Stars power past Red Wings 4-2

Friday, January 30, 2009-12:23:am
/Andrew's Dallas Stars Page                            

If Thursday's game in Detroit was a test of how far the Dallas Stars' play has come lately, it appears they have come a long way. The Stars built a 4-0 lead by the 22 minute mark of the game and then put the clamps down in the third period in beating the Detroit Red Wings 4-2 at Joe Louis Arena.

It was a much different outcome than the last time the Stars were in Detroit, when they suffered a 6-1 defeat on January 8.

"We're a different team than when we were in here the last time," said Stars coach Dave Tippett. "We've pushed ahead a long ways. I really give our players credit. They continue to push. Tonight was just a solid effort."

Among the highlights of the night for the Stars:

• They won the special teams battle against Detroit, going 3-5 on the power play against the league's top ranked home penalty kill and going 4-5 on the penalty kill against the top power play in the league.
• Brad Richards had the primary assist on the Stars' first two power play goals.
• Steve Ott scored the first power play goal and assisted on the second one, scored by Jere Lehtinen. 
• Protecting a 4-2 lead in the third period, the Stars held the Red Wings to just four shots on goal and that included playing shorthanded for a total of 2:55 in the third.
• Goalie Marty Turco stopped 22 of 24 shots to win his first regular season game at Joe Louis Arena after going 0-8-2 in his previous ten decisions.

"I've had zero wins here this century," said Turco, who is now 1-8-2 at Joe Louis Arena. "I don't want to date myself at all, but it has been a long time."

But more important on this night was the play of the team. It was a group effort in beating the Red Wings for the third time this season.

"It's a confidence booster for our club to know how we want to play, and that no matter who it is we are playing success is going to follow when do play that way," said Turco. "It was great to see. It was a total team effort."

The win was the fifth in the last seven games (5-1-1) for the Stars and pushed them four games over .500 for the first time this season. Among the steps forward for the Stars:

• The Stars won their third straight game, the first time they've won three in a row this season.
• The Stars tied 7th place Minnesota and 8th place Edmonton at 51 points but technically rank ninth based on fewer wins. They are also tied at 51 points with 10th place Columbus and 11th place Vancouver, leading those two teams based on points percentage or fewer games played.
• Ignoring points and going strictly on points percentage, the Stars are tied with Edmonton and Minnesota for 5th in the conference.
• They won their third game of the season against Detroit and took the season series with a 3-1-0 record, the first time they've won three of four in a season series against Detroit since 1998-99.

Thursday's game got off to a fast paced start, but the Stars got the first power play of the game and immediately took advantage. Just 18 seconds after Mike Modano drew a hooking call on Detroit's Kris Draper, Richards blasted a shot from the point that Ott deflected past Red Wings goalie Chris Osgood 10:15 into the game.

Thirty-five seconds later Detroit's Chris Chelios took a double minor for high sticking Krys Barch, and the Stars were on a four-minute power play. It took Dallas 42 seconds to score on this one as Richards set up a wide open Lehtinen, who scored from the slot 11:32 into the game to make it a 2-0 game.

"I thought we started out fine, then we gave up the two penalty-kill goals right away," Detroit coach Mike Babcock said. "The penalty-kill goals, for me tonight, were tough to take."

"We won the special teams battle tonight," said Richards.

The Stars were able to make it a 3-0 game late in the first when Modano won an offensive zone faceoff and Chris Conner ripped the puck past Osgood 1:28 before the intermission.

Osgood was pulled after the first, in came Ty Conklin and he had to face another Dallas power play early in the second. The Stars struck again. After Darryl Sydor made a nice poke check to keep the puck in the Detroit zone, James Neal set up Loui Eriksson, who tucked in the puck into the net 2:00 into the period to make 4-0 Dallas.

But the Red Wings pushed back in the second period. Marian Hossa tipped a Brian Rafalski shot past Turco on Detroit's first power play of the game to make it a 4-1 game 4:06 into the second period.

The Red Wings appeared to make it a 4-2 game when Dan Cleary's shot from the right circle was ruled on the ice to have made it past Turco, but a video review showed Sydor knocked the puck away and then Turco swatted it before it crossed the goal line. Sydor was, however, penalized on the play for delay of game after he knocked the net off its moorings, but Detroit couldn't cash in on the power play.

The Red Wings did make it 4-2 with 4:49 left in the period when Andreas Lilja beat a screened Turco with a blast from the point. And then Detroit appeared to score on the power play late in the third, but a Nicklas Lidstrom goal was not allowed because Tomas Holmstrom interfered with Turco on the play.

"Obviously, we saw it a different way," said Babcock.

In the third period the Stars shutdown the Red Wings, limiting them to just four shots on goal and killing off 2:55 of Red Wings power play time.

"To see that work ethic we had, especially in the third period, was an awesome sight," said Turco. "I told all the boys thanks."

The loss was the fourth straight (0-3-1) for the Red Wings.

"We're slipping defensively," Detroit captain Nicklas Lidstrom said. "In our zone, we're not quick to pucks and we're not getting them out of our zone."

On Thursday night the Stars had a lot to do with that, a sign that their game is coming around.

"It's big the way we played and our mentality tonight," said Turco. "We like to have the structure we showed tonight, and the power play came through for us. We showed some good work ethic against a good team in a tough place to play. I like the way our team is playing."