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Wednesday, Jan. 19 10:30pm ET
Mighty Ducks rally to top Stars | |||||
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RECAP
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BOX SCORE
ANAHEIM, Calif. (AP) -- The Mighty Ducks of Anaheim keep beating the NHL's upper-echelon teams while playing everyone else like the last-place team they are. Antti Aalto and Paul Kariya scored less than five minutes apart early in the third period and Kariya added an empty-net goal in the final second as the Mighty Ducks rallied for a 3-1 victory over the Dallas Stars on Wednesday night. The Ducks have won only six of 16 games, but four of the victories came against Colorado, Detroit, St. Louis and the defending Stanley Cup champion Stars. "We were talking yesterday at practice about playing the next two games against Dallas and Colorado, and how much confidence we can take from these games if we beat them," Teemu Selanne said. "Everybody did their jobs tonight. We made the right decisions and played solid defensively." Manny Fernandez, starting in goal because of Ed Belfour's sore groin, stopped all 20 shots he faced during the first two periods. But the Ducks scored on their first shot of the third, as Aalto got his fourth goal to spoil Fernandez's chance at his first NHL shutout. "Their first goal was a bad one and we weren't able to recover," Dallas coach Ken Hitchcock said. "We played great the first two periods, but we didn't extend the lead when we had the chance." The goal ended a scoring drought of 108 minutes and 56 seconds by the Ducks, who lost 5-0 Monday. Kariya's 21st goal put Anaheim ahead for good, with 13:19 left, and helped the Ducks to only their second win in 11 games. It was Anaheim's first win in 16 games this season when trailing after two periods. Dallas has five losses when leading at that point. "I don't think there were any doubters in there that they could get it done," Anaheim coach Craig Hartsburg said. "There seemed to be a different spirit in the dressing room -- even the body language -- and guys were lively and upbeat. We got great leadership from Paul. He led and everybody followed." Joe Nieuwendyk opened the scoring on a power play at 11:54 of the second with his first goal since Dec. 15. The Stars were on the power play 37 seconds later when Ducks right wing Jeff Nielsen rammed Nieuwendyk into the boards from behind. Nieuwendyk was forced from the game with a separated right shoulder that is expected to keep him out for at least a month. The 14-year center was playing in only his third game after missing the previous 10 because of a bruised chest. Dallas right wing Jere Lehtinen, the league's top defensive forward in each of the previous two seasons, also left the game with an injured ankle that will be re-evaluated on Thursday. "We've been doing pretty well considering our injuries," Fernandez said. "I think we've done a great job to stay above .500 -- and when we get our full squad back, we should be able to make a pretty good run." Brett Hull, who on New Year's Eve became the third-fastest NHL player to score 600 goals, hasn't had one in the six games he's played since. | ALSO SEE NHL Scoreboard Dallas Clubhouse Anaheim Clubhouse Stars' Nieuwendyk out a month after separating shoulder
RECAPS Boston 4 Atlanta 3
Anaheim 3
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