Game Recap

DALLAS 5, SAN JOSE 2 DALLAS (AP) - The Dallas Stars keep beating the San Jose Sharks and losing key players in the process. Dallas scored goals on four of 14 power plays, two by Pat Verbeek, and goalkeeper Ed Belfour shined Friday night as the Stars lost another center but took a 2-0 lead in their opening-round playoff series with a 5-2 victory over San Jose. Mike Modano, who just signed a $6 million a year contract with Dallas, sustained a mild concussion in a second-period collision with Marcus Ragnarsson of the Sharks and did not return. Modano said he will play in Game 3 of the Western Conference series at San Jose on Sunday. He also said the way San Jose plays "is really an undisciplined and selfish style they are playing. They are taking dumb penalties and not playing smart. They are acting like they are untouchable out there. You can't win when you're in the penalty box all night. It's just stupid." Dallas lost top regular-season scorer Joe Nieuwendyk to a first-period knee injury in Wednesday night's 4-1 win. He was expected to miss at least two weeks after the hit by San Jose defenseman Bryan Marchment. The Stars struck early and late in the first period to take a 2-0 lead. Jere Lehtinen's rebound shot on Mike Vernon's stick side just 85 seconds into the game gave Dallas a 1-0 lead. It came off a shot by Sergei Zubov that Vernon couldn't control on a power play. Derian Hatcher made it 2-0 with his second career playoff goal with just 28 seconds left. He got a long rebound and whistled a 45-foot slap shot past the screened Vernon. San Jose coach Darryl Sutter said his best players have been outperformed by Dallas in the first two games. "Our best players are not playing as hard as their best players," Sutter said. "Maybe this (the playoffs) is such a big hurdle for our team." Dallas scored twice on power plays in the second period as Verbeek and Benoit Hogue each scored off rebounds. Belfour lost his shutout with 12:14 left in the third period when Bill Houlder's hard wrist shot beat him to his glove side. Murray Craven scored again for the Sharks with 57 seconds left. DALLAS STARS 5, San Jose Sharks 2 1ST 2ND 3RD FINAL --- --- --- ----- SAN JOSE 0 0 2 2 DALLAS 2 2 1 5 FIRST PERIOD - SCORING: 1, Dallas, Lehtinen 1 (Hatcher, Zubov), 1:25 (pp). 2, Dallas, Hatcher 2 (Matvichuk, Hogue), 19:31. PENALTIES: Nicholls, SJ (tripping), :52; Marshall, Dal (charging), 3:39; Friesen, SJ (high-sticking), 5:14; Nolan, SJ (cross-checking), 5:14; Carbonneau, Dal (high-sticking), 5:14; Ragnarsson, SJ (cross-checking), 10:56; Marshall, Dal (roughing), 10:56; Marchment, SJ (elbowing), 12:21; Reid, Dal (boarding), 16:33; Langenbrunner, Dal (roughing), 19:51. SECOND PERIOD - SCORING: 3, Dallas, Verbeek 1 (Hogue, Reid), 15:29 (pp). 4, Dallas, Hogue 5 (Chambers, Zubov), 18:26 (pp). PENALTIES: MacLean, SJ (goalie interference), :33; Marchment, Edm (roughing), 5:29; Nolan, SJ (slashing), 5:29; Hatcher, Dal (roughing), 5:29; Rathje, SJ (interference), 7:39; Murphy, SJ (interference), 10:59; Hogue, Dal (high-sticking), 13:21; Iafrete, SJ (high-sticking), 15:06; Burr, SJ (charging), 17:08. THIRD PERIOD - SCORING: 5, San Jose, Houlder 1 (Friesen), 7:46. 6, Dallas, Verbeek 2 (Reid), 17:05 (pp). 7, San Jose, Craven 1 (Nicholls, Nolan), 19:02. PENALTIES: Ludwig, Dal (holding), :47; Nolan, SJ, major (charging), 4:50; Marchment, SJ (roughing), 4:50; Ludwig, Dal, double-minor (roughing), 4:50; Langenbrunner, Dal (roughing), 4:50; Iafrate, SJ (holding), 5:25; Murphy, SJ, misconduct, 11:11; Zyuzin, SJ (elbowing), 13:16; Ricci, SJ (high-sticking), 16:51; Nolan, SJ, major-game misconduct (elbowing), 19:31; Zyuzin, SJ, misconduct, 19:31; Marshall, Dal, misconduct, 19:31. SHOTS ON GOAL 1ST 2ND 3RD TOTAL --- --- --- ----- SAN JOSE 4 6 10 20 DALLAS 5 9 6 20 POWER PLAY: San Jose 0 of 5; Dallas 4 of 14. GOALIES: San Jose, Vernon 0-2 (10 shots-6 saves), Hrudey (0:00 third period, 10-9). Dallas, Belfour 2-0 (20-18). Referee: Don Koharsky. Linesmen: Brian Murphy, Tim Nowak. A: 16,928 (16,928).