Power Play, Belfour Click as Stars Take 3-2 Lead Over Blues

The Dallas Stars couldn’t get an even-strength goal against St. Louis all night Saturday at Dallas, but they jump-started their troubled power play, got two man-advantage goals and recorded a 3-1 victory in Game 5 of the Western Conference semifinals.

The Stars also got a 30-save performance from Ed Belfour to push Blues to the brink of elimination. Dallas leads the best-of-seven series, 3-2, with Game 6 Monday night at St. Louis.

The Stars’ power play, which is four for 26 in the series, went two for five Saturday night.

Belfour allowed the Stars to concentrate on offense, stopping 30 of 31 shots, including several St. Louis opportunities in the latter parts of the game.

“Our power play was good, the goalie was excellent, and that’s about it,” Star Coach Ken Hitchcock said. “But if we’re going to win another game in this series, we’ve got to play better.”

The Stars continued to shut down the Blues’ power play, even scoring a short-handed goal during St. Louis’ first chance with the man advantage. The Blues went 0 for four on the power play.

With Jamie Langenbrunner off for roughing, Mike Modano beat two St. Louis defenders for the puck just inside his own blue line, sped up the right side and dished it cross-ice to Jere Lehtinen.

Lehtinen put a wrist shot past Grant Fuhr for his fifth goal of the playoffs just 3:47 into the game.

The Stars made it 2-0 with a power-play goal when Langenbrunner scored on a point-blank shot at 9:43 for his third goal of the playoffs. Darryl Sydor corralled a weak clearing attempt and passed to Modano in the corner and the Dallas center fed an open Langenbrunner for the score.

“Special teams were a big factor,” Blues Coach Joel Quenneville said. “It was a big difference. They had a good start again and we didn’t recover. It’s important to get off on the right foot, and we keep digging ourselves another hole.”

Center Joe Nieuwendyk said, “We’ve got to pick up our five-on-five play a little bit and go after them.”

Nieuwendyk tipped in Derian Hatcher’s shot from the point for a power-play goal and 3-0 lead at 10:59 of the second. It was Nieuwendyk’s team-best sixth goal.

But the crowd had barely finished cheering Nieuwendyk when Scott Young flicked a weak shot between Belfour’s legs for his fourth at 11:19 to make it 3-1.

Toronto 4, Pittsburgh 1--Defenseman Dimitri Yushwevich twice stopped Jamorir Jagr in the Maple Leafs’ zone and that was the key to the victory at Toronto that gave the Maple Leafs a 3-2 lead in the Eastern Conference semifinal series.

“My teammates helped cover for me, so it wasn’t that hard,” Yushkevich said. “I just tried to play against him like I play against anybody in the league, but always keeping in mind he’s the best player in the world.

“He’s a very strong guy and I try not to get involved with him physically in the neutral zone because if I lose my body position on him I lose everything. So I try to contain him in our end and try to take away his move to the middle.”

Fanatical checking and goals by Sylvain Cote, Mike Johnson, Steve Thomas and Sergei Berezin won it for the Maple Leafs. The only puck to get behind Curtis Joseph was deflected in by teammate Kevyn Adams and was credited to Jan Hrdina.

Game 6 is Monday night in Pittsburgh, and unless Jagr can find a way to elude Yushkevich it might be over in six games.

“Dimitri is doing a number on [Jagr],” said Joseph. “He’s right there in his face every time.”

Around the NHL

Barring any new problems with his knee, goaltender Chris Osgood will start for the Detroit Red Wings today against the Colorado Avalanche when their Western Conference semifinal resumes at Denver’s McNichols Arena. Osgood sprained his knee April 27 against the Mighty Ducks and missed the first four games of the series with Colorado. The visiting team won each game. “We’re thinking that Osgood is going to play. That’s what we’re planning for,” Detroit Coach Scotty Bowman said. “He’s been able to practice the last four days, to move around and make saves. I think he looked pretty good [Saturday].”