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BOX SCORE
DALLAS -- Ed Belfour and Patrick Roy were even on this
night.
"Both goaltenders were good and they had to be. They were also
lucky at times," Dallas coach Ken Hitchcock said after the Stars
and Colorado Avalanche played to a 2-2 tie Wednesday night.
|  | | Avs goalie Patrick Roy made 19 saves, but Dallas had four other shots hit the goalposts. |
The penalty-filled season opener matched the league's best
goalies and the teams that played in the last two Western
Conference finals.
Belfour stopped 26 Colorado shots while Roy, who remains four
wins shy of breaking the NHL record for career victories, had 19
saves. Dallas had four other shots hit the goalposts.
"Both made some great saves. You can't ask any more of those
guys," said Mike Modano, who had a goal and an assist for the
Stars.
While the goalies stood out, neither team was able to take
advantage of numerous power-play opportunities. The Avs were
1-for-10 on the power play and Dallas was 1-for-9.
"That was an exciting game, lots of shots and lots of power
plays," Colorado coach Bob Harley said. "It gives both teams a
chance to showcase their power plays, and both goalies made some
great saves."
Then there were the penalties, 11 against Dallas. Eight of the
21 total penalties were for infractions getting the closest looks
by officials -- hooking, tripping and slashing.
"We expect those penalties to be called, and they were," said
Adam Deadmarsh, who scored the tying goal for Colorado on a
second-period power play. "Everybody's used to hooking, slashing
and hooking. That's what the game has been like the last few years.
We've got to learn to move our feet more."
Penalties that carried over from the third period into overtime
kept the teams away from the 4-on-4 extra-session format until
there was only 3:20 remaining.
Dallas won both of the Western finals in seven games, including
a series-deciding 3-2 victory on the same ice four months ago.
While the goalies stood out, neither team was able to take
advantage of numerous power-play opportunities. The Avs were
1-for-10 on the power play -- and didn't get such a shot in overtime
-- and Dallas was 1-for-9.
Colorado outshot Dallas 8-7 in the third period, including Alex
Tanguay's breakaway that was deflected by Belfour with about three
minutes to go. In the final minute, Milan Hejduk had an opening on
Belfour's left side, but couldn't get the puck in.
Dallas had a 3-2 shot advantage in overtime.
Even though the Stars began the third period with a two-man
advantage the first 1:20, they couldn't capitalize. They only got
off one shot, when Darryl Sydor moved across the middle only to
have his close-range shot deflected by Roy.
Colorado tied it at 2 on Deadmarsh's power-play goal 18:31
into the second period. Deadmarsh took a centering pass from Chris
Drury and pushed it inside the right post over Belfour's glove.
Just over a minute later, the Stars had their two-man advantage.
Shjon Podein was called for charging after shoving Mike Modano,
after the Dallas center's shot missed 29 seconds into a power play.
Roy never had a chance on the first goal, having been screened
by a teammate on Sergei Zubov's shot 12:40 in.
The Stars converted while enjoying a two-man advantage at the
end of the first period, when Modano's slap shot hit the net just
as the final horn sounded. It wasn't 2-0 until the goal was
confirmed by a replay official.
Podein's hard shot just a minute into the second period was
deflected by Belfour, but a minute later Podein scored on a
centering pass from Stephane Yelle to make it 2-1.
It appeared Dallas had a 3-1 lead on Brett Hull's drive 2:53
into the second period, less than a minute after Colorado's first
score, but the shot bounded off the left post. The crowd began
cheering and the horn went off, but play continued. A replay
confirmed that the puck did not go in.
The post shots were fitting, considering that Colorado battled
back from a three-goal deficit after two periods in Game 7 last
June. The Avalanche were down just 3-2 when Ray Bourque's shot got
past Belfour, but rattled off the right post.
Game notes
The four shots that hit the post for Dallas were somewhat
fitting. Colorado lost 3-2 in Game 7 last June after Ray Bourque's
shot in the final 10 seconds got past Belfour, but rattled off the
post. ... Roy, a 15-year veteran and three-time winner of the
Vezina Trophy as the league's top goalie, turns 35 Thursday. He is
chasing Terry Sawchuk's record 447 victories. ... The Stars raised
two banners to the Reunion Arena rafters, signifying last season's
Western Conference and Pacific Division titles.
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ALSO SEE
Roy ready to play, break record
Who was Terry Sawchuk?
AUDIO VIDEO
 Sergei Zubov puts the puck past Patrick Roy to take the 1-0 lead.
avi: 776 k
RealVideo: 56.6 | ISDN | T1
Adam Deadmarsh's putback ties the game at 2.
avi: 440 k
RealVideo: 56.6 | ISDN | T1
Shjon Podein tips Stephane Yelle's pass into the net.
avi: 582 k
RealVideo: 56.6 | ISDN | T1
 Mike Modano talks with ESPN's Gary Thorne and Bill Clement.
wav: 706 k
RealAudio: 14.4 | 28.8 | 56.6
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