Game Recap

DALLAS 2, EDMONTON 1 DALLAS (AP) - The Dallas Stars finished the season with the NHL's top point total, in large part because of their goaltending and defense. That formula continued to work in the playoffs as the Stars defeated the Edmonton Oilers 2-1 Saturday night to clinch a berth in the Western Conference finals. Stars goaltender Ed Belfour stopped 17 shots behind a brilliant defense. For the series, Belfour stopped 119 of 123 shots. "This was typical of how our teams have gone at it. The goaltenders were dominant, and it boiled down to the last five minutes," Stars coach Ken Hitchcock said. Oilers goalie Curtis Joseph was almost Belfour's equal with 24 saves. Greg Adams scored on a 2-on-1 break with 2:26 left in the game to clinch the victory, wrapping up their best-of-7 semifinal series in five games. Derian Hatcher scored the Stars' other goal in the first period. Belfour was on the verge of his fifth career playoff shutout and second of the series, but the Oilers scored on Bill Guerin's goal from the slot with 29 seconds to play. Oilers coach Ron Low pulled goaltender Curtis Joseph with two minutes to go, and Edmonton capitalized on Guerin's seventh goal of the playoffs. Janne Niinimaa almost tied the game with six seconds left in the game. But Belfour got a skate on the shot and kicked it aside. It was Belfour's 43rd playoff victory and improved his record to 8-3 in this post-season. The Stars will meet the winner of the St. Louis-Detroit series. The Red Wings hold a 3-1 lead and can wrap things up Sunday afternoon in Detroit. It's the first time the Stars have reached the conference finals since the franchise moved to Dallas from Minnesota five years ago. The Minnesota North Stars made it all the way to the Stanley Cup finals twice, losing both times. Edmonton knocked the Stars out of the playoffs with a first-round upset last season. "They were prepared not to be embarrassed by the Edmonton Oilers," Low said. "We got some respect from them last season. They were a very determined bunch." Belfour and the Dallas defense continued to befuddle the Oilers. Edmonton scored just five goals in the five-game series, one of them an empty-netter. That tied an NHL post-season record for fewest goals in a five-game series set by the New York Rangers in 1928, and tied by the Boston Bruins in 1995 and the New Jersey Devils in 1997. DALLAS STARS 2, Edmonton Oilers 1 1ST 2ND 3RD FINAL --- --- --- ----- EDMONTON 0 0 1 1 DALLAS 1 0 1 2 FIRST PERIOD - SCORING: 1, Dallas, Hatcher 3 (Modano, Chambers), 19:55 (pp). PENALTIES: Niinimaa, Edm (tripping), 3:59; Sydor, Dal (tripping), 4:59; Dallas bench, served by Adams (too many men), 10:13; Skrudland, Dal (roughing), 12:13; Hamrlik, Edm (roughing), 12:13; Grier, Edm (interference), 12:55; de Vries, Edm (interference), 19:07. SECOND PERIOD - SCORING: None. PENALTIES: Marchant, Edm (tripping), 2:15; Dollas, Edm (tripping), 9:43; Hogue, Dal (boarding), 10:49; Marchant, Edm (goalie interference), 11:47; Belfour, Dal, served by Sydor (roughing), 11:47; Matvichuk, Dal (interference), 15:33; Edmonton bench, served by Guerin (too many men), 20:00. THIRD PERIOD - SCORING: 2, Dallas, Adams 1 (Keane, Hatcher), 17:44. 3, Edmonton, Guerin 7 (Fraser, Smyth), 19:31. PENALTIES: Hogue, Dal (holding), 3:49; Guerin, Edm (tripping), 10:44; Joseph, Edm, served by Buchberger (roughing), 12:00; Verbeek, Dal (roughing), 12:00; Guerin, Edm (slashing), 13:48. SHOTS ON GOAL 1ST 2ND 3RD TOTAL --- --- --- ----- EDMONTON 8 4 7 19 DALLAS 4 11 11 26 POWER PLAY: Edmonton 0 of 4; Dallas 1 of 8. GOALIES: Edmonton, Joseph 5-7 (26 shots-24 saves). Dallas, Belfour 8-3 (19-18). Referee: Dan Marouelli. Linesmen: Mike Cvik, Ray Scapinello. A: 16,928 (16,928).