The Stars made life difficult for themselves with a rough stretch to end March, but they have resurrected their hopes at least a little with regulation wins over Anaheim and Columbus. Tonight’s win was nip and tuck right to the last minute, as Steve Ott’s first period tally was the only goal on the board until empty netters by Loui Eriksson (25) and Brenden Morrow (30) clinched the game late.
Kari Lehtonen saved 23 shots for his third shutout of the season and nearly saw the lead slip away with just under five minutes remaining, as Derek Dorsett shoved a defender into Lehtonen just as the puck was centered. The puck went into the net, but the goal was waived off and Dorsett was called for goalie interference. Anaheim also saw two late apparent goals waived off in Dallas’ win Sunday.
The win moves Dallas to within two points of Chicago and Anaheim, after the Blackhawks lost to Montreal in overtime. They also move to within one non-shootout win of Chicago, but cannot catch Anaheim in the tiebreaker. The Ducks face San Jose Wednesday, and the Blackhawks return home to host St. Louis. Dallas is off until Thursday but will watch the scoreboard with interest.