| |
RECAP
|
BOX SCORE
EDMONTON, Alberta (AP) -- Doug Weight and the Edmonton Oilers aren't going away without a fight.
|  | | As Dallas' Joe Nieuwendyk, right, and Edmonton goalie Tommy Salo demonstrate, things got a bit physical in Game 3. |
Weight scored his first career playoff hat trick, leading the Oilers to an emotional 5-2 playoff victory over the defending Stanley Cup champion Dallas Stars on Sunday night.
"He played totally unbelievable," Edmonton forward Georges
Laraque said of Weight. "Every time he was on the ice he was
creating something and was a threat. It's not just the goals.
"Every game he works hard for us, and it's nice to see him get
rewarded with a hat trick, because he makes plays all the time."
The Oilers trail the Stars 2-1 in the best-of-7 Western
Conference first-round series. Game 4 is Tuesday night in Edmonton.
"Give them credit -- they did exactly what they had to do and they played well, played hard and played with a lot of emotion," Stars winger Kirk Muller said.
Weight's third goal, on a power play just over six minutes into
second period, gave the Oilers a 5-1 lead.
Weight, allowed to walk through the faceoff circle to the left
of Ed Belfour, snapped a wrist shot between the legs of the Stars goalie as 17,100 fans erupted in cheers and a cascade of hats, helmets and foam puckheads.
The victory ended a string of nine consecutive playoff losses to
the Stars, who have dominated Edmonton since the Oilers upset
Dallas in the first round of the 1997 playoffs.
"It was good old-fashioned Oilers hockey," Edmonton coach Kevin Lowe said. "Our leaders led and our foot soldiers did what they have done most of the season."
Sunday's game was a reversal of the first two. This time, the
Oilers set the tone and dominated the play, with the Stars running
around in their own end and taking retaliatory penalties.
"Their level of desperation was far above ours," Stars coach
Ken Hitchcock said. "I would imagine today's game will probably be
the way every game will be played for the rest of the playoffs.
It's the way these two teams go at each other."
Edmonton outshot Dallas 38-28. The Oilers had 22 shots in the
first period, setting a club playoff record for shots in a period.
They had only 31 total shots in the first two games in Dallas.
"It was crucial we had to get some shots and generate some
chances in their zone," Oilers winger Ryan Smith said. "That's
exactly what we had to do and we went to work."
Weight opened the scoring 8:40 in when the puck appeared to
bounce off his lower leg and past Belfour in a goal-mouth scramble.
He made it 3-0 on a power play with three minutes left in the
first when he hammered a shot from the high slot through traffic
and over Belfour's outstretched right pad.
Smyth and Jim Dowd also scored for the Oilers.
Mike Modano and Brendan Morrow scored for Dallas.
Smyth's goal came short-handed as he converted a 2-on-1 rush
with Ethan Moreau just 76 seconds into the second period.
Edmonton had two power-play goals to end an 0-for-8 string
against the Stars, who had the best penalty-killing percentage in
the NHL in the regular season.
It was a physical game at both ends of the ice. Smyth was hit
hard by Morrow midway through the second period while slicing
through the neutral zone, but returned to play in the third.
Stars defenseman Sergei Zubov, still recovering from a lingering
knee injury, is questionable for Game 4. Top forechecker Jere
Lehtinen (ankle) will definitely sit out.
| |
ALSO SEE
NHL Scoreboard
Dallas Clubhouse
Edmonton Clubhouse
RECAPS
Edmonton 5
Dallas 2
Philadelphia 2
Buffalo 0
New Jersey 2
Florida 1
AUDIO/VIDEO
 Doug Weight fires the puck past Ed Belfour for his third goal of the night.
avi: 558 k
RealVideo: 56.6 | ISDN | T1
Ryan Smyth scores the shorthanded goal for Edmonton.
avi: 480 k
RealVideo: 56.6 | ISDN | T1
Brenden Morrow beats Tommy Salo to put Dallas on the board against Edmonton.
avi: 777 k
RealVideo: 56.6 | ISDN | T1
|
