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Nagy's late heroics keep Ducks from clinching Pacific

Apr 7, 2007 - 6:27 AM DALLAS (Ticker) -- Ladislav Nagy decided to make the Anaheim Ducks wait one more day for their first division title.

Nagy set up Brenden Morrow's goal with 6.1 seconds remaining in the third period and netted the lone tally of the shootout as the Dallas Stars rallied for a 2-1 triumph over the Ducks.

Teemu Selanne scored for Anaheim (47-20-14), which entered needing two points to clinch the Pacific Division crown. By only earning one, the Ducks will have to either gain another at Columbus or have Vancouver defeat the San Jose Sharks (51-26-4) on Saturday.

"I guess we are going to have to do this the hard way," Selanne said. "As long as we do it, that's all that matters, but it as a pretty tough break today."

Should Anaheim and San Jose finish even in points, the Sharks would win the Pacific by virtue of having posted more victories.

"This is the hand we're dealt," Ducks coach Randy Carlyle said. "We have to win and play and earn a point to satisfy. We're still in position to make or break our positioning. What are we, a 108-point hockey team, and we haven't clinched? But that's the reality of the situation we're in."

The Ducks' loss also wrapped up first place in the Western Conference for the Detroit Red Wings (49-19-13).

After a scoreless first period, Selanne put the Ducks ahead late in the second with his 46th tally of the season. However, Anaheim was unable to hold the lead as Dallas made a late rush in the third to get the tying goal.

With 29 seconds remaining, the Stars gained possession after a faceoff in their own zone. Mike Ribeiro carried down the left wing before dumping the puck into the right corner.

Nagy wound up with it low along the right wing boards and fired a shot toward the net. After outmuscling defenseman Scott Niedermayer in front, Morrow had the puck go off his leg and past goaltender Ilya Bryzgalov, knotting the contest at 1-1.

"There is no secret how I score my goals," Dallas' captain said. "Everyone was crowded around the crease and I got a good bounce. I knew I didn't have any kicking motion. I would have been really surprised if it didn't count."

"I don't know what it hit," Niedermayer said. "It hit him, or I guess it could have hit me. I don't know."

Following a scoreless overtime, Bryzgalov and counterpart Marty Turco each shut down opposing shooters through the first three rounds of the bonus format. Nagy opened the fourth with a wrist shot that bounced off the left arm of Bryzgalov and into the net, giving Anaheim the edge.

"I tried to go high glove (side) and it went in," Nagy said. "I was very happy that we won the game and we came back at the end. We had been struggling, so to get the win was big for us."

With an opportunity to extend the shootout and keep alive the Ducks' chance to seal the division, Corey Perry made a nice move to bring Turco to the ice. But the netminder extended his left leg toward the right goalpost, preventing Perry from finding an opening and securing the win for the Stars.

"You see everybody standing on their feet in the shootouts, and it's very exciting," Turco said. "Playing Anaheim tonight was a great start for us and helped us get engaged in the game because we know that the intensity level is going to be like this starting next week, when the playoffs begin."

Turco made 21 saves for Dallas (49-25-7), which climbed within one point of San Jose for the fifth spot in the West with one game remaining. The Stars, which had lost two in a row, have earned at least one point in nine of their last 10 games (7-1-2).

"We are trying to get this ship headed the right way into the playoffs," Morrow said. "We put a lot of emphasis on this game. If it had been three (losses) in a row, that would have put a huge emphasis on the (last) game Sunday. It would have been similar to how we finished last year, and we all know how things went last year."

"That was much more of a revved-up game that meant something," Stars coach Dave Tippett added. "We wanted to build some momentum and I thought our work ethic was excellent."

Bryzgalov stopped 29 shots - including 15 in the second period - for the Ducks, who finished 4-2-2 against the Stars this season.

"He's been solid all year," Selanne said. "Tonight, he gave us a chance. It's tough when your goalie plays that well and you don't win."

Entering having won four of its previous six games, Anaheim grabbed a 1-0 lead with 79 seconds remaining in the second period. After carrying the puck into the offensive zone on the left side, Selanne stopped at the top of the faceoff circle and unleashed a wrist shot that changed direction on its way to the net and beat a surprised Turco to the stick side.

"It's one of those lucky goals," Selanne said. "Just throw the puck at the net and it went in. What are you going to do?"

The Ducks kept the Stars off the scoreboard for more than 59 1/2 minutes despite giving Dallas five power-play opportunities, including a 5-on-3 advantage for 78 seconds late in the second period.