The Stars lost the special-teams battle on Wednesday night, so this series returns to San Jose for Game 5 on Friday night. San Jose got a second-period shorthanded goal from Patrick Marleau, and then scored the game-winner on a Milan Michalek power-play goal at 3:26 of the third period for a 2-1 victory as the Sharks dodged the four-game sweep.
The Stars have been very good on special teams throughout these playoffs, entering Wednesday night with 13 goals in 49 power-play chances (26.5 percent, third in the league). The Stars’ penalty kill has also been a plus, stopping 30-of-36 opposing power plays (83.3 percent, sixth in the NHL). But the Sharks were just a little better on special teams in Game 4, converting one-of-six power play chances and killing off all four Stars power plays.
“We have to be a little more disciplined, stay out of the penalty box and make our chances on the power play count,’’ Stephane Robidas said. “Special teams have been the story of the playoffs. The games we've won and the ones we've lost, it's been a big, big factor. It's always like that in the playoffs.’’
“Both teams played tight hockey,’’ Stars right wing Jere Lehtinen said. “It was a one-goal game. We'll be all right if we correct our mistakes.’’
The Stars entered the night with a 19-5 playoff edge in the third period and overtime, but this time the Sharks came up with the final-period marker to extend the series.
“We took too many penalties,’’ Brad Richards said. “It was a parade to the box to start the game. If we can control that, we'll be okay.’’
Sergei Zubov had turnovers in Games 3 and 4 that led to a Marleau shorthanded goal, but Zubov scored later in game 3 to atone for that miscue. Not this time.
“Those are uncharacteristic mistakes by Zubie,’’ Stars coach Dave Tippett said. “He's got to clean those up.’’
The Stars fly to San Jose on Thursday in a quick turnaround for the third game in four nights.
Mattias Norstrom is your old-time D-man. His stick has barely a curve and nobody looks for him to make the nifty play, a la Sergei Zubov. Anytime he hits the score sheet, it’s a bonus. His job is to prevent goals, not score them.
But there was Norstrom celebrating his overtime game-winner on Tuesday night against the San Jose Sharks, giving the Stars a 2-1 victory and sending Dallas to a three games to none edge in the semifinal series.
“I tried to get it on net and it went off a stick,’’ Norstrom said. “Fortunately it went in. I don't score a lot, so it was the biggest goal of my career.’’
Norstrom notched a mere two goals in the regular season and has 18 in 14 seasons, but he’s become an offensive factor in these playoffs. His assist set up Brenden Morrow for the overtime winner against San Jose in Game 1, and he has two goals and three assists in the playoffs.
Before this season, the native of Stockholm, Sweden had never registered a goal in 38 previous playoff games.
Norstrom’s shot from beyond the left circle glanced off the stick of San Jose’s Jeremy Roenick and over the shoulder of Sharks goaltender Evgeni Nabokov at 4:37 of overtime.
“We were putting the pressure on, the puck popped out to me and I tried to get it on net as quickly as I could. It hit his stick and it ended up in the net,’’ Norstrom said. “I’ll take it off sticks, off feet, as long as it goes in. I've never had a bigger goal. It feels great."
In an age when most players have severely curved sticks, Morrow looks at Norstrom’s straight-bladed lumber and shakes his head. But the Stars captain sure appreciates the results.
Asked where he would have ranked Norstrom in any game-winning-goal pool, Morrow laughed and said, “He would have been real deep in my depth chart.
“He's picked up his offensive game, shooting the puck and seeing plays the rest of us aren't seeing. I don't know if anyone's seen the curve on his stick, he does a heck of a job playing with something like that.’’
Dallas hasn’t led a series three games to none since 1999 when the Stars swept the Edmonton Oilers in the first round en route to their only Stanley Cup.
Carrying a 1-0 lead into the final period, the Dallas Stars extended it on Stu Barnes 29th career playoff goal. After collecting a nice lead pass from Mike Modano at the Anaheim Ducks blue line, Barnes raced in on a breakaway against Ducks goaltender Jean-Sebastien Giguere, firing a quick wrist shot from the slot through Giguere’s pads.
“Just a good play by Mike Modano, I kind of snuck behind everybody and he found me,” Barnes said. “Great play by him.”
The Stars put the stake through the Ducks’ heart with 2:43 to go when Barnes stole the puck in the neutral zone and sped back into the Anaheim zone with it. Carrying into the right face-off circle, Barnes fed a charging Ott at the lip of the crease, and Steve Ott re-directed it past Giguere for his second goal of the playoffs and a 3-0 lead.
Dallas got the all-important opening goal with 3:21 left in the opening period, after an egregious turnover by the Ducks in their own zone. After Loui Eriksson intercepted Sean O’Donnell’s clearing attempt in the high slot, Eriksson batted the puck to a wide open Joel Lundqvist in front and Lundqvist fired a quick wrist shot over Giguere’s shoulder for the 1-0 lead.
The Ducks then snapped Marty Turco’s shutout bid with just 7.6 seconds on the clock, after Mathieu Schneider ripped a wrist shot from the high slot that beat a screened Turco just inside the far post.
“Marty was excellent and we scored a few goals for him and we need to battle like this again tomorrow night,” Stars coach Dave Tippett said. “Marty is going to have to be really good for us to be successful and you saw him really good tonight.”
“I think the fans said it all with the chants of ‘Marty, Marty, Marty.’ He’s definitely been our first star the whole season,” Ott said of Turco. “His play in the playoffs has been spectacular.”
As exciting as it is to be up 2-0 on Anaheim entering Tuesday’s Game 3 in Dallas, a series victory is far from guaranteed. These are the defending Stanley Cup champions, remember? And despite the bold statement on one local newscast yesterday that the Stars had moved “one step closer to a Stanley Cup” (yes, with just 14 wins to go), this series is far from over.
It could get much closer to finality, however, with a Game 3 victory. No, it’s not over. But the Stars could at least give the fat lady reason to start warming up with another win on Tuesday.
The reasons for the Stars’ epically dominant performance so far in this opening round are many, with multiple contributors deserving credit for Dallas sweeping the league’s second best home team on their own ice in Games 1 and 2. And it’s that same, across-the-board contribution that will be necessary to suck the last breath out of a Ducks team that should come out Tuesday with an increased level of desperation.
Reason 1: Marty Turco has been better than Jean-Sebastien Giguere. Significantly better. Way, way better. Like Shiner Bock is better than Coors Light better.
Yeah, that much better.
Reason 1A: Dallas’ top line of Mike Ribeiro, Brenden Morrow and Jere Lehtinen has been unstoppable. In fact, this trio has completely dominated a team that boasts the best blueline in the NHL, and arguably one of the best of all time, the entire season. Through 10 regular season and playoff games combined, that group has combined for 35 points.
Ribeiro is leading the way with five points in two games. Morrow was the best player on the ice in Game 1, registering a goal and two assists and handing out significant bruises with his fierce hitting. All Lehtinen has done is average one power-play goal per game, and has now scored 10 points in just eight games against Anaheim this season.
Reason 2: The Stars’ depth down the middle.
With the Ducks throwing their checking line and their top defensive pair against Ribeiro and company, that leaves 2004 Conn Smythe Trophy winner Brad Richards playing against a lesser d-pair and forward line, and puts Mike Modano, the franchise’s all-time leading scorer, against a third defensive pair.
Reason 3: The best defensive corps in the NHL hasn’t been the best defensive corps in this series.
Let’s be honest … this Dallas defensive unit, without Sergei Zubov, entered the postseason with 126 combined playoff games played and zero Stanley Cup championships. The other blueline entered this series with 590 career playoff games and 10 combined Stanley Cups among its top seven. In fact, Chris Pronger and Scott Niedermayer each have more playoff games alone than Dallas’ current top six has to its credit combined.
The Dallas Stars match-up with the Anaheim Ducks in the 2008 Stanley Cup Playoffs Western Conference Quarterfinals. The Stars are the number five seed in the Western Conference while the Ducks are the number four seed. The series will start in Anaheim and be a best of seven games series, played in a 2-2-1-1-1- format.
The Stars won the regular season series 5-3.
Stars coach Dave Tippett expects to have Mike Ribeiro (flu) and Jere Lehtinen (flu) back. Steve Ott had the flu Friday and returned to play in Sunday's game. But, can they recover from the loss of Sergei Zubov to injury?
The Stars enter this series with questions at goalie as well. Can Marty Turco win big in the playoffs? Can he steal one along the way?
One and done is becoming an all-too-familiar phrase for Marty Turco and the Stars. From 2002 to 2007, Turco ranked in the top 10 in goals-against average and save percentage four times. In three of those four seasons, the Stars were booted from the postseason in the first round.
Only in the 2006-07 postseason did Turco rise to the level of his regular-season play. But despite three shutout wins, the Stars were outscored by the Vancouver Canucks, 13-12.
Ultimately, the Stars need more than great numbers from Turco. They need a first-round victory.
"But all this must be suffered by those who profess the stern order of chivalry" Most Interesting Blog, June 16, 2008 and six other occasions. Lisa awarded him Best "breaking news" blogger March 31, 2008. Blog of The Day, Christmas Day, 2007. edhardiman wrote, "Falco's tribute to Rocket Richard reminds us all the stars of today stand on the shoulders of giants..." October 23, 2007. Three Golden Swirrly p00p Awards (Hockey, NASCAR and Use of Graphics), FlyingPig, July 18, 2007. 2007 Memorial Day Weekend Trifecta sponsored by williamwilman . Featured on WFORacingFans April, 2007. "Stylin'" award, Dusty, February 07. "One of ten new bloggers to watch" Dudski, January 2007.
The Stars have been very good on special teams throughout these playoffs, entering Wednesday night with 13 goals in 49 power-play chances (26.5 percent, third in the league). The Stars’ penalty kill has also been a plus, stopping 30-of-36 opposing power plays (83.3 percent, sixth in the NHL). But the Sharks were just a little better on special teams in Game 4, converting one-of-six power play chances and killing off all four Stars power plays.
“We took too many penalties,’’ Brad Richards said. “It was a parade to the box to start the game. If we can control that, we'll be okay.’’
But there was Norstrom celebrating his overtime game-winner on Tuesday night against the San Jose Sharks, giving the Stars a 2-1 victory and sending Dallas to a three games to none edge in the semifinal series.
In an age when most players have severely curved sticks, Morrow looks at Norstrom’s straight-bladed lumber and shakes his head. But the Stars captain sure appreciates the results.
“Just a good play by Mike Modano, I kind of snuck behind everybody and he found me,” Barnes said. “Great play by him.”
“Marty was excellent and we scored a few goals for him and we need to battle like this again tomorrow night,” Stars coach Dave Tippett said. “Marty is going to have to be really good for us to be successful and you saw him really good tonight.”
With the Ducks throwing their checking line and their top defensive pair against Ribeiro and company, that leaves 2004 Conn Smythe Trophy winner 
