In this article
DALLAS — David Perron went four games without a point after joining the Dallas Stars. In his fifth, Thursday night against the Winnipeg Jets, he scored.
A Thomas Harley point shot glanced off Perron in front and got past Stuart Skinner at 11:14 of the second period. Dallas led 3-2.
That lead lasted 2:41. Winnipeg scored the next 6 goals and won 8-3 at American Airlines Center.
It was the 333rd goal of Perron’s NHL career and his first for Dallas. He finished with 6 shots, matching Tyler Seguin for the game high. Perron played 14:29, and 1:56 of it came on the power play.
Dallas signed the 38-year-old to a one-year, $850,000 contract in October for his 20th NHL season.
David Perron’s Second Goal Is Ruled A Kick-In
Perron nearly had a second goal late in the third period. He put a puck in the net on a Dallas power play, but it was ruled a kick-in on the ice.
Jamie Benn would have had the second assist. It would have been his 1,000th career point. Benn stays at 999.
Perron debuted for Dallas on Oct. 31 in a 3-1 win over the Columbus Blue Jackets and played 11:31. The first two periods that night felt fast, and he had to react quicker before the third went better.
“You can start building onto something,” Perron said after the debut.
Perron Takes A Back Seat In The Stars’ Players-Only Meeting
Stars players stayed behind closed doors for at least 10 minutes after their coaches left Thursday, The Dallas Morning News reported. Perron usually takes the lead in meetings like that one. This time he sat back and watched how his new team handles them.
In his official postgame interview, Benn talked about an honest conversation in the room.
“I think it was just something that needed to happen for our group,” Benn said of the meeting.
Expectations in that room are high, as Perron sees it. A group gets closer when it can talk through what needs to be said.
“When you go through a tough patch, teams react, and that’s what we did,” Perron said.
St. Louis drafted Perron 26th overall in 2007. He spent 11 seasons over three stints with the Blues and won the Stanley Cup there in 2019. He also played for Edmonton, Pittsburgh, Anaheim, Vegas, Detroit, and Ottawa.
Last season, Perron split 65 games between Ottawa and Detroit and had 13 goals and 15 assists.
The Stars host the Buffalo Sabres on Saturday at 7 p.m. CT.
Join the conversation