DALLAS (Interstat) — Connor Hellebuyck stopped 16 of the 17 shots he faced in his New Jersey debut, Nico Hischier scored twice and the Devils beat the Dallas Stars 5-1 on Tuesday at American Airlines Center. Hellebuyck, a three-time Vezina Trophy winner, started four days after New Jersey acquired him from Winnipeg following his suspension for failing to report to training camp. The win was his first since April 9 at St. Louis, 3-2. New Jersey improved to 8-4. Dallas fell to 7-5. Attendance was 18,532.

New Jersey struck first and never trailed. Hischier opened the scoring at 2:41 of the first period with a wrist shot, with Luke Evangelista and Johnathan Kovacevic credited with assists. Dallas challenged the play, but the goal stood and the Stars were assessed a delay-of-game penalty for an unsuccessful challenge, served by Matthew Seminoff. The Devils controlled much of the opening period after that. Hellebuyck made saves on Joel Kiviranta, Tyler Seguin and Roope Hintz, and New Jersey’s defense blocked several Dallas attempts. The Stars’ best chance of the period came when Mikko Rantanen put a backhand off the crossbar. New Jersey also generated scoring chances, including a Dougie Hamilton wrist shot that hit the right post and a Jesper Boqvist attempt stopped by Casey DeSmith. DeSmith also denied Hamilton and Cody Glass during a busy first period, while Brett Pesce and Johnathan Kovacevic blocked shots in front of Hellebuyck.

Hischier made it 2-0 early in the second period, scoring his second goal of the game off assists from Timo Meier and Luke Hughes. The Devils kept coming. Jesper Boqvist scored later in the second period with Jack Hughes and Arseny Gritsyuk assisting, pushing New Jersey’s lead to 3-0. Jack Hughes was central to the pressure, recording six shots on goal in the game and repeatedly testing DeSmith. New Jersey’s forecheck created turnovers and kept Dallas from settling into its offensive zone structure. Hellebuyck remained steady when Dallas did generate chances, stopping Jason Robertson and Matthew Seminoff during the middle frame. The Devils also killed off Dallas’ best push of the period before adding to their lead.

Dallas finally broke through when Justin Hryckowian tipped in a shot with Tyler Myers and Colin Blackwell assisting. The goal cut New Jersey’s lead to 3-1 and gave the home crowd a brief lift. The Devils answered almost immediately. Luke Hughes scored with Dougie Hamilton and Anthony Mantha assisting to restore the three-goal cushion. That response was the most important sequence of the game. Instead of allowing Dallas to build momentum, New Jersey turned the game back in its favor. A scuffle shortly after Boqvist’s goal resulted in Jamie Benn receiving an instigator penalty, a fighting major and a misconduct, while Brenden Dillon received a fighting major. DeSmith also was called for tripping earlier in the second period, with the penalty served by Seminoff. Dallas killed off the resulting New Jersey power play, but the Stars could not carry any energy into the third period.

Hellebuyck and the New Jersey defense closed the door from there. Hellebuyck finished with 16 saves on 17 shots, earning the win in his first appearance for the Devils. The 6-foot-4, 207-pound goaltender had not won since April 9 at St. Louis. New Jersey’s defenders made his night manageable. Brett Pesce recorded four hits and an assist. Dougie Hamilton added an assist and three shots on goal. Luke Hughes, listed at 6-foot-2 and 198 pounds, finished with a goal, an assist and two shots on goal. Hischier, a 6-foot-1, 175-pound center, had two goals, three shots on goal and one hit. Hellebuyck also made third-period saves on Robertson, Hintz and Nils Lundkvist as Dallas pressed without much success.

Jack Hughes sealed the result with a late third-period goal, with Pesce and Jesper Bratt assisting. The goal made it 5-1 and ended any remaining doubt. Jack Hughes finished with a goal, an assist and six shots on goal. Boqvist had a goal, two shots on goal and two hits. Gritsyuk contributed an assist and one shot on goal. Meier had an assist. For Dallas, Hryckowian scored his second goal of the season and finished with one shot on goal and three hits. DeSmith made several saves but took the loss. The Stars could not generate enough traffic in front of Hellebuyck after their lone goal, and New Jersey’s penalty killers and defensemen cleared rebounds when Dallas tried to extend possession.

New Jersey’s victory continued a strong stretch. The Devils had won three of their previous four games before Tuesday, including home wins over Los Angeles and Anaheim. New Jersey will next travel to Colorado. Dallas had won four straight before Tuesday, with victories over Chicago, Boston, Winnipeg and the New York Islanders. The Stars will next host Montreal. The loss dropped Dallas to 7-5 and moved New Jersey to 8-4. The game was played at American Airlines Center before an announced crowd of 18,532.

Interstat’s game simulator had projected a final score of Dallas 4, New Jersey 3. Interstat’s ELO system had projected Dallas with a 62.8 percent probability to win. Dallas had been installed as a pregame favorite with a spread of -0.5. The total score of 6 went under the over/under line of 5.5.