Maple Leafs 4
Stars 3
Final - 2OT
  for this game

Lupul's shootout winner propels Leafs past Stars

Nov 26, 2011 - 7:15 AM
Dallas, TX (Sports Network) - Joffrey Lupul scored the only goal in the shootout to lift the Toronto Maple Leafs past the Dallas Stars, 4-3.

Jamie Benn hit the right post on Dallas' second opportunity in the shootout, and Lupul snuck one past Kari Lehtonen with a snap shot under the netminder's right arm on Toronto's third chance.

Mike Ribeiro tried going to his backhand to keep the Stars alive, but Jonas Gustavsson kept it from crossing the goal line despite skating back into the net.

"It's a good win for us," Lupul said. "It's good when we're playing in these close games to get two points."

Gustavsson made 26 saves in Toronto's second straight win, while the Stars got 20 saves from Lehtonen in having their two-game win streak snapped.

Joey Crabb, Dion Phaneuf and Clarke MacArthur scored for the Maple Leafs, with the latter netting the go-ahead goal at the 6:55 mark of the third on a tap-in of Tim Connolly's centering pass.

The Stars, who had two early goals by Eric Nystrom, netted the equalizer with 7:13 remaining, as Radek Dvorak used a screen to beat Gustavsson far side.

Neither team capitalized on a power play in the final four minutes of regulation, and there were only two shots -- both by Toronto -- in the added time.

Nystrom made a nice forehand to backhand move to get between two defenders and wristed a shot up high for the game's first goal at 4:03 of the opening frame.

Midway through the first, Crabb tied it on a nifty re-direct between his legs on a shot from Phaneuf, whose one-timer with 5:07 remaining trickled past Lehtonen and over the goal line for a power-play goal.

Nystrom was on the receiving end of a terrific Dvorak pass at 4:38 of the second to knot the game again.

Game Notes

Dallas went 0-for-4 on the power play and has gone scoreless in its last 16 chances with the man advantage...This was the Leafs' first win in Dallas since October 22, 2003, though they had only made two other trips since.






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