Stars bounce by Wild for fourth straight win

Monday, January 09, 2006

The Dallas Stars ran their winning streak to four games Monday night, beating the Minnesota Wild 2-1 Xcel Energy Center. The win lifted the Stars to within one point of first place Detroit in the Western Conference.

Philippe Boucher's power play goal, which bounced off the end boards and off Minnesota's goalie's back and into the net, proved to be the game-winner. Jere Lehtinen also scored for the Stars and Sergei Zubov had a pair of assists to run his points streak to seven games.

Johan Hedberg, playing in place of struggling starter Marty Turco, made 25 saves to run his record to 8-1-0 on the season.

"Marty's been great for us all year, and whenever he needs a rest I'm going to be there for him," Hedberg told the Associated Press.

In all four games of the winning streak, the Stars found themselves behind and were forced to rally for the win.

The Stars found themselves down again Monday night when the Wild scored 6:43 into the game. After Brian Rolston put a shot off the end boards, the puck bounced out towards the front of the net, Hedberg took a swing at in midair and missed, and Wild forward Randy Robitaille knocked it into the open net to give the Wild a 1-0 lead.

The Stars drew even at 1:05 of the second period on Lehtinen's 23rd goal of the season. After Minnesota's Marian Gaborik failed to clear the puck at his own blue line, Zubov was able to put a shot on net that Lehtinen deflected past Wild goalie Manny Fernandez.

Both teams had a chance to take the lead with back-to-back power plays later in the period, but failed to take advantage.

But the Stars got another crack at the power play and this time they cashed in on when Boucher's blast from the point bounced off the end boards, hit Fernandez in the back and went trickled over the goal line at 11:24 of the second to give Dallas a 2-1 lead.

"I think our boards are finally the worst in the league," Fernandez told the AP. "They're getting there, at least. It's just amazing. At least six shots like that. They seriously have to take a look at them. It's getting ridiculous."

Minnesota had a couple of good chances in the third. After a Dallas turnover, Rolston got off a good backhand shot from the slot but Hedberg made a nice pad save.

Minnesota had a couple of good chances on the power play, but chances by Pascal Dupuis and Marian Gaborik both went wide of the net.

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