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Daley, Stars upend Red Wings in overtime

Jan 13, 2009 - 5:30 AM By John Tranchina PA SportsTicker Contributing Writer

DALLAS (Ticker) -- The Dallas Stars look like they are back on track.

After Steve Ott scored with three minutes left in regulation to tie the game, defenseman Trevor Daley connected 1:51 into overtime to lead the Stars to a thrilling 5-4 victory over the Detroit Red Wings Monday night.

Dallas may have struggled through the first two months of the season, even spending significant time in the Western Conference basement, but they have slowly clawed their way up from the depths and looked a lot like the determined group that advanced to the conference finals last season.

The Stars are now 6-1-0 in their last seven at home and 8-4-2 in their last 14 overall, edging to within three points of the eighth and final playoff spot in the West.

"We know in this room that we're a better team than we are in the standings right now," center Mike Ribeiro said. "I think the most important thing is the win. Those two points are huge for us right now. Today was just a matter of pushing them back and finishing our checks."

After Detroit goalie Chris Osgood stopped his first shot from the slot, Daley lunged at the loose rebound in the crease, knocking it over the line for his fourth goal of the season and his second career overtime game-winner at 1:51. Matt Niskanen set up the play by stickhandling into the high slot before feeding Daley with a short pass.

"I guess I got the credit for putting it in, but he did most of the work," Daley said of Niskanen on the play. "It was a big two points, but we're still chasing from behind and there's still a lot of work to do. The way we responded tonight shows what kind of a team we are, and I hope we can take a lot out of it. We need to build off of it, it's time. We need the points right now. We give them a lot of respect, but we battled hard out there."

"He shot it, it hit my arm, the guys crashed the net and jammed away and it ends up behind me in the net," Osgood said.

After rebounding from a 3-1 first-period deficit, Dallas ended up with some sweet revenge after the Red Wings manhandled the Stars to the tune of 6-1 in Detroit Thursday.

"We kept playing aggressively and getting pucks to the net and the last play was the definition of aggressive," Stars coach Dave Tippett said. "When you push people and prod them to be better, this game proves it. We can still be better and when you get solid desperation and effort, that's exactly what it's going to take."

The loss snapped the Red Wings' season-high six-game winning streak, although they are still 9-1-2 in their last 12.

"I thought we got off to a good start, but they took the game over," Red Wings coach Mike Babcock said. "I thought their determination and their forecheck were good. They caused turnovers. We didn't execute very good and that led to their momentum. Give them credit. They got beat in our building bad and they responded with a good effort and we weren't as good as we should have been."

Defensemen Stephane Robidas and Nicklas Grossman scored, Mark Parrish also tallied and blue-liner Matt Niskanen and Krys Barch notched two assists apiece.

For Detroit, Pavel Datsyuk recorded a goal and two assists, while Tomas Holmstrom both scored and set up a goal and defenseman Brian Rafalski and Marian Hossa also found the back of the net.

Despite letting in five goals, Osgood was excellent in making 44 saves as the Stars set a season-high in outshooting the Red Wings, 49-30.

"I thought we wasted a good effort by him," Detroit's Dan Cleary said of Osgood. "We got a point but we should have had two. I thought he played phenomenal. It's very uncharacteristic of us to give up that many shots and give up a lead like we did. I thought they played better than us in the last two periods and overtime."

"To have (49) shots against Detroit, not many teams can do that," Ribeiro said. "I think it's a matter of work ethic. It gave us a chance to get those two points."

The Red Wings went up 4-3 on Datsyuk's 19th goal of the season just 5:19 into the third period. Datsyuk stick-handled around Niskanen and into the left faceoff circle before lifting a scorching wrist shot over goaltender Marty Turco's shoulder.

Dallas leveled the contest on a power-play goal by Ott with exactly three minutes left in regulation. After receiving a cross-ice pass from Brad Richards, Mike Ribeiro slid a soft feed from the right circle in front to Ott, who redirected it past Osgood into the open side of the net.

It was Ott's fourth goal of the season and first career power-play tally.

Detroit took command just after the midway point of the first period as they connected for two goals within a span of 1:50.

First Brian Rafalski scored somewhat of a fluky goal at 10:49 as his offspeed slap shot from the right point deflected off the stick of Dallas' Loui Eriksson at the top of the circle and slipped past Turco.

Then Datsyuk made an electrifying move at the blue line to blow past defenseman Darryl Sydor, then slipped a nifty backhand pass to the charging Holmstrom, who blasted a one-timer into the open side of the net.

The Stars answered with 3:59 remaining in the period, as Grossman boomed a slap shot from the left point that zipped past Parrish's screen in front and behind Osgood to pull Dallas to within one. It was Grossman's first career regular-season goal in his 110th game.

"I don't think we played that bad in the first, but we started getting bounces," said Grossman, who did connect for a goal in last spring's Western Conference Final series against Detroit.

"We just said to each other get out there and play Dallas hockey. It was a great day for the 'D' guys and the scoring was spread around."

But the Red Wings jumped back up by two just 1:42 later as Hossa notched his 21st goal of the season on a power play, jamming a rebound of defenseman Nicklas Lidstrom's slap shot past Turco.

The Stars got one back just 52 seconds into the second period on Robidas' second goal of the season, a seemingly innocent wrist shot from the top of the right circle that deflected off defenseman Brad Stuart's leg and past the screened Osgood.

"We were doing well early, exactly what we were trying to do, then we got beat for a couple goals," Tippett said. "But I like the way our guys hung in there."

Dallas thought it tied it at the 2:08 mark when Ott appeared to jam a rebound past Osgood on a power play. Osgood made a sparkling diving glove save on Ribeiro's off-speed shot from low in the right circle, but Ott jammed at the loose puck and replays seemed to show the puck over the goal line, but the referee on the ice rule it no goal and a video review upheld that call.

The Stars did get the equalizer with 4:07 left in the second. After Barch fed a slick pass into the slot, Parrish drilled a one-timer past a screened Osgood for his sixth goal of the season.