San Diego Union-Tribune (Sunday)
DALLAS STAVES OFF ELIMINATION
Joe Pavelski and Corey Perry don’t want to leave the bubble just yet.
Pavelski tied it with 6:45 left in the regulation, laid out to block a shot in the first overtime and Perry’s second goal of the game came in double OT to give the Dallas Stars a 3-2 win over Tampa Bay and force a Game 6 in the Stanley Cup Final.
“Get one, keep going,” Perry said. “We start building here, and I think we’re starting to do something special.”
Anton Khudobin made 39 saves, and Perry prolonged the series by scoring 9:23 into the second OT. It was a manner of redemption for the Stars a night after they lost in OT on a questionable penalty call when Tampa Bay scored on the ensuing power play. Game 6 is Monday night.
The 36-year-old Pavelski and 35-year-old Perry have combined for the last six Stars goals. So much for hockey being a young man’s game.
“With the way they’re playing, I don’t know if you can call them old,” Stars center Tyler Seguin said.
The Stars stayed alive despite going down to five defensemen for half of regulation when Andrej Sekera was injured blocking a shot midway through the first. Sekera returned for the third, a gutty performance that may have saved a team that looked to be running on fumes.
Dallas might have to dip even further into its already depleted depth in Game 6 if Sekera’s injury is severe enough to add him to the already long list of unavailable players. Forward Roope Hintz was the most recent to join that group when he was injured crashing into the boards Friday night.
The Stars didn’t have much time to regroup after that difficult loss with the first back to back in the final since 2009 and just the second since the mid-1950s. Instead of the fatigue wearing them down, they were able to respond in a big way against a healthier opponent.
“They’re a good team,“Lightning defenseman Victor Hedman said. “They fought back.”
Notable
The Detroit Red Wings acquired defenseman Marc Staal and a second-round draft pick from the New York Rangers for future considerations.
The draft pick is in 2021. The 33-year-old Staal had two goals and nine assists in 52 games this past season. He has played his whole 13season NHL career so far with the Rangers.