Ben Bishop recorded 26 saves as the Dallas Stars posted a 2-0 victory over the visiting New Jersey Devils on Tuesday mere hours after firing coach Jim Montgomery.
Assistant Rick Bowness was behind the bench as interim coach in place of Montgomery, who was dismissed for "unprofessional conduct inconsistent with the core values and beliefs of the Dallas Stars and the National Hockey League," per general manager Jim Nill.
Radek Faksa and Joe Pavelski scored in the first period for the Stars, who improved to 17-4-2 in their past 23 games overall and 10-1-0 in their past 11 home contests.
The modest offense proved to be more than enough for Bishop, who was barely tested in the first two periods before preserving his first shutout of the season and the 32nd of his career by making 16 saves in the third. The 33-year-old improved to 11-2-1 in his past 14 decisions and 11-2-0 in his career versus New Jersey.
Mackenzie Blackwood turned aside 33 shots for the reeling Devils, who dropped their sixth straight game (0-5-1) and were shut out for the fifth time this season.
Dallas dominated New Jersey in the first period, scoring twice while enjoying a lopsided 16-2 edge in shots.
Faksa, who was stationed behind the net, settled the puck before converting a wraparound at 1:42. The goal was his seventh of the season and first in nine games.
Pavelski added his seventh goal of the season to double the Stars' advantage just over 10 minutes later. Roope Hintz's shot from the slot provided a juicy rebound for Pavelski, who backhanded the puck between the pads of Blackwood for his second in three games.
New Jersey defenseman P.K. Subban was whistled for roughing against Dallas captain Jamie Benn early in the third period. The Devils failed to cash in on the power play, but Subban returned to the ice and promptly charged at Stars defenseman Miro Heiskanen to earn another visit to the penalty box.
Bishop kept New Jersey at bay in the third period, during which he made a few point-blank saves on Wayne Simmonds.
--Field Level Media
