Stars edge Flames 3-2

Sunday, March 26, 2006

For about a six minute window in the second period the Stars finally found some holes in Calgary goalie Miikka Kiprusoff. The Stars scored on three straight shots in a 5:59 span as they beat the Flames 3-2 at the American Airlines Center Sunday afternoon.

Stars goalie Marty Turco made 19 saves and set a franchise record with his 38th win of the season. 

"He's had a very good year," Stars coach Dave Tippett said of Turco after the game. "The number he cares most about is wins. The other numbers are inconsequential. That's a credit to him; 38 wins is a lot of wins."

Mike Modano set a new franchise record with his 135th career power play goal.

Niko Kapanen and Jason Arnott also scored for the Stars, who have won seven of eight games and are now within four points of Detroit for first overall in the Western Conference.

The Stars penalty kill had a big game, scoring shorthanded, killing off a five-on-three power play and and three-minute power play.

The Stars outshot the Flames 11-6 in the first period, but Calgary got the only goal and it came on the power play.

After being stopped on a spectacular save by Turco on Calgary's first power play, Jamie Lundmark got the puck behind the goal line on the Flames' second chance with the man advantage, tried to send a puck to Tony Amonte in front of the goal and had the puck bounce off Turco's skate and into the net at 10:56 of the first.

The Stars' penalty kill came up big late in the first, killing off a 58 second five-on-three power play for Calgary to keep it a 1-0 game heading into the second period.

The Stars' penalty kill came up big again early in the second, this time scoring a shorthanded goal to tie the game at 1-1.

After getting the puck in the Dallas zone, Jon Klemm sent Kapanen and Niklas Hagman up ice. Hagman put a shot on net from the right half-wall that bounced off traffic and Kapanen knocked the rebound past Flames goalie Miikka Kiprusoff at the 1:52 mark.

The Stars' power play gave them lead at 6:18 of the second period. After an Antti Miettinen shot staggered Flames center Stephane Yelle, Modano was able to get to the high slot and rip a shot that beat Kiprusoff. It was Modano's 135th career power play goal, breaking a tie with Brian Bellows to set the new franchise mark.

But the Flames struck with a power play goal of their own 28 seconds later to tie the game at 2-2.

After the Flames won a faceoff in the Dallas zone, Jarome Iginla sent a pass from the corner to Jordan Leopold, who scored from the slot at 6:46.

The Stars regained the lead a little more than a minute later on a two-on-one rush. With Arnott and Stu Barnes coming in on Kiprusoff, Arnott kept the puck and slipped it under Kiprusoff at the 7:51 mark.

The Dallas penalty kill came up with another big stop late in the second, preventing any shots on goal when the Flames had three straight minutes of power play time.

The Stars killed off three more Calgary power plays in the third period and ended up killing off nine of eleven on the night.

"We got two power-play goals but it's not really about percentages," Calgary captain Jarome Iginla told the Associated Press. "As a group it's about finding the big goal. We had chances, especially late, to get the equalizer, and we couldn't cash in."

Official Scoresheet | Official Super Stats