Second-period goals by Steven Stamkos and Yanni Gourde led the Tampa Bay Lightning to a comeback 2-1 road victory over the Dallas Stars on Tuesday.

Goaltender Andrei Vasilevskiy only needed to stop 16 shots for the Lightning to win their fifth straight game. The defending Stanley Cup champions are on a 14-2-1 run that's put them atop the league standings.

Though Vasilevskiy was not counted on for a huge number of saves, he was at his best in the final 10 minutes of the clash, especially while holding the Stars from converting during a 5-on-3 power play.

Roope Hintz tallied for the struggling Stars, who benefited from Anton Khudobin's 24-save performance to keep it close. Dallas has just two wins in its last eight games (2-3-3).

Tampa Bay, which beat the Stars in last season's Stanley Cup Final, has won all four clashes this season. They will meet again on Thursday.

With his team trailing by a 1-0 count, Stamkos pulled the Lightning even with a power-play goal before the game's midway point. The Lightning captain slapped a one-timer from his trademark spot with the man-advantage -- the left face-off dot -- and the offering ricocheted off the stick of Dallas defender Andrej Sekera and past Khudobin at 8:08 of the second period. It was Stamkos' fifth goal in eight games and 16th of the season.

Gourde scored what held up as the eventual game-winning goal with a strong individual effort. Gourde stole the puck from Radek Faksa and, after his first shot was blocked, he took a second shot and found the mark at 12:44 for his 12th tally of the season. He ran his goal-scoring streak to four games.

The Stars were held to just a single shot on goal during the one-sided middle frame.

Hintz, one of the few Dallas skaters who is consistently providing offense amidst their struggles, gave the hosts an early lead. Hintz gained the puck at the side of the net, zipped to the front of the net and slipped a backhand into the net for the power-play goal at the 4:32 mark for his fifth goal in his last seven games.

--Field Level Media