Game Recap

DALLAS 2, N.Y. ISLANDERS 1 DALLAS (AP) - Marty Turco didn't have much to do for two periods. But the Dallas Stars rookie goaltender earned his paycheck during the final 20 minutes. Turco stopped all 16 third-period shots after facing only seven in the first two periods to lead the Stars to a 2-1 victory over the New York Islanders on Friday night. "They didn't have many good chances in the first two periods, but in the third period for me it was all about hanging on," said Turco, who improved his record to 12-6-0. "They did a real good job in the third period creating traffic in front of the net, but our defense did a great job stopping rebounds." On Friday, the Stars were forced to call up rookie goaltender Chad Alban from Utah of the IHL to back up Turco. No. 1 goalie Ed Belfour had back spasms after Friday morning's skate, and Belfour was scratched as a precautionary measure. Turco was already scheduled to make the start. Stars coach Ken Hitchcock said Belfour would be ready for Sunday night's game against the St. Louis Blues. Turco has made the most of his opportunities this season, allowing two goals or less in 11 starts. "That's been one of my goals this season, to gain the confidence of my teammates," Turco said. "I've been really working hard at that the whole year." Stars center Kirk Muller said the team can win with either Belfour or Turco. Belfour will play the majority of the minutes in the playoffs, but Turco is considered the team's goalie of the future. "We have confidence in both goalies," Muller said. "Marty has that attitude that he's here to help out. Eddie's the guy, but that's not a problem for Marty." Brett Hull snapped a 1-1 tie with his 38th goal of the season, a wrist shot from the left circle that beat Chris Terreri on the stick side. He has eight goals in his last five games and 648 for his career, seventh on the NHL's career list and two behind Mark Messier for sixth place. The Islanders defense paid special attention to Hull whenever he was on the ice, limiting Hull to three shots, but they couldn't keep him off the score sheet. "We did a pretty good job on him, but he got loose once and got the winning goal," Islanders coach Lorne Henning said. Jamie Langenbrunner had a first-period power-play goal for the Stars, who are 5-0-1 in their last six games to stretch their lead in the Pacific Division to 11 points over San Jose. The Islanders, 3-9-1 in their last 13, took a 1-0 lead at 6:34 of the first when Mariusz Czerkawski scored his 27th of the season. DALLAS STARS 2, New York Islanders 1 1ST 2ND 3RD FINAL --- --- --- ----- N.Y. Islanders 1 0 0 1 Dallas 1 1 0 2 FIRST PERIOD - SCORING: 1, New York, Czerkawski 27 (Kolnik, Kvasha), 6:34. 2, Dallas, Langenbrunner 10 (Zubov), 14:45 (pp). PENALTIES: Scatchard, NY (interference), 9:50; Kvasha, NY (interference), 12:49; SECOND PERIOD - SCORING: 3, Dallas, Hull 38 (Lehtinen, Zubov), 13:54. PENALTIES: Kolnik, NY (hooking), 9:10; Modano, Dal (slashing), 11:04. THIRD PERIOD - SCORING: None. PENALTIES: Mezei, NY (high-sticking), 1:12; Modano, Dal (slashing), 2:59; Matvichuk, Dal (hooking), 6:08; Galley, NY (tripping), 8:11; Lukowich, Dal, major (fighting), 17:58; Scatchard, NY, major (fighting), 17:58. SHOTS ON GOAL 1ST 2ND 3RD TOTAL --- --- --- ----- New York 4 3 16 23 Dallas 7 12 3 22 POWER PLAY: New York 0 of 3; Dallas 1 of 5. GOALIES: New York, Terreri 3-6-2 (22 shots-20 saves). Dallas, Turco 12-6-0 (23-21). Referees: Terry Gregson, Marc Joannette. Linesmen: Lonnie Cameron, Dan O'Rourke. A: 17,001 (17,001).