Dallas Stars center Jason Dickinson celebrates after scoring a goal against the Nashville Predators during the first period of Saturday's playoff game in Nashville. The Stars won 5-3 to take a 3-2 lead in the best-of-seven series.NASHVILLE - The young Dallas Stars have blossomed this NHL postseason, and now their top line of Jamie Benn, Alexander Radulov and Tyler Seguin are showing just how much damage they can do together.
The talented trio has put the Western Conference's No. 7 seed a win away from reaching the second round of the Stanley Cup playoffs.
Radulov scored two goals in the second period as the Stars beat Nashville 5-3 on Saturday, pushing the second-seeded Predators, the Central Division champs both this season and last, to the brink of elimination.
The Stars lead the best-of-seven series 3-2, and when they host Game 6 on Monday night, they'll have a chance to join the Colorado Avalanche and the Columbus Blue Jackets as the latest lower seed to come through in this year's opening round.
"I think we keep getting better, and we have to keep getting better," Dallas coach Jim Montgomery said. "The next one's the hardest one because it's the potential to end someone's season. That's the challenge in front of us now."
Jason Dickinson also scored twice, Seguin had a goal and an assist and Benn matched the NHL playoff record for most assists in a single period with three in the second. The Stars also scored at least five goals in back-to-back playoff games for the ninth time in franchise history, the first since Games 3 and 4 of the 1991 conference finals, when the team was still in Minnesota and known as the North Stars.
Dallas goaltender Ben Bishop was named a finalist for the Vezina Trophy during Saturday's game, in which he made 30 saves.
"It's a great honor," Bishop said. "As much as it is an individual award, it's a team thing. The guys have done a great job in front of me all season."
Rocco Grimaldi, Ryan Johansen and Kyle Turris scored for Nashville. The Predators lost back-to-back playoff games for the first time since Games 5 and 6 of the 2017 Stanley Cup Final, which they dropped to the Pittsburgh Penguins. Nashville coach Peter Laviolette said his players have been in similar situations before.
"They've answered the bell," Laviolette said. "They'll answer the bell in Game 6, and we'll bring it back here."
Laviolette got Brian Boyle back after the Nashville forward missed the past three games because of an appendectomy. The coach changed up his lines, but Nashville struggled too much with sloppy play, including 19 giveaways.
Credit the Stars' top line for making the Predators pay for those mistakes. Benn, Radulov and Seguin took 16 of the Stars' 26 shots, and the trio was responsible for all three goals in the second period. Montgomery said Benn was banging his stick, wanting more ice time for the line.
"Obviously, we have the skill and talent there," Seguin said. "When we're working hard, we're happy to go up against anybody. They're a good team. They had some good pushbacks tonight. I think goalie still played really good, especially early on. It's going to be a really hard game to try and win on home ice."
Grimaldi has been the Predators' most surprising scorer in this series, and he gave them a 1-0 lead at 6:25 of the first period with a wrister over Bishop's glove. Then Nashville goalie Pekka Rinne came through with a pair of dazzling saves while on his back 70 seconds later, stopping a backhander from Radulov and then a shot from Benn.
Dickinson tied it up for Dallas at 13:08 of the first, beating Rinne with a wrister for his first goal this postseason.
The Stars seized control in the second period.
The Predators failed to clear the puck after winning a faceoff, and Seguin passed to Radulov, who scored for the third time this series into an open net with Rinne at the far post just 40 seconds into the second period for a 2-1 lead. Radulov gave Dallas a 3-1 lead with a goal from the slot off a backhanded pass from Benn at 7:41 with the Stars fully in control. Benn beat Nashville defenseman Ryan Ellis to the puck to pass to Radulov.
"It's a race for the puck, and you just want to do whatever you can to get that puck," Benn said. "I heard those guys calling behind me way before I had the puck because they always want the puck. I just found a way to get it to Rads there, and he made a great shot."
Johansen scored his first goal this postseason at 9:18 off a pass from Filip Forsberg. Dallas simply made it a 4-2 lead as the Stars caught Nashville in a line change, and Benn passed to an in-the-slot Seguin, who slid the puck under Rinne's left pad at 15:54.
Dickinson made it 5-2 with a slap shot from the high slot off another Nashville turnover at 1:57 of the third. Turris was credited with a goal at 2:25 when the puck went off Stars defenseman Miro Heiskanen's skate.
Rinne said the Predators have to get better.
"It's not good enough," Rinne said.