Game Recap

DALLAS 3, ATLANTA 2 ATLANTA (AP) - If Ed Belfour is known as "Crazy Eddie", the Dallas Stars might have to start calling Marty Turco "Marvelous Marty." Turco stopped 31 shots for his third straight victory in place of Belfour and Brett Hull scored twice as the Dallas Stars beat the Atlanta Thrashers, 3-2, Wednesday night. Belfour left the team in Boston on Saturday after a disagreement with coach Ken Hitchcock and was suspended. The 35-year-old goalie rejoined the team Tuesday, but was a backup against Atlanta. Turco beat Boston on Saturday and followed it up two nights later with a win at the New York Rangers. The 25-year-old rookie is unbeaten in his last five starts. "I know how good he is," Hull said of Turco. "I know as a good shooter what a good goalie he is. It doesn't surprise me the way Marty has been playing the last three games, he's been very consistent." Turco will have to wait a little longer for his next win as Belfour is expected to start Friday night against the high-scoring Detroit Red Wings. "Who doesn't want to play?" Turco said. "Anybody would want to play, especially a goalie when he gets in a rhythm. You like to play every night, but I know my job is to play as well as I can when called upon." Hull, who has five goals and three assists in his last six games, has matched his season total for all of last season (24). He is on a pace to score 50 goals. The Thrashers, who were talking about the playoffs last week, are winless in six games. "It's time for us to get on a winning streak," Atlanta coach Curt Fraser said. "We didn't want to start the second half of the year like this." The Stars took a 1-0 lead at 15:16 of the first period when Hull took a pass in front of the net from Darryl Sydor and whipped a shot past Milan Hnilicka for his 23rd goal. Atlanta tied it early in the second when Ray Ferraro took the puck down the ice on a 3-on-1 and passed to Donald Audette, whose hard shot beat Turco. Hull scored on a power play with 4:33 gone in the second when his shot from the left boards bounced off Hnilicka's left pad and went through his legs into the net. Dallas went up 3-1 less than two minutes later when Brendan Morrow scored a power-play goal. Atlanta rallied again as forward Andrew Brunette won a fight for the puck on the boards behind the net and fed Ferraro, who beat Turco with 2:24 left in the second period. Dallas Stars 3, ATLANTA THRASHERS 2 1ST 2ND 3RD FINAL --- --- --- ----- Dallas 1 2 0 3 Atlanta 0 2 0 2 FIRST PERIOD - SCORING: 1, Dallas, Hull 23 (Nieuwendyk, Sydor), 15:16. PENALTIES: Modano, Dal (ob.-hooking), 4:40; Hatcher, Dal (cross-checking), 6:36; Tamer, Atl (roughing), 11:10; Turco, Dal, served by Diduck (roughing), 17:30. SECOND PERIOD - SCORING: 2, Atlanta, Audette 22 (Ferraro, Tremblay), 2:45 (pp). 3, Dallas, Hull 24 (Nieuwendyk), 4:33 (pp). 4, Dallas, Morrow 10 (Marshall, Hatcher), 6:40 (pp). 5, Atlanta, Ferraro 16 (Brunette, Audette), 17:36. PENALTIES: Matvichuk, Dal (hooking), :49; Staios, Atl (hooking), 3:32; Lambert, Atl, double minor-misconduct (roughing, unsportsmanlike conduct), 5:15; Turco, Dal, served by Donato (roughing), 5:15; Diduck, Dal (holding), 6:59; Stefan, Atl (hooking), 11:43; Staios, Atl, major (fighting), 16:46; Morrow, Dal, major (fighting), 16:46. THIRD PERIOD - SCORING: None. PENALTIES: Harlock, Atl (holding), 7:26; Matvichuk, Dal (hooking), 9:20. SHOTS ON GOAL 1ST 2ND 3RD TOTAL --- --- --- ----- Dallas 9 9 3 21 Atlanta 7 13 13 33 POWER PLAY: Dallas 2 of 5; Atlanta 1 of 6. GOALIES: Dallas, Turco 8-2-0 (33 shots-31 saves). Atlanta, Hnilicka 9-12-2 (21-18). Referees: Shane Heyer, Mike Leggo. Linesmen: Jonny Murray, Mark Pare. A: 16,112 (18,545).