Game Recap

DALLAS 2, EDMONTON 1 (OT) DALLAS (AP) - Once again, the Dallas Stars beat the Edmonton Oilers. Once again, they did it by the slimmest of margins. Jamie Langenbrunner scored off his own long rebound 2:18 into overtime, giving Dallas a 2-1 victory Wednesday night in a first-round playoff game. While this was the Stars' 13th win in their last 15 playoff games against the Oilers, it was the 10th time Dallas won by one goal. "There's a fine line between these teams right now and we're very fortunate to be on the right side of it," Stars coach Ken Hitchcock said. "We don't want it to stop. If it gets turned the other way, you never know, you might not be able to stop it." Dallas has beaten Edmonton 13 straight times at Reunion Arena, where the series continues Saturday night. "Our goal coming in here was to get a game, and we still have that option open," Oilers coach Craig MacTavish said. "I don't think the loss tonight did anything to detract from our opinion of our ability to do that." Mike Modano also scored for the Stars, who came into the postseason on a 13-game unbeaten streak. Dallas, seeking to become the first team to make three straight Stanley Cup Finals since the Wayne Gretzky-led Edmonton clubs from 1983-85, has eliminated the Oilers from the last three playoffs. This is the fifth straight year the teams are meeting in the postseason. "They're a team that's looking for confidence, so you want to keep them down and not let them get that confidence," Modano said. The game featured the kind of brutality you'd expected from teams that are sick of playing each other so often for such high stakes. The pushing and shoving caused one Dallas goal to be nullified and left MacTavish arguing that the game-winner should've been waved off, too. He claimed Shaun Van Allen, who had the first assist, was in the crease and interfered with goalie Tommy Salo. "I don't know if they wanted to call back two goals or not, but they were equally flagrant in my opinion," MacTavish said. "Langenbrunner was falling all over Tommy all night. It's back to the adage that you have to take matters into your own hand to protect your goalie." Salo played more like the goalie who won 36 games this season than someone who is 1-9 in the postseason and 2-15-1 lifetime against the Stars. He withstood Dallas' incredibly energetic play in the first period and stopped 10 shots in the third period, including a blast by Hull in open ice. Salo finished with 26 saves. Ed Belfour provided the consistent goaltending the Stars have come to expect in the postseason. The only goal he allowed on 22 shots was scored by Ryan Smyth after the puck ricocheted off the post and back out between Belfour's legs. DALLAS STARS 2, Edmonton Oilers 1 (OT) 1ST 2ND 3RD OT FINAL --- --- --- --- ----- Edmonton 0 1 0 0 1 Dallas 0 1 0 1 2 FIRST PERIOD - SCORING: None. PENALTIES: Niinimaa, Edm (elbowing), 11:09. SECOND PERIOD - SCORING: 1, Edmonton, Smyth 1 (Smith, Weight), 6:51. 2, Dallas, Modano 1 (Sydor, Zubov), 18:14 (pp). PENALTIES: Smith, Edm (roughing), 7:36; Morrow, Dal (roughing), 7:36; Hull, Dal (hooking), 7:52; Langenbrunner, Dal (unsportsmanlike conduct), 11:37; Ulanov, Edm (cross-checking), 11:37; Hull, Dal (goalie interference), 13:52; Laraque, Edm (boarding), 17:18. THIRD PERIOD - SCORING: None. PENALTIES: Carter, Edm (hooking), 5:34; Laraque, Edm (interference), 10:36; Muller, Dal (roughing), 19:04; Weight, Edm (roughing), 19:04. OVERTIME - SCORING: 3, Dallas, Langenbrunner 1 (Van Allen), 2:08. PENALTIES: None. SHOTS ON GOAL 1ST 2ND 3RD OT TOTAL --- --- --- --- ----- Edmonton 6 10 6 0 22 Dallas 8 7 10 3 28 POWER PLAY: Edmonton 0 of 2; Dallas 1 of 4. GOALIES: Edmonton, Salo 0-1 (28 shots-26 saves). Dallas, Belfour 1-0 (22-21). Referees: Kerry Fraser, Dennis LaRue. Linesmen: Lonnie Cameron, Kevin Collins. A: 17,001 (17,001).