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 Lehtonen stopped all 37 shots he faced as Dallas handed the
Anaheim Ducks a 3-0 defeat in Game 3 of their Western Conference
first-round series on Monday night at American Airlines Center.
"He was under control. He made some great saves for us. He made some
real timely saves. But he just looked real comfortable in net,"
Stars head coach Lindy Ruff said of Lehtonen. "I'd like to see us
show a little bit more composure with the puck at times, which led
to some opportunities against, but [Lehtonen]'s play back there was
a calming force for us.
After dropping the first two games of the series, the Stars were
eagerly anticipating a return to American Airlines Center, a
building where they won eight of their final 10 games during the
regular season.
Dallas now trails Anaheim 2-1 in the best-of-seven series.
The Stars received goals from left winger and captain Jamie Benn,
rookie right winger Valeri Nichushkin and center Ryan Garbutt in the
victory.
It was the first career playoff shutout and victory for Lehtonen,
who was 0-4-0 in his short playoff career heading into Game 3.
"At the age of 30, it was about time to get that first one,"
Lehtonen said. "It was nice to be able to be back there and help the
team out. That's what I have to keep doing."
Dallas struck first when Benn scored his second goal of the playoffs
35 seconds before the first intermission.
Benn's goal, which resulted from a rebound after Ducks goalie
Frederik Andersen denied the initial effort from Dallas center Shawn
Horcoff, came just 10 seconds after he left the penalty box
following a penalty for hooking Anaheim center Kyle Palmieri.
Anaheim was down to five healthy defensemen early in the second
period after veteran Stephane Robidas was upended in front of the
Dallas net by Garbutt 42 second into the period.
Robidas, who played much of his career in Dallas before being traded
to the Ducks in March, was unable to put any weight on his right
foot and was helped off the ice by Ducks right winger Teemu Selanne
and a member of the Anaheim medical staff.
During the second intermission, it was announced that Robidas had
suffered a right leg injury and had been taken to a local hospital.
"Yeah, it's a big loss for us," Ducks defenseman Cam Fowler said of
Robidas. "My heart just breaks for the guy. He was a big part of
this team and was going to continue to play a huge role for us, so
it's a pretty big loss."
The Stars went ahead 2-0 when Nichushkin fired a wrister through
Andersen's five-hole from the right point with 2:45 left before the
second intermission. It was Nichushkin's first career playoff goal.
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Tempers flared late in the second period when Ducks center Ryan
Getzlaf and Stars left winger Antoine Roussel had a confrontation in
the Dallas end. Getzlaf received a minor penalty for roughing and
Roussel was given a double-minor, also for roughing, for his role in
the scrum.
Garbutt chipped in an insurance goal at 7:52 of the third period
when he scored his second goal of the postseason by tapping in a
rebound after a shot by center Cody Eakin was turned away by
Andersen. Garbutt actually took the initial shot in the sequence
after a pass from Roussel, a wrister from distance that was denied
by Andersen.
However, Garbutt was waiting to pounce after Eakin's shot was
rebuffed by Andersen to make it 3-0.
The Stars prevailed despite being outshot 37-22 by the Ducks.
Andersen stopped 19 of 22 shots for Anaheim.
"He was fine for me," Ducks head coach Bruce Boudreau said of
Andersen's performance. "He kept his calm."
Game 4 is on Wednesday night in Dallas.
NOTES: Ducks LW Matt Beleskey (lower body), RW Emerson Etem, RW Tim
Jackman (hand), RW Rickard Rakell and D Luca Sbisa were scratched.
... Stars LW Erik Cole, D Brenden Dillon (lower body), C Dustin
Jeffrey, C Rich Peverley (irregular heartbeat) and D Aaron Rome were
scratched. ... Ducks D Stephane Robidas was making his first
appearance in Dallas since being traded by the Stars to Anaheim in
March. Robidas had spent over a decade in Dallas over two separate
stints. ... Stars C Chris Mueller, who centered Dallas' third line
with LW Ray Whitney and RW Alex Chiasson, made his NHL playoff debut
on Monday. Mueller spent most of the season with AHL Texas but
appeared in nine games with the Stars. ... Dallas hosted a playoff
game for the first time since May 19, 2008, when the Stars lost 4-1
to the Detroit Red Wings and were eliminated in the Western
Conference Finals. ... Announced attendance was 19,120, a sellout.
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