Stars edge Red Wings to tighten series to 3-2
DETROIT (Reuters) - The Dallas Stars kept alive their Stanley Cup hopes with a 2-1 road victory over the Detroit Red Wings on Saturday.
Stars goalie Marty Turco ended an 11-game winless streak in Detroit to pull Dallas within a game of the Red Wings in the Western Conference final. Detroit lead the series 3-2 after winning the first three games.
"What a gutty performance by my team to help me get over the slide," Turco, who was 0-9-2 in NHL games at Detroit, told reporters. "It was a great upper."
Turco made 38 saves for his first NHL win in Detroit and set up the game-winner with a second-period assist.
Game six is in Dallas on Monday. Detroit can advance to the Stanley Cup finals with a victory while Dallas need two consecutive wins.
Joel Lundqvist turned Turco's assist into the deciding goal 6:04 into the second period.
"Any time I have an opportunity I'm getting out there to help our guys," Turco said. "I was able to hit some guys long, assist on the game-winner. That doesn't happen very often."
Trevor Daley's first goal of the playoffs put Dallas ahead 9:21 into the opening period.
Detroit found the equalizer on Jiri Hudler's power-play goal six minutes later.
Chris Osgood took the loss, making 19 saves.
Detroit had been 7-0 at home in playoff games before the loss.
Turco said the Red Wings had played well in the first three games with the Stars while he and his team had not.
"We were giving up too many odd-man rushes against talented players, and they were making us pay," he said.
"(Also) I wasn't giving the stellar goal-tending that we needed in order to win those first few games.
"Now we are playing much better," he said. "We have our backs against the wall, but this was a big game."
(Writing by Gene Cherry in Raleigh, North Carolina; Editing by Justin Palmer)
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