Five for Fighting

Planes, Finns and brrrrr!

The Stars plane had some trouble when they first got to Edmonton, but everything is OK now. Nevertheless, they got a late start to practice.

Jere Lehtinen should be a go for tomorrow night. He gave a big sigh when I talked to him today, because he's said he's been on pins and needles for about a week now, just waiting to play again. He, Modano and Jussi Jokinen were on a line together.

It's friggin' cold here, folks. I think the temps are below zero tonight, hovered around zero during the day and will probably do the same tomorrow. I took the subway to Rexall Place, which was great, but had to walk around to the other side of the arena to get in for practice. I've never had such an agonizing 400-foot walk in my life. I'm truly out of practice with this cold weather.

Jere on Friday?

It's looking like a good possibility, depending on how he does at practice on Thursday in Edmonton. Lehtinen was skating with Mike Modano and Jussi Jokinen on Wednesday, so I'm sure Mo is feeling good about having an old partner coming back.

Pretty quiet day otherwise. It's a chilly day here in Vancouver, but it's nothing compared to what we're going into the next few days.

Marty's mask

Saw the comment about Marty Turco's mask last night, and indeed he has a "somewhat" new one. This one has a white background, yet still has the gargoyles/dragons that he has on his black one. These dragons, however, are a little bit lower on the mask. And one of the dragons has a little goatee... Marty said that's for Steve Ott, who has one of his own.

I think the dragon's goatee is in better shape :)

Whew!

That got a little too interesting late, didn't it? Anyway, those of us on killer deadlines were just happy we didn't have to start writing all over again. Headed to the locker room. Be back soon.

Ott scores a shorty

I need to ask him if that's his first career shorthanded goal. Something tells me he'll have a story to tell if he's had one before.

Anyway, the Stars were working this penalty kill brilliantly, and got the puck in the Canucks' zone for a good chunk of time. That led to Robidas feeding Halpern feeding Ott, who was alone in front of Drew MacIntyre. That's 4-1 at 7:30.

Two down...

The Stars had a strong second period, and they nearly missed being up 4-1 at least. Loui Eriksson just missed off a nice feed from Mike Ribeiro, and Antti Miettinen, taking a long pass from Marty Turco, hit the post.

Speaking of Turco, he's looking pretty good tonight. Great stop on Mattias Ohlund on a Vancouver power play, and it looks like he's seeing everything well.

Anyway, we're onto the third...

Robidas goal and goalie change

Stephane Robidas scores his third goal of the season, a power-play effort, to put the Stars up 3-1 at 4:31. That was apparently enough for the Canucks, as they pulled Curtis Sanford for Drew MacIntyre. Sanford gave up three goals on 10 shots.

All I know about MacIntyre (other than a cheer went up from the fans when he was put in), is he's played about a half of a game (27 minutes) against San Jose on Dec. 13. He gave up 2 goals on 11 shots.

Mo scores

We're just 1:30 into the second period and Mike Modano lasered one high over Curtis Sanford for a 2-1 Stars lead. Credit Niklas Hagman and Mattias Norstrom with assists on this one. It just developed fast and Modano didn't waste time with his blistering shot.

Shocker: We're tied

Sorry, folks, I'm having major computer problems tonight. Anyway: Trevor Daley got his second goal of the season when his shot deflected off Matt Cooke's stick at 15:54. And after all that, the Canucks tied it less than three minutes later, thanks to Henrik Sedin.

Wow, another close game with these two. I'm stunned. Absolutely stunned.

Lines

Sorry, I'm recovering from a lousy rendition of both the Star-Spangled Banner and the Canadian national anthem. Anyway, the lines:

Hagman-Modano-Jokinen
Morrow-Ribeiro-Miettinen
Eriksson-Halpern-Ott
Barnes-Lundqvist-Barch

Zubov week to week; no Lehtinen tonite

Sorry, folks, running late on this:

Sergei Zubov is week to week with foot and groin issues. Tippett said this morning he's getting better, but it wasn't good enough for them to bring him up on this trip for the moment.

Jere Lehtinen won't go tonight. Tippett reiterated that he's "real close," but he'll at least be sitting this one out. I think he had just gotten off the ice as we were talking to Tip, so we'll see when he comes back into the lineup.

Turco goes tonight. Tippett said they'll figure out later how they juggle these two over the back-to-backs coming up Friday and Saturday in Edmonton and Calgary, respectively.

Zubov not here

Sergei Zubov did not make the Western Canada trip, so he's sidelined at least the next three games. I wasn't at practice yesterday, so I don't know the extent of his injury. The Stars weren't too worried about it before the break, and it may not be. But it may be enough of a concern that they don't want to hurry him in for three games, just to have him tweak something again. Hopefully find out more today on that.

Anyway, it's about 40 and very pretty up here in Vancouver. Yes, I can hear you all now (pretty?!) If I'm going to have a winter, it might as well be a real one with some snow on the ground!

Back at it, baby!

Hey kids,

Yes, our All-Star weekend hangover is over, and the Stars get back at it today. I'll be heading up to Vancouver this afternoon, but I expect to see Jere Lehtinen when I get up there tonight. And is there any doubt this team needs him back? I think the team has missed him as much as they have Mr. Zubov, who should be close to ready to go, too.

Anyway, we'll be back in touch in Vancouver. Stay warm. Oh, that's for me.

Goalie talk

I love when they talk to the goaltenders during these games. Rick DiPietro barely starts the game when the Versus guys are asking him to comment on his hip pain from a scissor move the night before. So what happens? Yep, Rick Nash scores on him.

Ah, who are we kidding: Is any mic'd-up goaltender going to be any funnier than Marty Turco was last season?

Delays, delays

Sorry, not a fan of games that take forever to get going. Reserve introductions, starter introductions, anthems, etc. PLAY THE GAME!

By the way, anyone notice Scott Gomez mugging for the camera a few times already? That's the whole point of this deal, though: Have some fun.

Buzz-worthy?

I had gotten an e-mail about this from someone, so I figured I'd respond on here, too. It has been thrown out there on the website, www.hockeybuzz.com, that Marty Turco is being traded for Martin St. Louis of the Tampa Bay Lightning. Turco, by the way, has a no-trade clause in his contract.

Co-GM Les Jackson's response: "We are not trying to trade Marty Turco. He's a big part of our team. I think people who put rumors out there just want me to respond to it. It's a waste of time because it's just rumor."

Anyway, just wanted to respond to the masses on it since it's out there. Thoughts?

Let it... rain?

This is a winter storm? Are ya kiddin' me? Sorry, but being a product from the Northeast, I always laugh at the south's version of "winter" weather. Yeah, it's a little brisk outside, but big whoop. I didn't even get that whimpy version of snow that falls once in a great moon down here.

Sorry, I'm aggravated because I'm having to go three days without hockey. This is going to be a tough withdrawl weekend.

My oh my

Here's exhibit D on how I can't figure out this team. They play some of their best hockey in San Jose, and here against Anaheim. Then they play Columbus and Buffalo, two teams having big troubles on the road, and they lose both. Don't get it, don't get it, don't get it. But this seems to be a bad habit of theirs, struggling against not-so-good teams. Remember the end of the regular season last year? Losses to Columbus and Chicago.

Anyway, they're on break for the next three days. I'm sure most of them will take the time to rest. They should think about this one for a little bit, though... these aren't ones you want being the difference-makers come March and April.

Enjoy the weekend, folks, and stay warm. Keep those faucets dripping tonight.

STUUUU!

That's one name the crowd could chant in unison, since both teams love him. Stu Barnes ties this one at the 17:08 mark. Mattias Norstrom had a great pass to him, and Barnes never broke stride in sliding this one past Ryan Miller on the glove side.

Norstrom and Niskanen on the assists.

No goal

The crowd was just starting to groan as the referees called a huddle in front of the Stars goal. Thomas Vanek deflected this one, but he deflected it with a stick that was well above the net. Mr. McGeough checks with the powers that be and confirms it: No goal for Buffalo.

Score remains 1-0 Sabres at 10:45.

Hmm

That's about all I have right now. The Stars had a few good chances already in this one, with a breakaway or two, but nada so far. Jokinen looks like he's coming along just fine, so no problems there. Barch's fight was pretty fun, just the way he was punching.

All in all, chances don't mean anything. The Sabres are up 1-0 on a missing defense play.

Barchy fighting again

Krys Barch and Andrew Peters were going at it for a while after Steve Ott gave Peters a hip check a bit earlier.

Don't know if there's something wrong with Barch's right hand, because he was grabbing Peters' jersey and punching him with his left hand. Strange-looking from up here, but reviews showed him connecting a few times.

Buffalo up 1-0

Derek Roy was all by his lonesome in front of the net, and he beats Turco on a little tip at the 1:51 mark. Not-so-good on the coverage. That's the Sabres' first shot of the game. Thomas Vanek and Drew Stafford on the assists.

There are a ton of Sabres fans in this building, and you can hear every one of them. Honestly, I feel like I'm in Buffalo, and that certainly shouldn't happen here.

Jokinen line up first

Jussi Jokinen will get thrown in right away, as he and linemates Niklas Hagman and Antti Miettinen will take the opening faceoff. Anticipate seeing Loui Eriksson with Brenden Morrow and Mike Ribeiro if Wednesday's practice was any indication.

I'm assuming Modano with Halpern and Ott.

Optional morning

We had a half-full rink today at morning skate. And other than Ulf Dahlen shooting a puck at me -- he swears it was unintentional :) -- it was a pretty quiet day out at the AAC.

The good news: Jere Lehtinen was out there skating with his teammates. It's morning skate, obviously, and his big test will be at the Stars' Monday practice before they head to Vancouver. But Lehtinen is wanting that Vancouver game to be his first one back.

A reminder that Jussi Jokinen is in tonight.

Crombeen returns to Iowa

With Jussi Jokinen coming back, B.J. Crombeen returned to Iowa on Wednesday. The kid looked pretty good in his three games here; I was surprised one of his shots didn't result in a goal against the Ducks on Sunday. Coach Dave Tippett was pretty happy with his stay here, too. As he said, there are a lot of Iowa guys who are getting valuable experience up here for one reason or another.

Turco starting, Jokinen returning

Marty Turco gets the start in goal tomorrow against the Buffalo Sabres. I can't even remember the last time the Stars played the Buffalo Sabres (about two or three years ago, I think?) Anyway, they're in town already... a bunch of their coaches were up in the press box on Tuesday night.

And Jussi Jokinen is back in the lineup tomorrow, barring anything major happening in morning skate. The guy's been dying to get back onto the ice -- he had never missed more than two games in a row in his eight-year career before this latest injury. He was centering a line with Niklas Hagman and Antti Miettinen at today's practice. Don't know if that's set or what, but there you have it. Loui Eriksson was up with Morrow and Ribeiro.

Uuuuugly

Here's a lesson in how NOT to lose a game: The Stars had a 2-0 lead and all the momentum in the world against a very, very frustrated Blue Jackets team. Then the penalties started. Then they were miffed about a Columbus goal that should've been nullified by an icing penalty.

Bottom line: The Stars held onto their angst too long and just didn't get over it. So it's a game they shouldn't have lost, an opportunity to put more points between them and Anaheim lost.

Better luck next time. We'll see how they do to finish against Buffalo on Thursday. By the way, the Sabres have gone through big-time losses lately.

Russell again for Columbus

Kris Russell, that youngster who just scored his first NHL goal in the second, added another one to give Columbus the lead. It came on the power play, their fifth of the night, and now the Stars are suddenly looking up at a deficit with about six minutes remaining.

Not good.

Tie game

Andrew Murray makes it a tie game at 8:03. The Stars had another one of those moments where they just couldn't clear the rebounds out of the zone, and it proved costly.

A 2-0 lead is gone, and Joel Lundqvist just went into the penalty box at 12:36. By the way, is it just me or have they been calling a lot of ticky-tack penalties on both sides tonight?

Columbus gets one

Of course, as soon as I start typing that Mike Smith could get a shutout, he doesn't. Anywyay, defenseman Kris Russell gets the Jackets on the board at 14:26. It's his first goal of his NHL career, and apparently this kid is pretty good.

So the Stars' lead is cut to one.

Steve Ott's turn

Steve Ott cleans up some garbage in front of the net, and the Stars are up 2-0 at the 8:38 mark. Credit Joel Lundqvist for shaking a Columbus player and keeping this one in the zone. It's Ott's sixth goal of the season, which sets a new career high for him.

The shots are much closer now, as the Stars are pushing the tempo much better than they did on Saturday.
Power play coming up for the Stars.

Morrow scores

Right-place, right-time goal for Morrow, who picked up the bouncing puck from Antti Miettinen into the open right side of the net for a 1-0 lead. Ribeiro had the secondary assist, at 3:51. That's Morrow's 20th goal this season.

Once again, the Stars are being outshot, albeit not as bad as the other day. Still, they're the first ones on the board. Morrow almost got another one about two minutes after his first, but LeClaire got that one.

It's gettin' snarly

Which is good, because this has otherwise been a hum-drum first period. Basically, it's starting like it did on Saturday: The Stars are getting badly outshot and spending a ton of time in their own zone defending against a hungry Columbus teach, which is probably still steaming at the loss here on Saturday.

Anyway, Steve Ott's stirring the pot, so it should get better from here.

Sabres in the house

The Buffalo Sabres must have had some time off between now and Thursday's game here, because coach Lindy Ruff, among others, just walked into the press box.

Brad Winchester is the lone healthy scratch for the Stars. And by the way, the way he was shooting the other night, I'm betting it's not long before B.J. Crombeen gets his first NHL goal.

Just throwing that out there.

Mr. Smith gets the start

Sorry, I forgot to post this earlier: Mike Smith gets the nod in goal tonight against the Blue Jackets. It's his second consecutive start against Columbus, after he put the Stars on his back and guided them to a victory on Saturday afternoon against said Jackets.

Zubov out, Ribeiro in All-Star game

It's official: Sergei Zubov is out of this year's All-Star game as he heals from a few injuries. It's always disappointing for someone to get this opportunity taken away -- Tippett said this morning that Zubov was very excited to play in Atlanta -- but the rest will be beneficial for him.

So that paves the way for Mike Ribeiro to make his first All-Star appearance. He should have been included in this, anyway, regardless of Zubov's condition: he's still leading the Stars in goals (22) and points (53) this season. So kudos to him.

Jokinen close

Jussi Jokinen skated with the boys this morning and said he's been ready to get back onto the ice the past four or five days. Can you tell he's not used to being sidelined for any time? Anyway, there's a chance he'll play on Thursday. Tippett said they'll gauge how he is after tomorrow's practice.

Zubov out next two games

That's about all we know for sure right now, and obviously the All-Star game is pretty doubtful, too. The MRI results are still a little hazy. Apparently, it's some sort of a groin issue, but it didn't sound like it would keep Zubov sidelined for significant time: But the All-Star break would provide much-needed rest.

So there we are, for the moment. I assume we'll find out more either this afternoon or tonight, including whether the Stars will send someone else to the All-Star game in Zubov's place.

Zubov update tomorrow

Nothing new on Sergei Zubov tonight, so we'll find out more tomorrow on his MRI results.

As far as Jussi Jokinen (knee) and Jere Lehtinen (groin), they're both on schedule. Dave Tippett said Jokinen is a little bit ahead of Lehts at the moment. I don't know if that means Jokinen gets a start before the break or not; when Jokinen talked in Los Angeles last week, he sounded pretty excited to get back ASAP, but at the same time didn't want to come back too soon.

Day off after big victory

I admit, there are times I can't figure this team out. They've gone through their extremes, for sure. But I try not to dwell in the past too much in any facet of my life, so here's what I liked about yesterday heading into Tuesday's game against Columbus (again):
   The defense stepped up again. We'll be finding out the results of Sergei Zubov's MRI later today (hopefully), and who knows if that defense is going to be without him for a while? If so, they've had encouraging performances in the last three days, and that should especially help those young guys with their confidence.
   The Stars aren't big but can be gritty when they want to be. Remember that Anaheim game last Tuesday? Totally opposite reaction by the Stars against the Ducks yesterday.
   Stephane Robidas is great. I don't care about his size or if he ever scores another goal. The guy is just a little dynamo out there, Stu Barnes in a defenseman's body (that or Barnes is Roby in a forward's body). How could a teammate not be inspired by this guy night after night?
   Niklas Hagman could get 30 goals this season. He's gone through offensive spurts, but he's on a run much like he had at the start of the season. When he gets the puck on a shorthanded attempt, I just assume it's going in. And how about that angle on that empty-netter? His signing should be top priority this offseason.
   OK, I think I'm good for now. That's the nice thing about watching games like that this weekend: Plenty of good things to talk about. Sure beats the alternative.

Um, wait...

It's not time to panic, but the Ducks aren't completely done yet apparently. Ryan Getzlaf gets one here at the 13:10 mark to make it a 4-2 game. Corey Perry on the assist.

This has been a pretty dominating game by the Stars all day. Don't need to let up in the final six minutes.

3 goals in 59 seconds

I wouldn't have believed it if I hadn't seen it. Here's a quick summary:

Niklas Hagman gets his 17th goal of the season and 4th shorty of the season when he and Barnes went blaring down the ice on a Ducks turnover. That gave the Stars a 3-0 lead at 7:59. Then Mathieu Schneider ended the Ducks' drought with a power-play goal at 8:45. Just 13 seconds later The scoring trio was at it again, with Morrow picking up his second of the day at 8:58.

Stars up 4-1 with 9:57 remaining. Think they're feeling good about this one?

Kick or no kick?

It was a close one, but the officials here and Toronto ruled in the favor of the Stars and said Brenden Morrow did not kick his goal. I wonder if the NHL is like the NFL, and you need that conclusive evidence deal in your corner.

Either way, Ribeiro made the pass and Morrow stuck with it long enough to get it past Giguere at 3:18. Credit Matt Niskanen for keeping this one in the Stars' zone to set it up.

Second the motion

The Stars didn't let up in the second period. The result? They outshot the Ducks 10-4. Still, they only have that harrowing one-goal lead thanks to Giguere's play in goal. He's been pretty tough to beat, although Robidas and others are still trying their darndest. Miettinen almost had one himself.

Mark Fistric took a puck to the right knee in the period, off a shot from Chris Pronger, and I didn't see him come back at all during the period. So we'll see what's up with him in the third.

All in all, good stuff. The Stars probably wouldn't mind having at least a 2-0 lead, though.

Fun first

Much, much, much better start to this one compared to yesterday. The Stars have come out with a lot of spunk and you always have to smile when Roby scores a goal. Brenden Morrow almost made it 2-0 but it's tough to beat Mr. Giguere through the wickets.

Jeff Halpern's line has been stellar against Ryan Getzlaf's group. The Stars need to be physical in this one (that's where they got beat in the second period last week in Anaheim) and it's working so far.

Robidas scores

No, your eyes are not deceiving you there. It was one Stephane Robidas alone between the points with a scorcher that beats Jean-Sebastien Giguere on the Stars' second power play of the game. It looked like the puck hit something, be it a skate or the boards, and caromed right to the middle of the ice where Robidas was by himself.

Stars up at 9:28.

A little snarly

No surprise here that these two are already getting snippy. We're barely eight minutes into the game and there's already been six guys in the penalty box.

Love this matchup. By the way, Crombeen has a pretty quick shot, doesn't he?

Turco in goal

The Stars will roll the scoring line first: Morrow-Ribeiro-Miettinen.

Thank goodness for goaltending

That's what the Stars were saying today, and for good reason. With the rest of the team living on fumes thanks to another long road trip and long flight home, Mike Smith was more than up to the task. The kid look good, and now he has left his coach in the best quandary: Deciding today's netminder.

Tippett said on Friday he would split the two this weekend; he backtracked off that after this game, saying the Stars would re-evaluate that decision tomorrow morning. They always want to go with the hot goaltender, right? Of course, Marty was pretty good in San Jose on Thursday.

Anyway, the Stars will take this one today and have no excuse for no energy tomorrow afternoon. And they'll need every bit of it against a very hot Anaheim team.

See you in less than 24 hours.

Zubie out tomorrow

Sergei Zubov will have an MRI on his ailing foot on Monday, so he'll be out for tomorrow's game against the Ducks.

I'm sure everyone in Stars land has their collective fingers crossed that this is a minimal problem. Although the Stars' young D-men have fared pretty well in the last two games. Still, you always miss a presence like his, don't you?

Ott scores

The Stars get a 4 on 2 and get their two-goal lead back. Halpern fed Ott, who went top-shelf for his fifth goal of the season. Once again, the Stars should still be thanking Smith. There's been some sloppy play in their zone, and Robidas has also either blocked or cleared some choice chances from the Jackets.

Anyway, Ott from Halpern and Grossman at 8:54.

Lucky

That's what the Stars are after that second period: Lucky they're not tied. Or lucky they're not trailing. They had 2 shots on goal in the period. Two. and their first one they scored on thanks to Stu Barnes.
But the Stars have to give a big, huge, ginormous thank you to Mike Smith: he's the only reason they're leading right now.

Stars outshot 13-2 in the period, 20-6 in the game.

Barnes scores

Stu Barnes gets basically an open-net goal thanks to his work and Krys Barch's pass from the left side. Stars up 2-0 at 10:12. That was the Stars' first shot -- not kidding -- of the second period.

It's unbelievable: The Stars have spent about nine minutes defending in their own zone, where Mike Smith has been good. The Blue Jackets are outshooting them 8-1 in the period, yet they're up 2-0.

Let's go skating!

That's basically all that was happening in the first period. See, I'm even struggling to write about the first, it was so mundane. Got one team coming off the West Coast trip, another going back and forth from here to Phoenix the next few days.

I'm guessing (hoping) it'll be a little more exciting in the second.

Morrow scores

Give most of the credit to Antti Miettinen and his behind-the-back, backhand pass from behind the net. Morrow was wide open and just lifted it over Fredrik Norrena.

Stars up 1-0 at 12:43. Miettinen and Ribeiro on assists.

Wow, first shot

Lot of skating, but not a lot of shots. Columbus just recorded its first at the 7:40 mark. Stars still officially don't have one. Guess both teams are adjusting to this afternoon deal.

Smith in goal

Sorry, folks, I'm still on West Coast time!

Mike Smith gets the start today in goal, which (unless they change their minds) means Turco will go tomorrow.
B.J. Crombeen is in the lineup, and he and his other linemates just took the ice. Each of the top three lines are already getting sniffs at the net. Here are the combos:
Lundqvist-Halpern-Ott
Hagman-Modano-Eriksson
Morrow-Ribeiro-Miettinen
Barch-Barnes-Crombeen

Question marks and debuts

Sergei Zubov is questionable for today's game with that foot. You never like to see this guy out of the lineup, but the defensemen were looking much better last night. So that has to be encouraging for the Stars if Zubov is hit and miss for any time here.

As for the debut part, B.J. Crombeen is likely to make his today against the Blue Jackets. I'm kind of anxious to see this kid, actually. The Stars are hurting for right wings, and Tippett likes the size and strength of Crombeen.

Jere Lehtinen and Jussi Jokinen are getting better and could be taking part in some drills and such in practice on Monday. Doesn't sound like their expected days back have been moved up, but still it's a good sign.

Much-needed victory

Think the Stars found a way to push their anger in the right direction? They were angry enough at the way this road trip was going, then Craig Rivet gives them a little more fuel with that not-called boarding on Brenden Morrow.
Once again, how is it not boarding?
Anyway, this was a big 'un. If they had gone home after a loss here, we were looking at a bad situation. Instead, the Stars once again play some of their best hockey in this building. Honestly, I want a study done on this and pronto. Do they need teal and white bunting put up around the AAC?
There was plenty of spirit, and those games are always fun to watch. So for all the messes lately, the Stars are tied for second place, one point behind Anaheim.
The only concern is the Zubov deal. They say he's day to day, but we've seen what happens when the guys' out of the lineup for an entire game. Still, give credit to those young Stars on the blue line. They've been taking a beating lately, but they pulled together nicely tonight.

OK, it's back home. I've heard it's a bit chilly there. Not good news for me, considering I got used to basking in the warm California sun.

Four's a charm?

Jeff Halpern beats Nabokov 5-hole to give the Stars a 4-2 lead at 17:51. Mike Ribeiro and Brenden Morrow get the assists.

This one was started with some sloppy play by the Sharks, who have gotten careless with the puck in the waning minutes of this one. If this one holds up (wow, has my skepticism gotten bad), it's a biggie for the Stars.

One minute remaining...

Mo strikes again

Mike Modano gets his second of the night, this one a wicked shot off after Stephane Robidas' shot was stopped. I'd be surprised if Nabokov even saw this one

Stars are up 3-2 at the 12:54 mark. Hagman gets the primary assist, with Robidas getting the secondary helper.

Sharks tie it

Joe Thornton scores at the 3:23 mark to tie this one. Thought Steve Bernier deflected it, but apparently not. Anyway, one thing looming large right now...

About two minutes before the tying goal, Steve Ott and Joel Lundqvist had a 2 on 1 the other way. Ott fed Lundqvist just fine, but Lundqvist missed an open net.

Just cannot miss those.

Zubov out

Sergei Zubov has not come back out for the third period. Don't know what the word is right now, other than he's being evaluated as we speak. He wasn't on the two power plays near the end of the second.

More fire

Whatever the motivation, the Stars had a much better second period. Good scoring chances, more action around Nabokov, generally good stuff all around. Hagman should probably have at least one more goal. Stars still need to take advantage of these power plays. Two back-to-back, but Nabokov has been pretty solid back there.

We'll catch you after the next 20.

Mo scores

While everyone was watching the hit on Niklas Hagman, Loui Eriksson fed a beauty of a pass from behind the net to Mike Modano, who had an easy one for a 2-1 Stars lead. That's two assists for Eriksson tonight, and Hagman also has two points now.

20 minutes in

Joe Pavelski got whistled for goaltender interference at the buzzer (can we say, makeup call?), so the Stars will be on the power play 19 seconds into the period (Sharks still have that left on Daley's instigator call).
A spirited first period, to say the least. Shots are 10-5 Sharks right now, because they've gotten more than just one shot on goal in their trips into the Stars' zone. Not many second chances on the Stars' end.

The fur is already flying out here, so brace yourselves for the next 40 minutes.

No boarding?!

Craig Rivet runs Brenden Morrow face-first into the boards and there is no call on it. Morrow gets up bleeding. Still no call on it. Unbelievable. Instead, Trevor Daley gets two minutes for instigation, five for fighting and a 10-minute misconduct.

Sharks get a power play out of this, too. Uh-huh. Well, if anything, this ought to stoke the fire under Dallas. If not, I don't know what else could.

"Crazy legs" ties it

Dave Tippett called Niklas Hagman that last season, and the name sticks. Hagman created space with his speed, and Loui Eriksson's feed was perfect for the hard-charging left wing. The Stars tie it at 10:47.

That's Hagman's 16th of the season; he had a career-high 17 last year. Think this guy is earning a signing?

Sharks up 1-0

Coming off the end of the power play, the Sharks had numbers with Alexei Semenov coming out of the box as the puck headed toward the Sharks' zone. It was Milan Michalek coming in late and getting the bouncing puck past Turco at 6:11.

Ominous start, I'm fearing.

7 defensemen

That's what the Stars are going with tonight, as B.J. Crombeen made a long trip for nothing. At least regarding tonight.

The Stars, instead, have got seven blue-liners on the bench. Needing reinforcements to deal with those defensive breakdowns?

Turco in tonight

Marty Turco will start tonight against the Sharks. I know he has his detractors out there, but he's the only reason that final score wasn't something like 8-2 the other night. The Ducks were firing shots at him left and right, and the fact that it was 3-2 at the end of two periods was a small miracle.

Anyway, Marty's 18-7-1 lifetime against the Sharkies. And we all know how well the Stars have done away from home against these guys. I still want someone to explain that one to me.

Crombeen recalled

The Stars recalled B.J. Crombeen from Iowa today and he could be in the lineup tomorrow against the San Jose Sharks. Dave Tippett said the 22-year-old has done pretty well with Iowa this season, and he's "the next guy in line that deserves a chance."

There's no doubt the Stars need bodies up here. They're feeling those injuries more by the day, so why not throw a fresh guy in there and see what happens?

Phoenix rising?

Yes, my fellow hockey fans, check those standings: The Coyotes are making big moves. They've won four in a row at home, and earlier this season they couldn't buy a victory in that building. That W also came against San Jose, which had won something like 10 straight on the road before that game. There's something going on in the desert, and the rest of the Pacific Division suddenly has to take note of a fourth contender.

So if the Coyotes can keep this up, how fun (or harrowing) does this make the postseason chase?

Panic time?

I'm not stating, I'm asking here. At least for the moment. Nobody seems ready to jump off a bridge in the locker room, but January has been a harsh month for the boys. There isn't a whole lot going right out there, at least not on a consistent basis. Even the penalty kill took a hit tonight, although some of those calls were very ticky-tacky (i.e., the penalty shot awarded to Chris Kunitz).

So what do we need here, folks? Well, you need 3 guys to get into the lineup again, sure. But what else? As quickly as this has snowballed, can it get back on track soon?

The other Pacific teams are surging. This is going to be a crazy final few months.

Niedermayer at it again

OK, he didn't end up with the goal, but he definitely had a hand in its fruition. Scott Niedermayer went behind the Ducks net to grab the puck from Niklas Hagman and got it to his teammates quickly. It was only moments later when a whiffed clearing attempt by Turco ended up on Todd Marchant's stick and in the net on a wraparoun