Canucks Take Series Lead and Game 3, 2-1
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by user UNT66
On Sunday Night at American Airlines, The Vancouver Canucks defeated the Dallas Stars in OT by the score of 2-1. With the win, Vancouver gained a 2-1 series over Dallas and regained home ice advantage.
After a scoreless first period, the Stars gained in the lead in the second period. Using a power play that was operating at 7% prior to the game, Stu Barnes scored a goal with the extra man advantage, giving the Stars a 1-0 lead.
That lead would hold up until the third period, when the Canucks Jan Bulis pounced on a rebound and fired the puck into the back of the Stars net, tying the game at 1-1.
After 60 Minutes of Regulation, both teams went into overtime, knowing that the game could go on for a long time, as it did in Game 1 with Henrik Sedin scoring the game winner in quadruple OT.
Yet, the Canucks ended the game before the Stars Ice Girls could clean the snow around the goal nets and the boards as Taylor Pyatt scored the game winning goal at the 7:44, giving the visitors a victory in Game 3 and regained the momentum in the series.
For the Stars, the forward skaters wasted a good performance by goaltender Marty Turco, who made 35 saves, but will be remembered for the two shots that he couldn't stop and looks to be an easy playoff scapegoat if the Canucks win this first round series.
The Stars and Canucks will skate again on Tuesday Night as Game 4 will take place at the American Airlines Center in Dallas. For the Canucks, a victory would give their squad a lead that would be impossible to overcome.
For the Stars, a win is a must if they want to advance into the next round as they could turn the series into a best of 3 if they earn the victory.
Notes:
OT Haunts Stars, Turco Again:
-Steve Ott will go down as an overtime hero only because he is the only Stars player to score a game-winning goal in overtime during the last 9 games that have gone past regulation.
In 8 of the last 9 games that have gone past regulation for the Stars, Goaltender Marty Turco has been in net and Head Coach Dave Tippett has been the bench boss, leading his charges to in the case of Sunday's night, another OT loss.
Think about it, those stats and the fact that the Stars have not advanced past the 1st round of the playoffs could force big changes in the offseason...
Stu steps up:
-Stu Barnes was never meant to be an offensive force, but the checking forward has become the Stars best player in this series with the Canucks. Barnes has only scored 30 or more goals in a season once in his career, back in 1997-98 with the Pittsburgh Penguins.
Yet, His goal in Game 3 vaulted his status to number one in terms of points scored with 3, scoring one goal and two assists.
Now, Stewie has been great for the Stars this postseason, but players like Modano and Lehtinen must step up and score goals. If these goals remain silent on the scoresheet on Tuesday Night, the series could be over on Thursday Night.....
Stars Offense Becoming Anemic:
Game 1 saw the Stars score 4 goals.....
Game 2 saw the Stars score 2 goals.....
Game 3 saw the Stars score 1 goal.....
-If the current trend continues, Luongo will record his first playoff shutout on Tuesday Night. Thus, the slumping Stars offense must awaken before they are forced to make tee times next week.
Turco's Stats are good:
Turco has recorded a 94.5 Save Percentage, a 1.58 GAA and a shutout in this series with the Canucks, a dramatic improvement for a goaltender who saw Goals Against Averages over 3 in his last two playoff series with Colorado.
If you want terrible player stats, look at the Stars players who haven't scored a goal:
Sergei Zubov, Nik Hagman, Mike Ribeiro, Mike Modano, Jere Lehtinen, Darryl Sydor, Steve Ott, Philippe Boucher and Stephane Robidas
-If the Stars want to tied up the series, the follow list needs to shrink significantly.
JG
