No shootout necessary:
Stars sink Sharks in OT

Monday, January 30, 2006

The Stars used another late goal to tie, but instead of winning the game in a shootout this time, the Stars did in overtime. Jason Arnott's goal with 36 seconds left in the extra period lifted the Stars to a 3-2 win over the San Jose Sharks Monday night at the American Airlines Center.

"I kept whacking at it," Arnott told the Associated Press about this game-winner in overtime. "I went 5-hole and I was able to get it in."

It was the fifth straight win for the Stars, who tied the game with 4:37 left in the third period on a power play goal by Sergei Zubov.

"We took a couple of bad penalties at the end and it cost us big-time," Sharks coach Ron Wilson told the AP.

It was the 12th time this season the Stars had scored a goal in the final five minutes of a game. 

Philippe Boucher also scored for the Stars, who improved to 2-2 in four-on-four overtimes this season.

Marty Turco, who was named NHL Defensive Player of the Week earlier in the day,  had 14 saves to win his fifth straight decision. 

Stars captain Mike Modano left the game in the middle of the third period and did not return. It is believed he took a puck to the foot. He is listed as day-to-day but may be ready to play Wednesday against Nashville.

San Jose lost for the third straight game, all of them to Pacific Division rivals.

The Stars outshot the Sharks 10-6 in the first period and scored the only goal. That came on their first and only power play of the first 20 minutes.

After taking a pass from Sergei Zubov, Boucher blasted a one-time from the left point that beat Sharks goalie Evgeni Nabokov, who had lost his stick just moments before. The time of the goal was 6:00 of the first.

The Sharks had two power plays in the first, but didn't generate much. Their best chance on the second one when Milan Michalek got off a good shot that Turco stopped with his shoulder.

The Sharks came out with some jump early in the second period and put some pressure on the Stars, who got a big save early from Jon Klemm. After Turco turned the puck over behind the net to San Jose's Joe Thornton, Klemm ended up making a sliding block on a shot from Sharks defenseman Rob Davison.

The Sharks got a penalty play early in the second period and used it to tie the game. Just moments after putting a shot off the crossbar, Niko Dimitrakos put a shot on net from the point that was deflected past Turco by Alyn McCauley at 4:15 of the second.

The Stars didn't get their first shot of the period until at about the 13:12 mark of the period and their best scoring chance came when Jussi Jokinen hit the post with a wrist shot from the slot.

The Sharks took the lead at 8:02 of the third when Stephane Robidas turned over the puck in the Dallas zone and Jonathan Cheechoo ended up ripping the puck into the top corner of the net from the slot.

The Stars drew even with a power play goal late in the third to tie. After not getting the equalizer on a five-on-three advantage, the Stars did cash in on the remaining five-on-four time. Bill Guerin made a nice cross-ice pass from the bottom of the left faceoff circle to Zubov, who scored from just below the bottom of the right faceoff circle.

The Stars came close to winning at the end of regulation but Nabokov came up with a spectacular stick save on Steve Ott just before the period ended.

The Stars got the game-winner in overtime after a big hit by Brenden Morrow help spring the Stars on the rush. Robidas skated into the San Jose zone, took a big hit from Sharks defenseman Kyle McLaren but still got the puck to Morrow, who put a shot on net from the right faceoff circle and Arnott knocked it past Nabokov to give Dallas the win.

Notes: Stars goalie Marty Turco was named NHL Defensive Player of the Week Monday. Defenseman Patrick Traverse was placed on injured reserve because of an ankle injury. 

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