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Smith steps up as Stars top Blue Jackets

Oct 18, 2007 - 3:54 AM COLUMBUS, Ohio (Ticker) -- The Dallas Stars worked overtime for the third consecutive game. On Wednesday, they had to go a step beyond to finally receive full payment.

Goaltender Mike Smith denied Rick Nash in the third round of the shootout, making Jussi Jokinen's second-round tally stand up as the winner as the Stars posted a 3-2 triumph over the Columbus Blue Jackets.

After a scoreless first round of the shootout, Jokinen beat goaltender Fredrik Norrena with a backhander for the only goal of the bonus format.

"I've added a couple moves the last couple of years," Jokinen said. "That was a new move. I knew Norrena a little bit from the Finnish national team, so I decided to do something different. There wasn't much room, but it was enough."

Dallas, which entered the contest having dropped consecutive overtime games, improved its record to 19-3-3 all-time against Columbus and 9-2-2 at Nationwide Arena.

"Our guys stayed with it," Dallas coach Dave Tippett said. "They talked about it before the game, they wanted to find a way to win, and they did."

Smith, who was activated from injured reserve prior to the game, gained a measure of revenge against Nash in the third round of the shootout. Nash, who had a goal and an assist in regulation, was unable to beat Smith between the pads to end the bonus format.

"He was going five-hole the whole way," Smith said. "He got pretty good wood on it, but I just shut it down."

With Dallas trailing, 2-1, captain Brenden Morrow's slap shot went between the pads of Norrena with 71 seconds remaining in the third period to the tie the game. After being outshot, 28-14, through two sessions, Dallas enjoyed a 15-5 edge in the third.

"I just tried to find a seam," Morrow said. "Ribs (Mike Ribeiro) will find the open guy when he has some time with the puck. Ribs made a real good pass, and I just settled it down. I wasn't picking a spot. I just threw it at the net and got lucky."

Norrena, naturally, did not feel quite as lucky.

"I just kept my upper body up a little bit too long and he found the five-hole," Norrena said. "It's too soft a goal at that point. I have to save that puck, no excuses."

Columbus coach Ken Hitchcock found fault with his defense at the end of regulation.

"We didn't hammer down, and we paid for it in the end," Hitchcock said.

Columbus took the lead earlier in the period when Nash corralled a loose puck in the corner and backhanded it toward the net. The puck, which was poked at by Smith, hit both the skate and later the stick of Jiri Novotny as he fell to the ice with 8:24 expired in the session.

"It was just a little bit lucky," Novotny said. "The puck hit my skate and hit the post and stayed alive."

Columbus opened the scoring 1:42 into the game.

Nikolai Zherdev chipped the puck past defenseman Trevor Daley, raced up the right wing and found himself on a 2-on-none rush with Nash. Zherdev fed Nash, whose wrist shot beat Smith low to the stick side for his third goal of the season.

"A big goal and it got us off to a good start," Nash said. "But the rest of the game is really unacceptable. Good teams can finish those games and win those games, no problem. We really need to learn to protect a lead, especially at home."

Dallas leveled the game just 95 seconds later, ending Columbus' home shutout streak at 143 minutes, 45 seconds.

Jokinen's physical play forced a turnover behind the Blue Jackets' net. Stu Barnes quickly regained control of the puck along the boards and fired a cross-ice pass back to Jokinen, who deflected it into the net to tie it at 1-1.

"It was nice pass from Stu, and I just got my stick on it and it went in," Jokinen said.

The goal was the first by an opponent at Nationwide Arena since April 7, when Anaheim's Ryan Getzlaf scored with 28 seconds remaining in the second period.

Smith, who missed the previous three games with a bruised arm suffered in practice, stopped 33 shots. In his only previous appearance during the regular season, he gave up four goals on 21 shots in a 5-1 loss at Nashville on October 6.

"Mike played very well early," Tippett said. "Our coverage in front of the net was poor on two or three rebounds, and he made big saves for us. Those are the ones you need on the road."

Norrena made 28 saves in a losing effort.

Dallas center Mike Modano was held scoreless and remains four points away from tying Phil Housley (1,232) for the all-time points lead among American-born players.