| |
RECAP
|
BOX SCORE
DENVER (AP) -- Joe Sakic is starting off the new month just like
he dusted off the last one.
Sakic, who earlier Friday was named the NHL Player of the Month
after scoring 22 points in November, had two goals and an assist as
the Colorado Avalanche beat the Dallas Stars 4-2 on Friday night.
|  | | Stars goalie Ed Belfour reacts too late as Joe Sakic, left, gives the Avs a 2-0 lead in the second period. |
Colorado prevailed despite being outshot 42-21 and playing
without five key players who are injured.
Sakic scored in each of the first two periods and assisted on
Milan Hejduk's goal in the third period.
Even so, he deflected praise, insisting that goalie Patrick Roy
was primarily responsible for the win.
Roy, extending his NHL-record victory total to 458, had 40 saves
as the Avalanche (18-4-3) continued their fastest start in
franchise history and posted their fourth straight win. Ed Belfour
had 17 saves.
"Patrick got us the two points," Sakic said. "Anybody picking
the stars of the game should have named him 1, 2 and 3. He was
unbelievable. They were in our end the whole night and were getting
a lot of scoring chances. He saved our bacon tonight."
Roy knows the pressure is greater with Belfour across the ice.
"I know I have to play a good game because I know the guy on
the other side is going to make key saves," Roy said. "I try to
keep the game low-scoring."
Sakic said the Avs, despite their shot deficit, "have been
getting some chances, and the egg seems to be going in for us right
now. We've just got to keep going."
Belfour stopped Alex Tanguay on a penalty shot at 12:47 of the
third period. It was the ninth penalty shot in the NHL this season,
only one of which has been successful.
"We did a lot of good things," Stars coach Ken Hitchcock said.
"Unfortunately, we didn't finish. If we play at this level, we'll
be all right."
Sakic scored on Colorado's first shot at 5:05. Streaking down
the right side, Sakic dropped the puck to Nolan Pratt in the right
circle. Sakic then skated to the slot, took Pratt's pass and beat
Belfour.
It was Pratt's first point with the Avs, who acquired him during
the offseason.
Colorado was outshot 20-3 in the second period but still held a
2-1 lead. Sakic had all three of those Avalanche shots, including a
goal at 4:31 when he rebounded his own shot.
"Milan made a great play and put the puck on my stick," Sakic
said. "I took a backhand, and the rebound was right there."
Earlier in the period, Dallas had a two-man advantage for 47
seconds but got off only one shot -- Brett Hull's rocket from the
left circle, which Roy stopped.
Roy turned aside two more hard shots by Hull before the Stars'
sharpshooter converted at 8:58. On Dallas' 24th shot, Hull took a
pass from Mike Modano in the slot and beat Roy.
Dallas had an apparent goal disallowed in the period when
referee Dan O'Halloran immediately ruled that Mike Keane kicked the
puck into the net.
Hejduk's power-play goal at 1:19 of the third period put
Colorado ahead 3-1.
Dallas' Jere Lehtinen countered with a power-play goal at 5:41
when he deflected Sergei Zubov's shot from the point.
Five seconds after Dallas' Richard Matvichuk went off for
high-sticking, Jon Klemm scored from the left circle at 9:08.
Game notes
Colorado's Chris Drury returned to the lineup after missing
11 games with a sprained knee, and Stephane Yelle was back after
sitting out four games with a groin injury. To make room on the
roster, center Joel Prpic was reassigned to Hershey of the AHL. ...
The Avalanche still were without injured players Peter Forsberg,
Adam Deadmarsh, Adam Foote, Aaron Miller and Chris Dingman. ... The
Stars lost D Gerald Diduck in the first period after he was hit by
Hejduk and apparently injured his right leg. ... Dallas' 42 shots
marked a season high.
| |
ALSO SEE
NHL Scoreboard
Dallas Clubhouse
Colorado Clubhouse
RECAPS
Pittsburgh 6
Buffalo 4
Washington 3
Boston 2
Atlanta 5
Tampa Bay 3
NY Islanders 0
New Jersey 0
Detroit 3
Florida 1
Chicago 2
Nashville 1
Colorado 4
Dallas 2
AUDIO/VIDEO
 Milan Hejduk's blast gives Colorado a power-play goal.
avi: 819 k
RealVideo: 56.6 | ISDN | T1
Ed Belfour denies Colorado's Alex Tanguay on a penalty shot in the third.
avi: 990 k
RealVideo: 56.6 | ISDN | T1
|
