EDMONTON, Alberta (AP) - Joe Nieuwendyk scored with 2:26 left in the third overtime as the
Dallas Stars completed a first-round Western Conference playoff sweep of the Edmonton Oilers with
a 3-2 victory on Tuesday night.
Sergei Zubov shot from the point and the puck ticked off Nieuwendyk's right leg and past goaltender
Tommy Salo, sending the top-seeded Stars into the second round of the Stanley Cup playoffs. The
goal was the second of the night for Nieuwendyk in a tense playoff game that was the 12th longest in
NHL history.
The Stars, who finished 36 points ahead of the Oilers during the regular season, outshot Edmonton
56-39 in the game, including 11-2 in the third overtime.
Ryan Smith and Todd Marchant scored for Edmonton in regulation, while Jamie Langenbrunner
scored the other Dallas goal.
It was the Stars' third straight 3-2 win and the fourth time they battled back late in the game to beat
the Oilers. The game was the longest ever for either franchise.
Edmonton outshot Dallas 11-6 in a wide-open first overtime. Stars goalie Ed Belfour looked shaky
early, juggling a long-distance slap shot by Bill Guerin, but made a big save when he slid across the
crease at 10:11 to rob Chad Kilger on a point-blank one-timer. The Stars' best opportunity came at
16:40 when defenseman Craig Ludwig threaded a pass through a knot of players to Nieuwendyk,
who was standing at the side of the goal. Nieuwendyk could not beat Salo.
The Stars controlled the second overtime, especially the line of Mike Modano, Brett Hull and Jere
Lehtinen, and outshot the Oilers 10-6, hitting the goalpost once. Salo made his best save 35 seconds
into the period when he came out and slid on his pads to stop a shot by Mike Keane.
Smyth opened the scoring for Edmonton at 4:47 of the second period when he backhanded a
rebound of Christian Laflamme's point shot past Belfour. It was his third goal in two games.
Nieuwendyk tied the game on a power play with 38 seconds left in the period, stuffing a goal-mouth
rebound past Salo. It was the Stars' first power-play goal in the series. The unit, ranked sixth in the
league in the regular season, had been 0-for-19 in the series.
Marchant put Edmonton ahead 2-1 at 6:33 of the third. He scored after forward Ethan Moreau
worked the puck out from behind the Stars' net and backhanded a pass across the crease to
Marchant. Dallas tied the game, again on a power play, when Langenbrunner one-timed a pass by
Zubov past Salo at 11:05.
Edmonton lost first-line center Doug Weight to injury just over five minutes into the game when
Lehtinen slammed into Smyth near the penalty box. Smyth's skate came up, cutting Weight's mouth
and knocking him out of the game with a concussion. He was taken to a hospital for observation.
Wayne Gretzky, who won four Stanley Cups with the Oilers in the 1980s, dropped the ceremonial
first puck. It was his first return to Skyreach Centre since he retired earlier this month.
FIRST PERIOD - SCORING: None. PENALTIES: Moreau, Edm (slashing),
5;59; J.Smith, Edm (roughing), 7:40; Sydor, Dal (slashing), 8:42;
Lukowich, Dal (ob.-tripping), 13:00; Moreau, Edm (high-sticking),
14:46; Sloan, Dal (slashing), 17:28.
