Matt Duchene netted two goals as the Dallas Stars stormed to an 8-3 victory over the San Jose Sharks, bouncing back after a tough 5-4 shootout loss to the Kings the night before. The Sharks initially led 2-0 just 2:46 into the game thanks to goals from William Eklund and Fabian Zetterlund. However, the Stars responded quickly with goals from Duchene, Jason Robertson, and Mason Marchment to take a 3-2 lead in the first period.

Duchene added another power-play goal in the second, and Mavrik Bourque also found the back of the net. Other scorers for the Stars included Wyatt Johnston, Thomas Harley, and Jamie Benn. Casey DeSmith made 23 saves to secure the win.

San Jose struggled to maintain their early momentum, dropping 10 of their last 11 games. Meanwhile, Dallas used the victory as a confidence boost before the 4 Nations break, with hopes for recovering key injured players like Ilya Lyubushkin and Miro Heiskanen, who is expected to miss several weeks after knee surgery.

Macklin Celebrini reached a milestone, becoming the fifth rookie in Sharks’ history to record 40 points with an assist on their first goal of the night.

Key Takeaways:

• Stars: The upcoming break provides a chance for key players like Lyubushkin to recover.
• Sharks: Despite the early lead, they were unable to capitalize, continuing their tough stretch.

Next games: The Stars return on Feb. 22 against New Jersey, while the Sharks face Calgary on Feb. 23.