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RECAP
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BOX SCORE
EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. (AP) -- Brett Hull won the Stanley Cup for
the Dallas Stars last season. This time, he may have prevented them
from losing it.
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Thu, June 1
This is more typical of what we expected in this series;
lower scoring, tighter checking. That second period was
incredibly tight. Ultimately, the big names are the guys
who are going to get it done.
But my biggest impression
of this game was Martin Brodeur letting in a stoppable
shot by Brett Hull. So, when Brett scores in the third
period, that should have been a 1-1 game at that point,
not 2-1. If Martin Brodeur cannot match Ed Belfour, who
definitely was back in the zone and in his chair the way
he likes to be, the Dallas Stars are going to repeat as
Stanley Cup champions. Brodeur has to really upgrade his play at this stage.
Special teams, if you thought could be a factor before this series started, appear to be a
non-factor because this series will be such a test of will and discipline. Not enough
power plays for special teams to be a factor, really. It will boil down to goaltenders and
who can get the puck behind them.
Brett Hull had the answer twice Thursday night.
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Hull, one of the greatest big-game scorers in Stanley Cup
playoff history, scored two goals Thursday night -- the second with
4:16 to play -- and the Stars rebounded from one of their worst
playoff losses ever to beat the New Jersey Devils 2-1 in Game 2 of
the finals.
Dallas goaltender Ed Belfour, pulled after allowing six goals in an admittedly embarrassing 7-3 loss in Game 1, bounced back to turn
aside 27 of 28 shots and give the Stars the road split they were
fearful they wouldn't get after Tuesday's dismal game.
"We talked after that, and things had to change," Hull said.
"We had to eliminate the mistakes we made."
This time, the Stars tightened up defensively and got an
exceptional game from Belfour, who has won his last nine playoff
games after a loss.
The game-winner came after nearly two scoreless periods. Mike
Modano pushed the puck between the legs of Devils rookie Brian
Rafalski to Jere Lehtinen, who seemed to fanned on a shot as he
skated to the left of the net.
But the puck floated directly to Hull, who chopped it down and
past Martin Brodeur for his 11th goal of the playoffs and 88th of
his career. It was his 15th career multi-goal playoff game, one
more than his famous father Bobby Hull, known as the "Golden
Jet."
"I was patient and tried to let Jere and Brett get open,"
Modano said.
In the playoffs, everything seems to turn to gold for Hull, who
was long ago nicknamed the "Golden Brett."
Afterward, Devils coach Larry Robinson complained Lehtinen was
"four feet offside" on the play, but said, "That's not why we
lost. We didn't play our best game; they didn't play their best
game (in Game 1). Now, it's 1-1."
|  | | A smiling Hull was the center of attention in Game 2, mainly because of his game-winning goal. |
The Stars now have one huge statistical edge on their side going
back to Dallas, where they have won 11 of their last 12 home
playoff games: the team winning Game 2 has won 25 of the last 28
Stanley Cups.
The Stars also were 1-1 after Game 2 last year against Buffalo,
and went on to win four of the next five to win their first Stanley
Cup.
"To come out even after that first game is a big boost to us,"
Hull said. "We knew we had to play a great game to come away with
a split."
The Stars, 3-0 in Game 2s in these playoffs, also got their
first lead of the series from a familiar source -- Hull, who is also
known as "The Sniper."
Hull scored his 10th of the playoffs and fourth in four games,
putting a hard wrist shot over Brodeur's glove that hit off the
crossbar and fell across the goal line at 4:25 of the first.
Modano also set up the goal, forcing a turnover from Rafalski --
sound familiar? -- along the boards 15 seconds after play resumed
following a six-minute delay to fix some broken glass.
"We know the pressure's on us," Modano said. "That's what
makes it fun."
Just as it did in Game 1, the first period ended 1-1 as Alexander Mogilny answered for the Devils at 12:42, snapping a shot
from the edge of the left circle off Scott Gomez's pass from the
blue line. Gomez occupied three Stars in the neutral zone, allowing
Mogilny to get a step on the defense.
It was a first for a Stanley Cup final -- one of the first stars
to defect to the NHL from the former Soviet Union hockey dynasty
being set up for a goal by the league's first Hispanic player.
The Stars played just as they promised to after a Game 1 in
which Belfour looked dazed and confused from cold medicine he was
taking, allowing six goals on 18 shots.
Belfour was on his game in Game 2, thrice turning aside Randy
McKay shots on the doorstep and, another time, stopping Bobby Holik at point-blank range.
He also held New Jersey's top line of Petr Sykora, Jason Arnott
and Patrik Elias scoreless after they produced four goals and 11
points in Game 1.
And Dallas' top line, so silent in Game 1, generated nearly all
of the Stars' scoring chances, and made Hull's two goals stand up
behind Belfour's big night in goal.
"We let the hype and the nervousness get to us, I guess, in
Game 1," Modano said. "We felt embarrassed, It was more a pride
factor tonight.
The Stars were well aware of the dangers of losing Game 2 and
falling down 2-0 to a New Jersey team that had won four straight
games, including the final three of the Eastern Conference finals
against Philadelphia.
After Game 1, Hull said the Stars took the attitude that, "It's
a bad game. Let's go out and show 'em what it's all about."
Only three teams since 1939 have rallied from a 2-0 deficit to
win the Stanley Cup: 1942 Toronto, 1966 Montreal and 1971 Montreal.
No team in 29 years has done it.
It was the first loss in six games in Devils' Stanley Cup finals
history. They swept Detroit as a big underdog in 1995 -- the last
Stanley Cup won by an Eastern Conference champion -- and Game 1 of
this series.
Game 3 will be Saturday night in Reunion Arena, with Game 4
there on Monday night.
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ALSO SEE
NHL Scoreboard
Dallas Clubhouse
New Jersey Clubhouse
Frozen Moment: Hull polishes off Game 2 win
X-Factor: Dallas' tightening D-vice
Three Stars and Game 2 at a glance
Belfour bounces back, boosts Stars
Devils frustrated with Game 2 loss
RECAPS
AUDIO/VIDEO
 Brett Hull scores the game-winner.
avi: 932 k
RealVideo: 56.6 | ISDN | T1
Alexander Mogilny goes high and beats Ed Belfour.
avi: 511 k
RealVideo: 56.6 | ISDN | T1
Brett Hull fires a wrister and scores.
avi: 517 k
RealVideo: 56.6 | ISDN | T1
 Brett Hull says experience is the key to the Stars' composure.
wav: 170 k
RealAudio: 14.4 | 28.8 | 56.6
It was a different attitude for Mike Modano and the Stars in Game 2.
wav: 131 k
RealAudio: 14.4 | 28.8 | 56.6
Ken Hitchcock hopes this big win carries over to Dallas.
wav: 109 k
RealAudio: 14.4 | 28.8 | 56.6
With the series split, Brett Hull sees a battle ahead.
wav: 229 k
RealAudio: 14.4 | 28.8 | 56.6
Game 2's performance has Ed Belfour and the Stars back on track.
wav: 91 k
RealAudio: 14.4 | 28.8 | 56.6
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