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Zubov's late goal helps Stars down Wild

Feb 7, 2007 - 6:06 AM DALLAS (Ticker) -- Sergei Zubov and the Dallas Stars let the Minnesota Wild have some fun early before crushing their hopes once again.

Zubov scored the go-ahead goal and fellow defenseman Stu Barnes added the clincher as the Stars posted a 4-2 come-from-behind victory over the Wild.

Mike Modano tied the game late in the second period and defenseman Phillipe Boucher added a goal for Dallas, which opened a five-game homestand by beating Minnesota for a sixth straight time.

"We hung in there tonight and played well after giving up the first two goals," Modano said.

Zubov tallied on the power play, blasting a shot from the point through traffic for his 21st career game-winner for the Stars, who are 14-7-1 all-time vs. the Wild.

"We have to score by committee," Stars coach Dave Tippett said. "It's good to see different guys getting on the board. If we get four, we're usually going to get the win. We have to get good team efforts."

Barnes added an insurance goal 38 seconds later, knocking in a rebound after Joel Lundqvist's initial shot for Dallas bounced off goaltender Niklas Backstrom.

"Joel made a good shot, and it just came back to my stick," Barnes said. "I closed my eyes and slid it and saw where it ended up."

Dallas netminder Marty Turco, who allowed two goals in just seven attempts, was replaced at the 8:08 mark of the game. His replacement, Mike Smith, was perfect the rest of the way, making 15 saves.

"I was a little anxious at first but then I settled down," Smith said. "This is a big W for us, they are right behind us in the standings. The guys played real well in front of me and I feel good to get in there and get the win."

Defenseman Petteri Nummelin scored the game's first goal and Pascal Dupuis tallied 41 seconds later for the Stars, whose three-game winning streak was snapped.

"We didn't have the jump that we've had in previous games," Wild center Wes Walz said. "I don't really know what the reason for it is. We didn't deserve any points, but as bad as we played, we were still in the game."

Backstrom, who made 31 saves, also suffered his first loss in four games.

"That is a good team on the other side and we had to play a better game," Wild coach Jacques Lemaire said. "We needed to be more intense in our zone, and be intense in their zone. That was the only way we had a chance to win."