Playing their first home playoff game in six years, the Dallas Stars rose to the occasion and whitewashed the Anaheim Ducks by a 3-0 score last night at the American Airlines Center. The Stars narrowed the gap in their Western Conference Quarterfinal series to two games to one.
The Stars posted a picket fence last night, generating one strength goal apiece in each of the three periods. Jamie Benn staked Dallas to a lead in the final minute of the first period. Rookie forward Valeri Nichushkin added to the advantage late in the middle frame. Ryan Garbutt contributed his second goal of the series for additional insurance before the third period reached its midway point.
Kari Lehtonen, who got outplayed by Anaheim counterpart Frederik Andersen in the first two games of the series, posted a 37-save shutout. Dallas got outshot by a 37-22 margin for the game. The performance marked both Lehtonen's first career playoff win and his first shutout.
Stars captain Benn's second tally of the series came directly off the rebound of a Shawn Horcoff shot. Nichushkin's goal was a strong wrist shot through Andersen's five-hole. Garbutt scored on a secondary rebound.
Dallas stepped up on the penalty kill at several critical junctures of Game Three. The Stars went 6-for-6 on the kill. Additionally, Dallas tightened up its checking enough to hold the dangerous Ryan Getzlaf to one shot on goal for the game. Corey Perry had three shots.
One dark note to the game happened in the first period when Anaheim Ducks defenseman Stephane Robidas suffered a broken right leg for the second time this season. The longtime heart and soul of the Stars blueline broke his leg in November. While Robidas was still working toward his return to the ice, the Stars traded him to Cup- contending Anaheim at the trade deadline.
Robidas had been playing very well in the series; no surprise to those who watched him in Dallas for all those years. The current fracture is reportedly a little higher on the right leg than the previous break. In any case, it is a devastating injury to a highly respected player who served both his former and current teams very well.
Game Four will take place Wednesday night at the American Airlines Center. Game time is 7 p.m. CDT.