Sport-scan daily brief

And they looked like they were going to do that.

But Dillon and Goligoski kept showing up. They each finished plus-3, and the Sharks did not score on either of Dillon's penalties. That's a pretty good night in anyone's book. Dillon finished with three shots on goal, two hits and four blocked shots. Goligoski had four hits, second most on the team.

So, can the "second pair'' work? Well, that's what the final 10 games are for, right?

Dallas Morning News LOADED: 04.08.2013

668741 Dallas Stars

As the world counts them out, Dallas Stars stepping up

MIKE HEIKA

Staff writer

mheika@dallasnews.com

Published: 08 April 2013 12:25 AM

SAN JOSE, Calif. — Riding a wave of “what the heck,” the Stars stormed back from two two-goal deficits and took a 5-4 shootout win at HP Pavilion on Sunday afternoon.

The victory stopped a seven-game winning streak for the Sharks and gave the Stars a 2-1-0 record since dealing away Jaromir Jagr and Derek Roy on Tuesday.

Alex Chiasson scored twice and has three goals in three NHL games. Meanwhile, linemates Jamie Benn and Ray Whitney chipped in two assists each, and Benn won the game with the only goal in the shootout.

“We’re just on the same page right now. We’re a team,” said winger Eric Nystrom, who scored his sixth goal of the season. “Everyone is counting us out, so we’re just showing up and trying to play the right way every day. And we’re doing that. Simple, direct hockey.”

Dallas improved to 18-17-3 (39 points) and to 10th place in the West. The Stars are four points behind eighth-place Detroit with 10 games remaining.

“With the situation we’re in, every game is important,” Whitney said. “If we are going to have any chance at all, it is going to have to be a pretty impressive run here at the end. If you look at these guys [San Jose], they hit a hot streak at the right time and it catapulted them up in the standings. For us to have any chance at the playoffs, we’re going to have to go on a similar run. You’re going to have to win on the road. That’s just a fact of life.”

The Stars improved their road record to 10-8-1, among the best in the West. San Jose grabbed a 2-0 lead in the second period, but Dallas bounced back with goals from Chiasson and Nystrom 26 seconds apart.

The Sharks then pushed their lead to 4-2 after two periods, but the Stars came back again. Chiasson scored on a smooth pass from Whitney, and that line continued to create scoring chances.

“It’s the Wizard — anything can happen with him,” Chiasson said. “He put it right on my tape, I put it between the goalie’s legs, and there it was. That was incredible. Down by two goals twice and we came back twice in the game. We just kept believing.

The teams continued to battle through overtime, and then Kari Lehtonen stopped Logan Couture, Dan Boyle and Brent Burns in the shootout, while Benn slipped a nice wrister past the stick of Antti Niemi.

It was a joyful moment for a team that has had to reassess a lot in one three-game trip to California.

“They can keep thinking that,” Benn said when told many people are counting the Stars out. “The only thing that matters is what we believe in this dressing room. It’s not going to be pretty some nights, but the effort is going to be there and the heart and the character. I think you saw part of that tonight.”

Dallas Morning News LOADED: 04.08.2013

668742 Dallas Stars

With future in limbo, Dallas Stars' Glen Gulutzan trying to focus on the present

MIKE HEIKA

Staff Writer

Published: 07 April 2013 07:45 PM

SAN JOSE, Calif. - Stars coach Glen Gulutzan said he's not looking at the future right now, only each game and each practice.

While the 41-year-old coach knows that his job could be in jeopardy, he doesn't really want to talk about that. He wants to talk about making the Stars better and winning as many games as possible down the stretch.

"I learned when I first started coaching, from Darryl Sutter, that your job as a coach is to come to the rink and every day try to make everyone better," said Gulutzan, who started as a minor league coach in the Calgary Flames system. "We've got young guys here, and the coaching staff is trying to make those players better, and really the whole team better. We're still battling."

Gulutzan comes from a family of teachers and earned his teaching degree from the University of Saskatchewan. He said he is trying to use that background while coaching young players like Alex Chiasson and Matt Fraser, recently called up after the Stars traded away veteran players Jaromir Jagr and Derek Roy.

"I try to use my background there," Gulutzan said. "We have young guys here, and you try to teach them little things, both on the ice and off. Plus, we have veteran guys doing the same thing, so I think we're doing that. We're keeping our energy up, and we're trying to keep the energy up for the team, too."

Gulutzan coached for two years in the AHL with the Texas Stars and has been with the NHL team for two seasons, so he has a pretty good handle on the transition from players who are being called up.

"I certainly do now, having been there two years ago and been here the past two years," he said. "It's the heaviest hockey in the world. You have the biggest, best athletes playing every second day, and finding real estate is really tough. So that's the biggest thing. You have to fight for your space, and you have to fight for everything you get here every shift. I think that's the biggest difference."

Dallas Morning News LOADED: 04.08.2013

668743 Dallas Stars

He said it: Stars coach Glen Gulutzan after a 5-4 (SO) win in San Jose

Kevin Sherrington

ksherrington@dallasnews.com

Published: 07 April 2013 07:27 PM

Courtesy of Stars and Sharks' PR stafs:

On the comeback:"There's people counting us out on two fronts, but we're going to battle and you could see that tonight in the resiliency of the group. It's just one day at a time." Whether playing the Sharks brings out the best in the team:"Not last year. It's our first trip here this year, there's a little extra edge here - I guess. If you want to talk about it, I don't think the teams are in love with each other, but It's an exciting building to play in; it's always full and I think that brings out the best in us." On answering San Jose's heavy attack early:"I thought we fumbled around in the first until we relaxed a little bit and started to play. I thought the way we came out in the second, we dictated the play. Then we went back-and-forth because they are such good team. I thought all-in-all though it was a good, resilient effort by our entire group." On Alex Chiasson:"He does the little things right. He goes to the net and if he keeps doing that, I'm going to play him." On what was said between the second and third intermission"All I said is that we're preparing for a push here in the first period. I said if that's their biggest push, that's not anything we can't handle. Let's stop watching the play and let's start relaxing and go out and play. Our guys came out hard in the second, and I think we were a little nervous, they are such a good team that they were pushing us, but we just had to relax and get on our game." On whether San Jose's six-game home win streak was any extra motivation:No, not at all. I didn't know that and we didn't discuss it at all.

SAN JOSE

Head Coach Todd McLellan: "I didn't like our game, basically the whole night. It was great that we were able to score four, but we had a lot of key, key people- high-minute, high-end players- that really didn't perform very well. Some of the workers worked, but we need more from those guys heading out on the road."

(on Torres' play today): "I thought Raffi was fine. I thought Raffi, Pavelski, and Galiardi were our best line tonight. They spent a lot of time forechecking in other teams zone. He was involved on the scoresheet positively. [He was] physical on the ice. People knew when he was out there, so a real good start [as a Shark] for him."

Captain and Center Joe Thornton: "We let it slip a little bit. We've been a pretty good third period team all year, especially on this streak. For them to get two in the third is very rare. We just have to get better every game now."

Center Tommy Wingels: "We're happy with the homestand as a whole, but you're only as good as your latest performance. There are things we need to clean up."

Dallas Morning News LOADED: 04.08.2013

668744 Dallas Stars

After impressive start, Lane MacDermid sits for Dallas Stars with upper body injury

Kevin Sherrington

ksherrington@dallasnews.com

Published: 07 April 2013 08:47 PM

After scoring two goals in his first two games in a Stars uniform, Lane MacDermid sat out Sunday's game against the Sharks. He has an upper body injury, but it is not related to his head, Stars coach Glen Gulutzan said. It is more of a torso injury.

"He could be a few days," Gulutzan said.

Dallas Morning News LOADED: 04.08.2013

668745 Dallas Stars

Stars scoring summary: Pair of helpers, shootout winner caps big night for Jamie Benn

Kevin Sherrington

ksherrington@dallasnews.com

Published: 07 April 2013 07:41 PM

First Period: Both teams brought the physicality early, as Burns and Torres combined for five hits and created plenty of energy. Eric Nystrom answered for the Stars, and the game was well-balanced. However, the Sharks were opportunistic, and created a nice scoring chance by getting bodies to the net. Tommy Wingels was alone in the slot when he got a puck and lifted in his fourth goal of the season at the 8:39 mark.

San Jose 1, Stars 0

Second Period: The two teams combined for five goals in a crazy period. Dallas could have had two goals in the first two minutes, but went down 2-0 when Brent Burns scored for the Sharks. Dallas then answered with goals by Nystrom and Alex Chiasson 26 seconds apart. San Jose took the lead on a wild backhand shot from T.J. Galiardi, and added to it when Marc-Edouard Vlasic whipped in a shot that snuck into the net. The goal had to be approved on review from Toronto.

San Jose 4, Stars 2

Third period: Dallas turned up the energy and tied the game in the first 10 minutes. Chiasson went to the net again, and was rewarded again, directing in a nice pass from Ray Whitney to make it 4-3 at the 6:07 mark. Dallas then tied it at the 9:14 mark when Loui Eriksson scored his 10th goal of the season off a juicy rebound created by a Matt Fraser shot.

Stars 4, San Jose 4

OT/SO: Both teams had great scoring chances in OT, but Kari Lehtonen and Antti Niemi stood tall. Lehtonen then stopped Logan Couture, Dan Boyle and Brent Burns in the shootout, while Jamie Benn scored for the Stars.

Stars 5, San Jose 4 (SO)

Dallas Morning News LOADED: 04.08.2013

668746 Dallas Stars

Benn, Lehtonen save Stars in shootout win

Posted Sunday, Apr. 07, 2013

From wire reports

SAN JOSE, Calif. — Jamie Benn scored the lone goal in the shootout and Kari Lehtonen stopped all three attempts as the Dallas Stars snapped the San Jose Sharks’ seven-game winning streak with a 5-4, come-from-behind victory on Sunday.

Alex Chiasson started the rally from a two-goal deficit in the third period when he scored his second goal of the game, and Loui Erickson tied it for the Stars, who have won two straight following a three-game losing streak. Eric Nystrom also scored, and Lehtonen made 32 saves (36 overall) through overtime for Dallas.

Dallas sits 10th in the Western Conference, a point back of ninth-place Phoenix. Eighth-place Detroit lost Sunday to St. Louis but is four points ahead of Dallas and in position for the eighth and final playoff spot with nine games remaining. Detroit plays at Dallas on April 27.

On Sunday, the Stars also erased a 2-0 deficit before falling behind 4-2.

Tommy Wingels, Brent Burns, TJ Galiardi and Marc-Edouard Vlasic scored for the Sharks, who had won the first six games of their seven-game homestand. San Jose failed in its attempt to become the first NHL team to win every game on a homestand of at least seven games, according to STATS LLC. Antti Niemi made 30 saves.

Benn beat Niemi in the second round of the shootout when he skated out wide and then came back to the middle for a forehand shot. Lehtonen sealed the win when he stopped Burns on the final attempt.

This was the first of three meetings between the teams in a span of 17 days, and the clubs look far different than they did for the first meeting of the season in February in Dallas.

The Stars have traded key players Brenden Morrow, Jaromir Jagr, Derek Roy and Michael Ryder since winning 3-1 then. That loss was the ninth in 10 games for the Sharks, who have turned things around dramatically of late.

San Jose won in Anaheim on March 25 and then took the first six games of this homestand to vault from outside the playoff picture to the middle of the fight for home-ice advantage in the first round.

The Stars twice erased two-goal deficits with Nystrom and Chiasson scoring 26 seconds apart in the second period to tie the game at 2. Chiasson and Erickson scored in the opening half of the third period to tie it at 4. The tying goal game when Erickson beat Brad Stuart to the rebound of a shot by Matt Fraser midway through the third.

Galiardi, whose improved play has helped spark this recent run, had helped San Jose take the lead with a beautiful spin-o-rama goal in the second off a good play from newly acquired Raffi Torres.

Torres has long been reviled in San Jose for playoff hits that hurt Milan Michalek and Joe Thornton over the years. He was even greeted by a mix of boos and cheers in his first game with the Sharks. But Torres quickly won over his new fans by dishing out some hard hits, drawing a penalty and earning two assists, including one on Galiardi’s goal.

Torres hit Nystrom to jar the puck loose in the offensive end and then stole it from Trevor Daley before feeding Galiardi in the circle. Galiardi then spun and fired a backhand with his back to the net, and the puck sailed just under the crossbar to beat Lehtonen. Galiardi even seemed surprised by the highlight-reel goal, holding his arms out in celebration.

There was little celebrating after San Jose’s next goal as it came after a lengthy video review determined that Vlasic’s wraparound trickled off Lehtonen and just over the goal line to make it 4-2.

The rare afternoon game in San Jose got off to a chippy start with Joe Pavelski hitting Fiddler with a high stick early, and a scrum near Lehtonen midway through the period.

The Sharks struck first when Logan Couture beat Aaron Rome in a battle for the puck behind the Dallas net. Couture centered the puck, and Patrick Marleau whiffed on the shot attempt. But Wingels was right behind Marleau in the slot and knocked a shot in for his fourth goal.

Notes

• Stars F Lane MacDermid, who scored in his first two games since being acquired in the Jagr trade, sat out with an upper body injury.

Star-Telegram LOADED: 04.08.2013

668747 Detroit Red Wings

St. Louis 1, Detroit 0: Red Wings drop one point behind Blues in standings

3:06 PM, April 7, 2013 |

By Helene St. James

Detroit Free Press Sports Writer

The Red Wings held on, stuck together, and got good goaltending.

The one thing they didn't get was a goal, even through three power play opportunities, and that left them shortchanged, 1-0, Sunday afternoon at Joe Louis Arena.

The loss to Central Division rival St. Louis dropped the Wings a point behind the Blues, who play seven of their last eight games at home.

With just nine games remaining in the regular season, the Wings are anxious to secure a spot, and to enter the playoffs on a good roll. At least one among their personnel got a playoff-like workout: When a sizable octopus plopped onto the ice during a second intermission break, and Al Sobotka showed playoff form with a spirited overhead swing.

It was the second straight time the Wings were coming home from a road trip and faced with a matinee a day later. A week after a disastrous start against Chicago left the Wings embarrassed by a 7-1 loss, they held up much better against the Blues. Jimmy Howard was especially strong, making several good saves among 11 total in the first period to keep his teammates in the game. Jakub Kindl had the best chances of the stretch for the Wings.

Few Wings besides Kindl, in fact, were able to get many pucks at Brian Elliott, even during a power play late in the second period. The Wings skated better as the game wore on, but the Blues kept attacking and grabbed a 1-0 lead late in the second period after the puck slid into Howard's crease during a rush. Before any Wing could clear the puck, Chris Porter had poked it into Detroit's net.

The Wings had a power play bridge 1:16 into the third period, but the closest they came to a scoring chance was Henrik Zetterberg sending the puck wide from the right side of the crease. The Blues were so aggressive on a third Detroit power play, swarming lanes and swinging sticks to prevent passes, that the Wings didn't get any good chances.

A furious flurry with four minutes to go resulted in Nyquist just sending the puck wide and Pavel Datsyuk foiled on a shot from the lot slot. David Perron and Zetterberg, meanwhile, go so tangled up with one another that both ended up in the penalty box. Niklas Kronwall went off with 2:08 remaining for concealing the puck with his hand, nullifying any chance of getting an extra attacker.

Detroit Free Press LOADED: 04.08.2013

668748 Detroit Red Wings

Red Wings getting a look at Riley Sheahan against Blues

1:11 PM, April 7, 2013 |

By Helene St. James

Detroit Free Press Sports Writer

Riley Sheahan will be in the lineup today, and Danny DeKeyser will make his home debut.

The Detroit Red Wings host the Blues this afternoon at Joe Louis Arena (12:30 p.m., NBC).

The Wings called up Sheahan Saturday to have on hand because a few forwards were a little banged up. The opportunity afforded the Wings a chance to get a look at Sheahan, their first-round pick from 2010.

That's the only change Mike Babcock made. He's sticking with the same defense that won Friday at Colorado, meaning rookie DeKeyser will make his first apperance at the Joe.

Brendan Smith, Brian Lashoff, and Carlo Colaiacovo are out on defense.

Detroit Free Press LOADED: 04.08.2013

668749 Detroit Red Wings

Red Wings' downtime tight after late return from Colorado to face Blues

Team faces Blues today following Denver OT game

April 7, 2013 |

By Helene St. James

Detroit Free Press Sports Writer

Pavel Datsyuk scored two goals, earned his Red Wings two needed points, but wasn't quite satisfied.

"I hope they have some mile cards, at least we have something," Datsyuk said with a smile after the Wings wrapped up a 3-2 overtime victory Friday at Colorado.

Wishes for frequent-flyer programs aside, the Wings opted to stay overnight in Denver and fly home Saturday morning.

Some wished they'd gone straight home, since it's only about a two-and-a-half hour flight. Others, like Jimmy Howard, noted that with the two-hour time-zone hop, the Red Wings would have been getting through their front doors around 4 a.m., and in Howard's case, that would mean that "within a few hours," a certain little boy would have been waking up and wanting to see his daddy.

The Wings are old hands at red-eyes, of course, but always are warier when they have to come home and play again a day later. The Blues await today at 12:30 p.m., so coach Mike Babcock wanted players to get their beauty sleep.

"Hopefully guys will get to bed early," he said after the Avs game. "It's a big game for us. St. Louis has got two games in hand and are a point behind us. Plus, we always have fun playing against St. Louis."

Last weekend, the Red Wings overnighted in San Jose, flew home, but still got shellacked by Chicago in a Sunday matinee. This time, they were furthered short-changed Friday by having gotten to bed late the previous night after flying in from Phoenix.

The lesson, according to Datsyuk, is "do not cheat on your physical. It's tough sometimes. We need stay together and fight through."

Friday was a perfect example of that: The Red Wings were gassed by the third period, and saw a 2-1 lead erased. But they hung on to get the one point out of regulation, and then Datsyuk poked in Henrik Zetterberg's rebound in OT.

Datsyuk and Zetterberg played together for the first time since the third game of the season, and Johan Franzen did a great job centering the second line between Valtteri Filppula and Gustav Nyquist.

Datsyuk provided a 1-0 lead when he converted on a power play in the first period, and Nyquist showed off his smarts when he intercepted a pass and waited for Jean-Sebastien Giguere to commit before tucking the puck in behind him, 13 seconds after the Avs had tied the game the first time.

Howard came through with a 15-save third period, and the defense looked far better than in Thursday's 4-2 loss at Phoenix.

Detroit Free Press LOADED: 04.08.2013

668750 Detroit Red Wings

It's a challenge keeping Red Wings' Johan Franzen pumped up

April 7, 2013 |

By Helene St. James

Detroit Free Press Sports Writer

Johan Franzen has the size and strength to dominate, to skate straight through traffic. He's got the skill to stand out regularly.

What's frustrating for the Red Wings is how to get and keep him fired up, so that he comes into a big matinee today against the St. Louis Blues with as much moxie as he had in the previous game.

As a byproduct of reuniting Henrik Zetterberg and Pavel Datsyuk Friday at Colorado, Franzen was moved to the middle, between two savvy wingers in Valtteri Filppula and Gustav Nyquist. Franzen emerged from the 3-2 overtime victory having gone 8-for-13 on face-offs and having made it clear, again, just how good he can be.

"I thought Mule was fantastic in the middle," coach Mike Babcock said.

Franzen is 6-foot-3 and 225 pounds. Typical of being trained in his native Sweden, he was good defensively before he added offense to his game. He has topped 30 goals once and come close three other times, including last season. He owned the playoffs in 2008-10. But he hasn't been a factor the past two playoff runs. His numbers were more indicative of a bottom-six forward than a top-six one that he is, and that's what the Wings find aggravating.

"I just want Mule to be dominant," Babcock said. "I've said to it to Mule: I think Mule is the X-factor on this team. He's big. He's a good player. If we can really get him playing at the highest possible level. ..."

Babcock related that before Friday's game, the coaching staff told Franzen, "grab a line and take it." Franzen did, and together with his wingers offered a terrific second punch behind the Datsyuk-Zetterberg-Justin Abdelkader group.

Franzen, who played center in Sweden, said it was fun to be back in the middle. "You're a little bit more involved in the game," he said. "Usually when you're a wing, you have a designated spot. As a center, you have more freedom. You try to find openings. It's more skating and less stopping."

When this season began, the plan was to play Datsyuk and Zetterberg together. Filppula was supposed to center the second line, but he's had more success as a winger.

Franzen is a great option to have at center, especially when the Red Wings play opponents who have their own big centers, like Anaheim's Ryan Getzaf and San Jose's Joe Thornton. The Wings just hope to see Franzen be an X-factor more consistently.