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 As long as there is a chance, it appears the Stars will keep on
swinging.
Thanks to center Tyler Seguin's goal in the shootout and goalie Kari
Lehtonen denying all three shooters he faced, the Stars drummed up a
4-3 victory over the Calgary Flames on Wednesday night.
"We were saying right before overtime, 'We're here for two points.
We're not here for one,'" Seguin said. "It was a playoff-type game.
They had momentum at times. We had momentum. I think both teams made
some mistakes, and both teams made some great plays.
"Obviously, we're happy to walk away with both points."
The Stars (36-28-10) are riding a four-game winning streak and have
netted nine victories in their last 11 games, which leaves them six
points back of the Winnipeg Jets for the final Western Conference
wild-card spot -- albeit with the Los Angeles Kings between them --
with eight games remaining on the schedule.
Dallas' winning ways likely will end up being too little, too late,
but at least the Stars are giving it their all.
"The turnaround has been a little bit of everything," Stars coach
Lindy Ruff said. "Goaltending has been really good, we've had some
timely scoring, and we've had some secondary scoring from some
individuals that haven't been on the boards through this whole
process. We've had a lot of young kids in the lineup, three young
defensemen playing, and they've played pretty good for us.
"We know where we're at. This was a game that we needed two points,
we had to get two points somehow. That puts a little pressure on the
teams above us. Winnipeg recognizes where we're at now. It's a
situation where we might have to run the table, and in all reality,
that might not get you in."
With the extra-time loss, the Flames (40-27-7) maintained their hold
on third place in the Pacific Division, one point ahead of the
hard-charging Kings, although the defending Stanley Cup champs have
a game in hand.
"Early on, it seemed we had no energy," said Flames coach Bob
Hartley, whose club all season has been praised deservedly for its
determination. "We were coming from a day off, and for one of the
rare times, we got out-skated like I've rarely seen our team go
through. We battled back, and looking at the situation, it's a huge
point, but at this time, we're shooting for two."
The Flames rebounded from 2-0 and 3-2 deficits to earn the point.
After Stars right winger Ales Hemsky and left winger Jamie Benn put
the visitors up by a pair of goals, the Flames drew even thanks to
goals from rookie left winger Johnny Gaudreau and defenseman Deryk
Engelland.
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Hemsky's second of the night with just 15.1 seconds remaining in the
second period restored the Dallas lead, but Engelland -- who snapped
a 77-game goal drought earlier in the game -- potted his second of
the game midway through the third period to force overtime. It was
the first two-goal game of the bruising blue-liner's career.
"No matter if you score one or two or none, two points is what we
need," Engelland said. "Coming down the stretch, we'll take one, but
we needed that other one, too."
Lehtonen, who stopped 31 shots, earned his ninth consecutive road
win.
"It's been exciting the last couple weeks," Lehtonen said. "We've
been playing well and getting results and climbing a little bit, but
we still have a little bit to go. It's a good thing we have some
games left."
Goalie Karri Ramo finished with 27 saves for the Flames, who now
embark on a five-game road trip.
NOTES: Stars LW Jamie Benn was a question mark, according to coach
Lindy Ruff, the day before the game due to an undisclosed injury,
but he suited up. ... Dallas LW Valeri Nichushkin, out since Nov.
18, when he had hip surgery, will join the AHL Texas Stars for a
three-game conditioning stint, with the first game expected to be
Friday. He can't partake in the AHL playoffs, and he may play the
final five Stars games of the regular season. ... The Flames
released D Douglas Murray from his tryout with the team. Murray
spent 10 days skating with the team but wasn't offered a contract.
... Dallas D Trevor Daley missed a 10th game due to a knee injury,
but he practiced with the team Wednesday and is expected to play at
some point during the Stars' three-game road trip.
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