Vrana's four goals help Red Wings end Stars' point streak at eight

DETROIT --Jakub Vrana scored an NHL career-high four goals, and the Detroit Red Wings ended the Dallas Stars' eight-game point streak with a 7-3 win at Little Caesars Arena on Thursday.

"It's a classic case of beating yourself," Dallas coach Rick Bowness said. "I never thought we were out of the game until we shot ourselves in the foot. Our poor puck management gave them goals. "
The Stars (19-15-12) won their prior four as part of a 6-0-2 stretch, including home wins against the Red Wings on Monday (3-2) and Tuesday (5-2). They are fifth in the eight-team Discover Central Division, two points behind the fourth-place Nashville Predators. The top four teams qualify for the Stanley Cup Playoffs.
"We have to learn from this, because we are playing the same team on Saturday," Dallas forward Radek Faksa said. "… We knew they were going to come at us hard because we beat them at home."
Vrana became the first Red Wings player with a four-goal game since Anthony Mantha did it in a 4-3 win against the Stars on Oct. 6, 2019. Vrana was acquired from the Washington Capitals in a trade for Mantha on April 12.
"Everyone here has been great since Day One," Vrana said. "Obviously, this is a new system and new teammates, and I still have a lot to learn, but it has really clicked so far."
Richard Panik scored, giving the Red Wings (17-25-7) five goals from players they acquired for Mantha.
"When you have a guy who can score like [Vrana], you put a lot of pressure on the other team," Detroit coach Jeff Blashill said. "Every time they pushed back at us, he got us another goal."
Thomas Greiss made 43 saves for the Red Wings.
"He stopped some tough chances in the first period to help us get the 3-0 lead," Blashill said. "They were the better team in the second period, but he made some key saves and then he locked it down at the end."
Anton Khudobin allowed three goals on nine shots for Dallas before being replaced by Jake Oettinger to begin the second period. Oettinger made 10 saves.
"It just didn't seem to be his night," Bowness said of Khudobin.

The Red Wings took a 1-0 lead when Vrana scored off a pass from Filip Zadina at 9:50 of the first period.
Luke Glendening made it 2-0 at 15:35, tipping Marc Staal's high shot off the ice.
It became 3-0 at 19:49 when Khudobin tried to make a basket catch on a looping puck from Panik and dropped it, allowing Panik to tap it in at the left post.
"To me, that play started when Richard won the puck battle at the blue line," Blashill said. "He won the puck, he lobbed it in, and he followed up. It's a fluke play, yes, but it is hard work."

Faksa's power-play goal pulled Dallas within 3-1 at 2:07 of the second period, but Vrana made it 4-1 at 6:50 with a deflection of Danny DeKeyser's shot.
Joe Pavelski scored with a backhand at 12:46 to get the Stars within 4-2.
Vrana scored his third of the game on a breakaway at 10:09 of the third period to make it 5-2.
Denis Gurianov cut it to 5-3 with a power-play goal at 13:29.
Vrana scored his fourth to make it 6-3 at 15:48, and Sam Gagner scored an empty-net goal with 1:13 left for the 7-3 final.
NOTES: The Stars last allowed seven goals in a 7-0 loss to the Minnesota Wild on Jan. 18, 2020. … The Red Wings said Thursday that forwards Tyler Bertuzzi (upper body) and Frans Nielsen (lower body) will be out for the rest of the season. … Detroit captain Dylan Larkin missed the game with an upper-body injury sustained Tuesday. Blashill said the center will have more tests Friday.