Stars Lose To Red Wings
DALLAS — Since 2010, the Detroit Red Wings have owned the Dallas Stars at American Airlines Center.
On Monday, the Red Wings got a game-winner from center Pavel Datsyuk 2:23 into overtime, and goaltender Jimmy Howard stopped 39 of 41 shots in Detroit’s 3-2 overtime win, the Red Wings’ seventh consecutive victory in Dallas.
“We need to get points, lots of points, to make the playoffs,” Datsyuk said. “More importantly, Jimmy (Howard) played well in net and our team played together.”
Datsyuk scored his 13th of the season, sending a wrist shot high into the Dallas net from the edge of the left circle off a rebound with Detroit on the power play.
The Red Wings (32-20-11) gained the man advantage 1:51 into overtime after Stars rookie center Mattias Janmark was called for hooking right winger Gustav Nyquist.
Center Andreas Athanasiou had two goals for Detroit, who won their third straight overall.
After Athanasiou’s second of the game 6:38 into the third put
Detroit ahead 2-1, Dallas tied it with 1:31 remaining when center Vernon Fiddler, appearing in his 800th career game, collected his own rebound for his eighth of the season.
Howard denied Fiddler’s initial shot on the backhand, but Howard bobbled the puck and Fiddler dashed in, flicking the puck into the back of the net for the equalizer.
The Stars had the extra attacker after goaltender Antti Niemi, who stopped 30 of 33 shots, headed to the bench with 2:15 remaining.
“Obviously, we got an opportunity to play at the end and got a good bounce and got rewarded,” Fiddler said. “It’s been a couple tough months offensively for me, but you just try to work your hardest every night and hopefully get rewarded.”
Center Colton Sceviour also scored for Dallas, which finished its three-game homestand winless (0-2-1). The Stars (38-19-7) lost their fourth straight on home ice.
Dallas had a great chance to strike first with 2:19 remaining in the first when a wrist shot by defenseman Jason Demers was deflected off Howard’s pad and then off center Luke Glendening’s skate before glancing off the left goalpost.
“Right now, we don’t have an ounce of puck luck going on,” Stars coach Lindy Ruff said. “We can’t get anything to redirect, hit crossbars, posts. Jamie (Benn) and Tyler (Seguin) dominated the game and couldn’t get one in the back of the net.”
Stars right winger Ales Hemsky had a breakaway 9:37 into the second but fired his wrist shot from the slot directly into Howard’s midsection.
Detroit broke the scoreless tie with 8:10 remaining in the second when Athanasiou scored off a rebound. Niemi turned away the initial effort by Nyquist, but Athanasiou tapped in the rebound.
Dallas tied it with 2:28 remaining in the second when Sceviour scored his eighth of the season off a deflection. Fiddler collected his own rebound after his wrist shot deflected off the end boards. Fiddler then passed the puck to Sceviour, who was near the far post, and Fiddler’s pass deflected off Sceviour’s right shin and in.
“Last game was a better game,” Sceviour said. “It was more of a tight-checking, less-chances-against (contest). The kind of game you want to be in and you’ve got to be comfortable in and winning. We need to find a way to bury one sometime.”
Athanasiou scored his second of the game 6:38 into the third period when he displayed some deft stickhandling to maneuver around Stars defenseman Johnny Oduya before finishing the sequence with a backhand into the back of the Stars net.
Athanasiou’s fourth of the season, giving Detroit a 2-1 lead, came seconds after Dallas right winger Patrick Sharp fired a wrist shot wide right of the visiting net, creating a rush opportunity for the Red Wings.
“He doesn’t have speed, he has lightning,” Datsyuk said of Athanasiou.
Stars left winger and captain Jamie Benn had a great chance to tie the game again 8:51 into the third, but his wrist shot from the left circle instead found the crossbar.
