Stars rally, beat Coyotes 3-2 in shootout

Sunday, April 09, 2006

For the 12th time this season the Stars won a game when trailing after two periods and they did it with their 12th shootout win. Jussi Jokinen and Bill Guerin scored in the shootout and the Stars clinched at least the No. 2 seed in the West with a 3-2 win over the Coyotes in Phoenix Saturday night.

The win was the 51st of the season for the Stars, tying the franchise record set in 1998-99.

Philippe Boucher and Brenden Morrow scored goals in regulation and Jason Arnott had a pair of assists for the Stars, who trailed 1-0 after two periods and then 2-0 with a little more than eleven minutes to go in the game. 

Johan Hedberg had 28 saves on the night to improve to 11-4-0 on the season.

"We were all right," Tippett said of his team's overall performance. "I wouldn't class that as a masterpiece by any stretch of the imagination - from play to officiating to the whole works."

The two teams played a fast paced, scoreless first period. Dallas held a 12-7 advantage in shots and had the better scoring chances.

Stars forward Jere Lehtinen had three quality shots on net, but they were denied by Coyotes goalie Curtis Joseph.  Niklas Hagman hit the crossbar on a shorthanded chance.

The Coyotes held a 12-6 shots advantage in the second period and scored the only goal of the period to take a 1-0 lead.

After first missing on their first three power play chances in the second period, including a full 2:00 with a two-man advantage, the Coyotes cashed in on their fourth opportunity.

Paul Mara's shot from the point was deflected past Hedberg by Coyotes captain Shane Doan with 1:01 left in the second.

The Coyotes extended their lead to 2-0 with another power play goal at 8:47 of the third period. After Doan got the rebound of his own shot, he sent a cross-ice pass to Bill Thomas, who roofed a shot from the right faceoff circle for his first NHL career goal.

A little more than two minutes later the Stars cut the lead to 2-1 with a power play goal of their own. Boucher took a pass from Sergei Zubov and beat Joseph with a blast from just inside the blue line.

The Stars tied with at 14:22 when Arnott sent a pass from behind the goal line to Morrow, who knocked the puck past Joseph from point blank range.

The Stars penalty kill came up big in the overtime, killing off a full 2:00 Coyotes power play.

In the shootout, Zubov open for the Stars and missed high. Thomas shot first for Phoenix and missed wide. Jokinen beat Joseph with a wrist shot to put Dallas up 1-0. Phoenix's Geoff Sanderson lost the puck on his attempt. Guerin scored on a wrist shot to put the game away for the Stars.

 

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