hintz added a power-play goal less than two minutes later to make it 4-0. Neither team scored in the third, and the Stars preserved the shutout.
The Sabres return to action Saturday when they host the Utah Mammoth at KeyBank Center.
