Updated

Cristopher Nilstorp stopped 31 shots to notch his first NHL victory, as the Dallas Stars slipped past the San Jose Sharks, 3-1, on Saturday at American Airlines Center.

"Of course it's a great feeling to get your first win," Nilstorp said. "The guys did an amazing job in front me and helped me out today so I'm really thankful for that. It's a great feeling."

Jamie Benn and Jaromir Jagr each registered a goal and an assist, while Michael Ryder added a power-play tally to help the Stars snap a two-game skid.

Patrick Marleau scored the lone goal for San Jose, which has dropped two straight to wrap up a six-game road trip at 1-4-1.

"Pretty good effort, but you can't take consolation in that," San Jose coach Todd McLellan said. "You can't win games scoring one goal. We have to find ways to fix it."

Antti Niemi allowed all three goals on 28 shots.

After a scoreless first frame, Dallas broke through while on the power play late in the second when Loui Eriksson recovered a loose puck behind the net and fed Benn on the low right side. Benn then one-touched a pass toward the front of the net and Jagr was able to redirect the puck past Niemi for a 1-0 edge at the 19:02 mark.

San Jose defenseman Douglas Murray was whistled for unsportsmanlike conduct with 58 seconds left in the second and although the Sharks were able to escape the period down by just one, the penalty came back to haunt the visitors early in the third.

While on the man-advantage, Ryder found room in the middle of the offensive zone and skated into the slot before rifling a shot past Niemi to make it 2-0 just 30 seconds into the third.

San Jose cut the lead in half while on a 5-on-3 advantage just under two minutes later. Joe Thornton won a faceoff in the left circle and fed the disc directly to the right circle for Marleau, who ripped a one-timer past Nilstorp to make it 2-1 at the 2:19 mark.

The Sharks appeared to tie the game near the 11 minute mark when Logan Couture banged home a Thornton rebound, but Thornton was whistled for goaltender interference on the play to wipe away the equalizer.

"I thought it was a forward attacking the net," McLellan said of the interference call against Thornton. "I think that's a hockey play. He should have the right to make that play."

Benn added an insurance goal late in the contest when he fired a shot from the slot that Niemi never saw through a screen to make it 3-1 with 2:11 to play.

Game Notes

San Jose has lost nine of its last 10 overall after opening the season with seven straight wins ... The Sharks had won three straight and seven of the last eight overall in the series ... Dallas went 2-for-6 on the power play, while San Jose finished 1-for-7.