Dallas holds on for 2-0 win as Ron Tugnutt collects his 2nd straight shutout
The Dallas Stars played dominating hockey against one of the worst teams in the NHL, the Columbus Blue Jackets. It was Ron Tugnutt's second straight shutout and it extends his hot streak to 3 games. He's allowed just 2 goals in them.

Dallas welcomed two new players to the lineup in Stu Barnes and Lyle Odelein. Barnes and Odelein both were playing on the number 1 spot for their position, as Barnes was paired with Mike Modano and Scott Young, and Odelein was paired with Derian Hatcher.

The first two chances of the game were for the Blue Jackets when Tyler Wright and David Vyborny had shots against Ron Tugnutt. The game through the first 6 or 7 minutes was fast paced and continued to try goalies Tugnutt and Marc Denis. The KLM line of Kapanen, Lehtinen, and Morrow was up to their old tricks by putting the pressure on Columbus every time they stepped onto the ice.

Scoring started for the Stars when Ulf Dahlen, Jason Arnott, and Claude Lemieux were on the ice a few shifts into the game. These three were paired together due to the absence of Pierre Turgeon from tonight's game. He was out with a bruised leg and is not with the Stars on this three-game swing to the North. Arnott received the puck from a departing Sergei Zubov and made his was across the ice as he went into the Blue Jackets zone. He flipped the puck at Denis after Dahlen and Lemieux were at the net. The rebound went right to the stick of Ulfie and he pushed it past Denis for a 1-0 Dallas lead.

The only penalty of the cleanly played first period came against the Stars when newcomer Stu Barnes dragged down Rick Nash after he slipped behind the net. The red hot Dallas PK stopped Columbus in their tracks and kept the Dallas lead at 1. After the penalty to Barnes was completed, the line of Dahlen, Arnott and Lemieux continued to play well together. They kept solid pressure against the Jackets, and rarely were caught behind a Columbus rush.

The Stars allowed a few chances late in the first, including a shot from Tyler Wright after Ron Tugnutt basically passed the puck to Ray Whitney. The shot went just wide as Tugger slid over to the right post. Rick Nash also got a chance after a Dallas turnover.

The Stars got their first PP chance when Mike Modano made a great play at center ice to draw a penalty against Lasse Pirjeta. Before the whistle was blown though, Modano made a pass to Stu Barnes who ripped a shot that was stopped by Denis.

On the Power Play, Philippe Boucher shone as he fired two rockets that you could feel hit the pads of Marc Denis. He would rattle off another 2 shots before the night was done, making for a rough night for Denis. After the PP was over, the KLM line held the pressure before leaving the ice. Immediately after their departure, Andrew Cassels and David Vyborny moved the puck down the ice and got a good shot against Tugger. He made one of his 25 saves on the night.

The second Dallas goal was created by Kirk Muller and Steve Ott. Muller moved across the blueline and drew both Grand-Pierre and Scoville towards him as Ott moved to the right side. Muller made a clean pass through the traffic to Ott, and he moved past the three towards Denis. Ott faked Denis down to the ice and slipped the puck under his outstretched arm and into the net for a 2-0 Dallas lead.

Both sides had some PP chances, with Columbus getting the best one of them all. The Jackets were taken off the PK when Derian Hatcher and Scott Young were given penalties, as well as Tyler Wright. Young's penalty was a match for attempt to injure, but neither the Dallas cameras nor the Columbus crew got the penalty on camera. Just seconds later, Sergei Zubov was given an interference penalty and Dallas was down 4 men to 3. When Klesla came back on, Columbus had a 5 on 3. Through it all, the Stars stood tall and held Columbus in their zone for most of the PP.

After the remainder of the penalty was over in the third, Dallas went into a turtle shell defense, trying to hold on to their 2-0 lead. Even on the PP after a penalty to LaChance, the Stars didn't apply much pressure. Because of this non-game, Ron Tugnutt had to face a few shots to earn his shutout. All told, he took on 13 shots in the third, many of which should have been a goal.

My 3 Stars:
Ron Tugnutt - stopped 25 of 25 shots for his second straight shutout
David Vyborny - played a solid game for the depressing Blue Jackets while firing 2 shots. He was involved in lots of Columbus rushes and so gets the #2 honor.
Philippe Boucher - fired 4 shots in the game, with lots of pressure on the Dallas Power Play

Dallas goes to Minnesota for a game tomorrow night against the Wild before heading to Edmonton to get a taste of the Oilers before meeting them in the playoffs. Pierre Turgeon may be able to join the team in Edmonton, this Saturday night.

With the start of Tugnutt tonight, one can only believe that Corey Hirsch will get his first career NHL start tomorrow against the Wild. We'll see if Dave Tippet decides to push his luck further and start the assumingly tired Ron Tugnutt.



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