Game Recap

DALLAS 3, EDMONTON 1 DALLAS (AP) - The Dallas Stars figure they owe the Edmonton Oilers some playoff misery. Defenseman Sergei Zubov scored on two long-distance slap shots and Ed Belfour sparkled in goal Thursday night as the revenge-minded Stars beat the Edmonton Oilers 3-1 in the first game of their Western Conference semifinal series. Game 2 of the best-of-seven series is set for Saturday in Reunion Arena. The top-seeded Stars have plenty of motivation, having suffered a crushing first-round playoff knockout by the Oilers last year. Zubov powered two long shots past Curtis Joseph in the first period for a 2-0 Stars lead. Mike Keane added an insurance goal early in the third period when he beat Joseph to the glove side after a perfect goal-mouth feed by Mike Modano, his third assist of the game. "Two goals early got us going," Zubov said. "It felt pretty good. It's good to start on a good note. Eddie kept us in the game in the second and third periods. We played very good." Zubov's first goal came from 35-feet out on a power play. Modano won the face off and Darryl Sydor got the puck to Zubov in the middle of the ice and a screened Joseph never saw the shot. It was the first goal Joseph had allowed in the last 166:54 of the playoffs after back-to-back shutouts against Colorado. Zubov scored again in slightly over five minutes. It was just one second after another Dallas power play had ended. At mid-ice and just inside the blue line, Zubov one-timed a pass from Modano, hitting the net behind a sprawling Joseph from 60 feet. "It felt real good to get two quick goals and get ahead like that," Belfour said. "It's always nice to see the guys flying early and I was feeling good, seeing the puck well and had a few lucky breaks. " Edmonton outshot Dallas 17-5 in the second period and Valeri Zelepukin finally broke through against Belfour by sneaking a rebound shot through the goaltender's legs. It was the first playoff goal for Zelepukin. A five-minute game misconduct penalty against Grant Marshall, who elbowed Kelly Buchberger in the face, put the heat on Belfour with 6:16 go. The Oilers got off 10 shots but did no damage. Buchberger's right eye was closed after the game but he said he'll play Saturday. "We can't retaliate," Buchberger said. "I'll let the league deal with it." Belfour turned away 31 shots while Joseph stopped 11. "I felt we had 14 good chances and we should have scored more than one goal," Edmonton coach Ron Low said. "Belfour was pretty good." Dallas, which lost in Game 7 to the Oilers last year in the first round on an overtime goal by Todd Marchant, had a 3-1 edge over Edmonton in the regular season. DALLAS STARS 3, Edmonton Oilers 1 1ST 2ND 3RD FINAL --- --- --- ----- EDMONTON 0 1 0 1 DALLAS 2 0 1 3 FIRST PERIOD - SCORING: 1, Dallas, Zubov 2 (Sydor, Modano), 3:14 (pp). 2, Dallas, Zubov 3 (Modano, Marshall), 8:22. PENALTIES: Mironov, Edm (tripping), 3:10; Hrkac, Edm (hooking), 6:21; Lind, Dal (interference), 12:31; Hamrlik, Edm (interference), 14:49; Langenbrunner, Dal (holding), 18:33. SECOND PERIOD - SCORING: 3, Edmonton, Zelepukin 1 (Murray, Grier), 10:34. PENALTIES: McAmmond, Edm (high-sticking), 3:35; Verbeek, Dal (roughing), 4:10; Mironov, Edm (hooking), 5:53; Guerin, Edm (hooking), 11:26; Lind, Dal (holding), 15:00. THIRD PERIOD - SCORING: 4, Dallas, Keane 3 (Modano), 3:32. PENALTIES: Zelepukin, Edm (tripping), :56; Verbeek, Dal (holding), 3:53; Kovalenko, Edm (interference), 11:58; Marshall, Dal, major-game misconduct (elbowing), 13:44. SHOTS ON GOAL 1ST 2ND 3RD TOTAL --- --- --- ----- EDMONTON 6 17 9 32 DALLAS 7 5 2 14 POWER PLAY: Edmonton 0 of 6; Dallas 1 of 8. GOALIES: Edmonton, Joseph 4-4 (14 shots-11 saves). Dallas, Belfour 5-2 (32-31). Referee: Don Koharski. Linesmen: Wayne Bonney, Brad Lazarowich. A: 16,928 (16,928).