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Blackhawks spoil Stephan's debut

Oct 14, 2007 - 5:09 AM CHICAGO (Ticker) -- Tobias Stephan deserved a much better fate.

Trying to become the 12th goaltender to record a shutout in his NHL debut, Stephan surrendered Robert Lang's game-tying goal with 1.5 seconds remaining in regulation and Jason Williams' overtime tally as the Chicago Blackhawks defeated the Dallas Stars, 2-1, on Saturday.

Stephan stopped the first 38 shots he faced before the Blackhawks, taking advantage of a 5-on-3 in the waning moments of the third period, were able to tie the game.

"I saw the puck late because the shot was off the net," Stephan said. "The puck just went in off (Lang's) pants. It's tough when there is only one second left."

Lang deflected rookie Jonathan Toews' blast past a screened Stephan to tie the game at 1-1, and Williams scored a similar goal in the extra session for the winner. Williams deflected a shot by Patrick Kane - the first overall pick in the 2007 draft - then used Toews as a screen just 43 seconds into overtime to provide the win.

"We knew we were getting the shots and taking control of the game," Williams said. "Up until then, we were not getting any breaks. We just stayed with it, and finally, they went in."

The Blackhawks enjoyed a 40-18 advantage in shots, including a 20-4 edge in the third period.

"When you're down against Dallas, they are not going to give you anything," Blackhawks coach Denis Savard said. "We had to bring our D-men up. We had no choice."

Stephan, who was recalled from the American Hockey League when backup goaltender Mike Smith suffered a bruised arm in Tuesday's practice, was on the verge of making history by posting a shutout in his first career start. Ironically, Smith was the last netminder to record a blanking in his NHL debut, shutting out the Phoenix Coyotes on October 21, 2006.

The 23-year-old from Zurich, Switzerland made a key succession of saves with 13 minutes remaining in the third.

"I feel sorry for (Stephan), he played a heck of a game," Dallas coach Dave Tippett said. "We just put too much pressure on him at the end by taking too many penalties."

Racing up the wing, Kane stopped and fed Lang, who blasted a shot from the slot that Stephan turned aside. Williams followed up on the rebound, but Stephan was able to make the save and force a faceoff.

With 10 minutes remaining, Kevyn Adams stole the puck in the offensive zone and challenged Stephan. But the rookie netminder calmly kicked away the attempt to keep Chicago off the scoreboard.

"Stephan made big saves for us," Stars defenseman Stephane Robidas said. "He is the reason we got one point tonight."

Captain Brenden Morrow provided the Stars' only offense at 13:48 of the first period. With the Stars on a power play, Niklas Hagman attempted to stuff the puck past Patrick Lalime. The netminder made the save, but Morrow grabbed the rebound and scored on a backhander.

Lalime also played well, stopping 17 shots in his first appearance of the season.

"I am just here doing my job," Lalime said. "It was nice to play tonight and I was looking forward to it. It was a great win for us, everyone stepped up."