Dallas Stars bounce back win in Overtime against Vancouver Canucks 3-2 -NHL Update
Mike Ribeiro gave Dallas another life by levelling it in the final minute of regulation, pushing the Stars toward victory in overtime against Vancouver Canucks, 3-2, Sunday night, February 26, 2012, at the American Airlines Center in Dallas, Texas.
Dallas needed a win to move back into the playoff race, which is exactly what they did as the Stars now sit at number eight in the Western Conference with 70 points, but will have to continue winning in order to keep it theirs.
"We know we need the points now and it was a big two points for us," Dallas’ left winger, Loui Eriksson, said. "For sure, that gives us confidence that we can score late and win the game. We just stuck with it and got the two points."
Vancouver was on a two-game winning streak entering the contest after a shootout edge over Detroit Red Wings and 2-1 over New Jersey Devils but fell to Dallas, failing to extend their lead over the second place competition.
After a scoreless opening period, Vancouver kicked off the second with a goal by Ryan Kesler for his 19th of the 2011-2012 National Hockey League (NHL) regular season.
Mason Raymond extended the visiting team’s lead with his eighth of the year 13:11 into the period while Michael Ryder made Dallas’ first of the night on the power play.
Mike Ribeiro made the only goal of the third and that too at the 19:07 mark with less than a minute remaining, something Dallas had their fingers crossed for throughout.
"It took us 59 minutes to get the second goal, but I thought we stuck with it for 60 minutes and we showed some resolve," Stars coach, Glen Gulutzan, said. "We got a result at the end and it's a big win for our hockey team going down the stretch."
Loui Eriksson was the man to spark a wild roar from the crowd with his game-winner at 3:52 of overtime, giving Dallas that hard earned win.
Dallas Stars are hot at the moment with four consecutive wins and hope to continue as they host the Pittsburgh Penguins on Wednesday while Canucks are set to face-off with Phoenix Coyotes on Tuesday.
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