Stars Edge Wild
SAINT PAUL, Minn. — As was the case so often in the regular season, the Dallas Stars found a way to make the best of a tough situation, and they are close to advancing in the postseason as a result.
Jason Spezza scored a goal and assisted on another in the second period as the Stars rallied, twice, beating the Minnesota Wild 3-2 Wednesday and taking a commanding 3-1 lead in their first-round Western Conference playoff series.
With the Stars trailing 2-1 midway through the game, Spezza assisted on a Patrick Eaves power-play goal, then scored one of his own. Ales Hemsky also scored, and Antti Niemi made 28 saves in his first playoff start for the Stars, who are the top seed in the West. They can close out the best-of-seven series in Game 5 on Friday night in Dallas.
“We went back to just trying to shoot the puck and getting net-front presence. That’s the biggest difference,” said Stars coach Lindy Ruff, recounting goals that came a skate and off the shaft of a stick. “It’s hard to score. It’s hard to score the pretty ones.”
Minnesota got goals from Jason Pominville and Charlie Coyle, taking 1-0 and 2-1 leads in the second period, but saw their momentum and the lead slip away. Despite 19 saves from
Devan Dubnyk, the Wild — seeded eighth in the West — were pushed to the brink of elimination.
The Wild dominated the third period, as Dallas was content to defend its lead. Minnesota outshot the Stars 14-2 and had a six-on-four advantage for the final 84 seconds when they pulled Dubnyk after Dallas’ Antoine Roussel was whistled for high-sticking. However, the Wild could not get the equalizer.
“It’s a typical playoff road win right there,” Spezza said. “Just hunker down in the third period and hold a lead, big saves from our goalie and good penalty kills.”
Minnesota’s penalty kill, which was solid in the first three games, allowed a pair of power-play goals Wednesday.
“We had the crowd into it, the momentum was on our side and then we seemed to take the penalty,” Wild defenseman Ryan Suter said. “We had been doing such a good job killing it, so it was very disappointing to let them in. We are best when our backs are against the wall. They’re definitely against the wall now. We have to come out with that same intensity, that same urgency, and stay out of the box.”
The teams emerged scoreless from a first period that was not lacking in offensive chances at both ends of the rink.
Minnesota finally broke through at the 5:01 mark of the middle period when the team’s most effective line scored off a rush to the net. Niemi blocked a slap shot by Erik Haula, but the rebound popped to the top of the crease. Before the Dallas defense could swat it away, Nino Niederreiter chipped the puck toward the upper right corner of the net. It deflected off Pominville and fluttered in, marking the first time in the series that the Wild scored first.
Dallas got a power-play goal before the period was half over to tie the game, briefly. Off a blue-line pass from Jason Demers, Hemsky launched a rocket of a slap shot from the right circle. With Colton Sceviour posted at the top of the crease, blocking Dubnyk’s view, the puck hit the back of the net before the goalie knew it was inbound.
“We finally started shooting pucks. We were just trying to keep it simple out there,” Stars left winger Jamie Benn said. “There’s a lot of power plays, it seems like, in these playoffs. You watch other teams and they’re just shooting the puck and good things happen. We figured that’s what they were doing, and it turned out to be pretty good.”
The Wild went up 2-1 barely a minute later after a two-on-one rush to the net. Jason Zucker flipped a pass to Coyle, who had a step on Dallas defender Alex Goligoski from the blue line in. With Goligoski hooking him and a delayed penalty upcoming, Coyle was still able to slip the puck around Niemi for his first goal of the playoffs.
“I liked our game,” Wild interim coach John Torchetti said. “We just have to go and win a game in their building; that’s the bottom line. I liked our game as a team. I liked our work ethic.”
Eaves re-tied the game on another Dallas power play a few minutes later, deflecting a knee-high shot by Kris Russell past Dubnyk.
Spezza’s goal late in the second gave Dallas a 3-2 lead. It came when a cross-ice pass by Demer’s deflected off Spezza’s right skate and into the net.
