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Eriksson nets pair as Stars top Blues

Feb 27, 2008 - 6:13 AM ST. LOUIS (Ticker) -- Loui Eriksson scored two goals in the third period and Marty Turco made 27 saves to lift the Dallas Stars to a 3-1 triumph over the St. Louis Blues on Tuesday night.

Jere Lehtinen also tallied and Mike Ribeiro added two assists for the Stars, who acquired yet another playmaking center in 2004 Conn Smythe winner Brad Richards from the Lightning before the trade deadline earlier in the day.

Dallas also received goaltender Johan Holmqvist in the deal that sent left wing Jussi Jokinen, center Jeff Halpern, netminder Mike Smith and a 2009 fourth-round pick to Tampa Bay.

"We got two great guys, but we still have to focus on our way to the playoffs," Eriksson said after what should be the last game for the Stars before they are joined by their new teammates. "We can't keep falling in holes like we did tonight, though."

The Stars entered the third period trailing, 1-0, but Eriksson evened the contest at 2:27 when he redirected Ribeiro's cross-ice pass past All-Star goaltender Manny Legace.

Lehtinen gave Dallas a 2-1 edge at 7:43 of the final session on a power play when he received a centering pass from Ribeiro and fired a one-timer over Legace's glove. It was Lehtinen's 11th tally of the season.

After Keith Tkachuk's turnover, Eriksson then doubled the advantage less than two minutes later. Steve Ott dislodged the puck from Tkachuk and Eriksson fluttered a wrist shot from the high slot just under the crossbar to give Dallas a 3-1 lead at 9:29.

"I try to go to the net more and I am playing with two great guys. They feed me the puck in front and I build on my game - every game," Eriksson said. "We didn't play that well in the first two periods, but we stepped it up in the third."

Eriksson has just 11 tallies in 54 contests this season, but the 22-year-old Swede has five goals in his last three games - including back-to-back two-goal games.

"We pulled it together in the third, but I'm not sure how many times I want to see us have to do that in the playoffs, even with our offense," Dallas coach Dave Tippett said of his team after it won for the 14th time this season in games it did not lead after two periods.

The Stars have won three straight contests and 11 of their last 13 games. As a result, they have moved with four points of the Detroit Red Wings for the top spot in the Western Conference.

Bad puckhandling and goaltending on the part of Turco allowed the St. Louis power play to open the scoring 91 seconds into the contest. The Dallas netminder attempted a clearance to his left was intercepted along the boards by a pinching defenseman Eric Brewer.

Brewer passed the puck to Tkachuk and the veteran left wing wristed the game's first shot between Turco's pads.

"I made a couple of bad plays that cost us a goal," Turco said. "It was very important because we didn't score until the third period. The most important thing is to bounce positively forward and we all did - and we found a way even though it wasn't the prettiest of games."

"We have had 113 shots and we have three goals to show for it," Blues coach Andy Murray said of his team's offense over the last four games. "It is frustrating. It is disappointing. I don't know where to begin."

Legace stopped 18 shots for St. Louis.

"We played so well at the back the first two periods, and then, the flood waters came on through," Legace said. "Our guys at the back have worked so hard this year, but we have to play 60 good minutes every night or it doesn't work."