Skating and attacking more aggressively than they did for the first 30 minutes of Game One of their Western Conference Quarterfinal series with the Anaheim Ducks, the Dallas Stars got off to a much better start than they did on Wednesday. Dallas also produced similar late-game pressure to their Game One rally that shaved a 4-0 deficit to a single goal.
Alas, the end result of Game Two was the same: Another one-goal loss for Dallas. The Stars now trail the series, two games to none, as the scene shifts on Monday the American Airlines Center.
The Stars limited Anaheim to a modest 19 shots on goal over the course of Game Two. They also took their first lead of the series, as Alex Chiasson converted a power play feed from Jamie Benn. Unfortunately for the Stars, the lead lasted only until late in the first period.
Despite playing very well for the most part, Dallas made some gaffes that proved fatal against the dangerous and opportunistic Ducks. Right after the Stars finished killing a penalty, Anaheim center Ryan Getzlaf collected an Erik Cole turnover and promptly scored on Lehtonen (16 saves).
The 1-1 tie held until late in the second period. With 3:45 left in the middle frame, Corey Perry scored on a counterattacking rush against the Dallas top line.
Most damagingly of all, the Stars yielded a shorthanded goal at 5:09 of the third period to fall behind by a 3-1 count. On the play, Dallas defenseman Sergei Gonchar had his stick slashed -- and broken -- behind his own net, which should have been a penalty on Anaheim.
Usually, a penalty call is semi-automatic, especially when it immediately produces a scoring chance for the offending team. This time it wasn't. Play continued and, a split second later, Andrew Cogliano elevated a shot over Lehtonen from the doorstep to forge a two-goal lead for the Ducks.
Midway through the third period, with 10:02 remaining, Dallas drew back within one. Shawn Horcoff won a battle in the corner and Ryan Garbutt finished off the centering pass to cut the deficit to 3-2.
Dallas had several opportunities to the tie the game, including a wide-open chance for defenseman Trevor Daley from the slot, but could not get another puck past Frederik Andersen (34 saves). In the final three minutes, the Stars had a power play. Coach Lindy Ruff elected to pull Lehtonen to create a six-on-four attack, but the Stars still couldn’t generate a game-tying goal.
Ultimately, it was the two Anaheim goals off Dallas turnovers, the Stars failures on five of their six power plays and yielding a shorthanded goal (the non-call on the stick slash notwithstanding) that proved fatal in this game. There is not much margin for error when playing an elite team like the Ducks, as the Stars learned the hard way. Combine that with Andersen's strong play in net for the Ducks last night, and the Stars find themselves in their present situation.