Wild fall 2-1 to Stars; Dallas takes 2-0 series lead
DALLAS -- Antoine Roussel never got a stick on the puck when he scored from behind the net, a highly unusual goal for the Dallas Stars that the Minnesota Wild still can't believe counted.
The strange goal by Roussel, which was initially waved off before a lengthy review, came after the puck ricocheted off the skates of Ales Hemsky and Roussel.
It popped over the net into the back of Minnesota goalie Devan Dubnyk's head before falling to the ice while the net became dislodged.
A much-debated goal that helped the Stars win 2-1 on Saturday night to take a 2-0 series lead over the Wild.
"We got a bounce like a pinball out there," Roussel said. "I felt like I kind of got lucky on that one."
Stars coach Lindy Ruff said he's seen some crazy goals, but never one that went to review when he didn't know whether it went in or if the net was off.
Or was it a high stick or a kick?
"There's a lot of options there to go over," Ruff said.
The first-round series shifts to Minnesota for Game 3 on Monday night, but probably not without more talk about how Dallas scored its first goal without getting a stick on the puck about 4 minutes into the second period of Game 2.
"I don't know if anyone can really riddle me how that's a goal in the National Hockey League, but it was," Wild defenseman Matt Dumba said.
Dubnyk stopped 26 of 28 shots, but never saw the puck that went in to put Dallas ahead to stay.
"I'm not even going to talk about it. It's embarrassing. It's not even worth the fine to tell you guys what I think about it," Dubnyk said.
"Watch the replay. The puck is kicked and somehow they have enough to overturn the refs call thinking the puck is in the net there. . . . It's mind-blowing that that's the outcome of that play in the playoffs."
Marco Scandella, who later scored Minnesota's lone goal, was trying to clear the puck behind the net when it instead ricocheted off the skate of Hemsky toward Roussel and then popped up off his skate and over the net.
The puck hit Dubnyk, then slid down his back and dropped onto the ice as the net became dislodged as he backed up.
An on-ice official immediately waved off the goal, but that call was overturned after the review by NHL officials in Toronto.
"I wasn't sure it crossed the line," Roussel said. "I had a feeling that I might get it reversed."
Stars captain Jamie Benn scored on an unassisted breakaway that he ended with a nifty backhand to make it 2-0 with 9:37 left in the game.
Scandella scored on a power play, making a slap shot from well above the left circle with 7:18 left.
Kari Lehtonen stopped 25 of 26 shots, including a last flurry by the Wild with an extra skater in the final minute. He was back in net for the Stars after stopping 22 shots in the 4-0 win in Game 1, his second career postseason shutout.
The Wild had two extra skaters for the final 5.7 seconds after a penalty, but the Stars quickly cleared the puck after the faceoff from the circle to Lehtonen's right.
"It's a battle and you try to read where the guys are," Lehtonen said. "At the end of the day, it's just a crazy battle and that was nice that we were able to keep them out."
Notes: Minnesota has lost seven games in a row, having gotten into the playoffs after losing its last five regular-season games. The Wild have also lost six postseason games in a row. ... All-Star center Tyler Seguin was back on the ice for Dallas for the first time in a month, since sustaining a small cut in his left Achilles tendon on March 17 that required surgery. He had missed 11 games, the last 10 games of the regular season and the playoff opener. He was on the ice for 15:40 and had one shot. ... Dallas was able to kill off some valuable time on a delayed penalty with just under 4 minutes left in the game. The Stars had an extra skater and kept moving the puck before Minnesota could finally get to it. Ruff called it unscripted and "hockey smarts" by his players that were on the ice. ... Minnesota was 1 for 5 on the power play. Dallas was 0 for 5, and is 1 for 11 in the series.
