PITTSBURGH — Miro Heiskanen scored two of Dallas' six first-period goals, and the Stars beat the Pittsburgh Penguins 7-1 on Monday night.
Mason Marchment had a goal and four assists for Dallas, which had dropped three of four. Matt Duchene had a goal and two assists.
The Stars scored six first-period goals for the second time in franchise history, and the first since March 1971 when they were the Minnesota North Stars. Marchment, Duchene, Seguin and rookie Logan Stankoven also scored during the team's fast start.
Wyatt Johnston scored a power-play goal in the third for Dallas, and Jake Oettinger made 20 saves. Brendan Smith added two assists in his 700th NHL game.
The loss plunged the Penguins to a 6-9-2 record on the season, the second-worst mark in the Metropolitan Division, raising questions about the level of concern in the Pittsburgh locker room amid the slow start.
"I think that we gave up some early goals, and it's just realizing we had a lot of game left, we started to force it a bit, and it opened up, and they capitalized," said captain Sidney Crosby after the game.
The Penguins returned from a three-game road trip on Monday night, which saw them pick up a win over the Washington Capitals but they also lost the first two games of the trip to the New York Islanders and Carolina Hurricanes.
"I think we played some good periods of hockey this week. On that trip, I thought we did a lot of good things," Crosby later added. "I don't think this game is a sign of how we've played lately, so it's frustrating.
"When you look at wins and losses, we're not where we want to be, but I think leading up to this, we were doing a lot of good things, so if you're asking about our identity, I think what we showed on that trip and previous to that, was a team that works, that's in the other team's face and that's tough to play against when we're all playing together."
Anthony Beauvillier scored his fourth goal for Pittsburgh.
Joel Blomqvist allowed three goals on eight shots and was replaced for the first time in eight NHL starts. Alex Nedeljkovic, who gave up goals on the first two shots he faced, made 26 saves.
It was the first time Pittsburgh allowed six goals in the first period of a home game.
"I'm not going sit here and say I'm frustrated because I'm not," Penguins head coach Mike Sullivan said post-game. "I'm determined to move this team forward and get us moving in the right direction more consistently.
"I know we're a way better hockey team than what we displayed out there, and I know we have a group of guys that care."
Takeaways
Stars: Bounced back nicely from a 4-1 loss at Winnipeg on Saturday. The Stars scored a total of six goals in their previous three games.
Penguins: Pittsburgh has lost three of four and nine of 12 overall. The Penguins were coming off one of their strongest performances of the season, a 4-2 win against Washington. But they looked lost at times defensively against Dallas, similar to a 5-1 loss at Carolina last Wednesday.
Key moment
The Stars scored their six goals during a 16:06 span of the first period and largely outclassed the Penguins and their poor defensive effort.
Key stat
Marchment is the eighth different player in franchise history to record four points in any period. He tied the franchise record for points in a period.
Up next
The Stars host Boston on Thursday. The Penguins host Detroit on Wednesday.
— With files from Sportsnet Staff
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