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Continued: The Stars Get a Taste of Playoff Intensity in Recent Close Games
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Langenbrunner takes the Kings' Simmonds head-on before providing some late game scoring.
Dallas continued to scrap for an equalizing goal throughout the third period. Stars' fans were overjoyed when Langenbrunner tied the game with his ninth goal of the year. Langenbrunner opportunistically crashed the net and evened the affair with just forty-three seconds remaining as Goligoski and Benn picked up their twenty-ninth and twenty-third respective assists. What looked like the goal that would send Dallas into overtime was soon cancelled out by Michal Handzus' winner as a stunned American Airlines Center crowd couldn't believe their own eyes. The Kings had stolen the game late for a 4-3 victory.

It was a difficult loss but Langenbrunner hailed the Stars' comeback ability. "There wasn't a whole lot of open ice, and it was a battle for us," he said. "We didn't get the result we wanted, but we did a lot of good things. We're gaining confidence in ourselves and in our team and playing good third periods. There's no doubt in our locker room. We know if we're down one or two goals we can come back. It's a good feeling to have."

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The Stars fell to the Sharks on this night, but Langenbrunner and his teammates still played well.
Another rival in the form of the San Jose Sharks were next to take on the Stars. The Sharks put fifteen shots on net but Lehtonen stood tall as neither team could find a first period goal. Ribeiro continued his knack for scoring as he found the game's opening goal shortly into the second period. It was Ribeiro's sixteenth goal of the year as Benn picked up the lone assist. Toby Petersen scored his second goal of the season on the power-play as Benn recorded his second assist of the evening and his twenty-fifth overall with Karlis Skrastins gaining his fourth helper.

San Jose battled back to even the game 2-2 as Joe Thornton and later Dany Heatley scored on the power-play. The Sharks continued to feast on the Stars in the third period as Ryan Clowe and Torrey Mitchell gave San Jose a two-goal advantage. Dallas kept pushing hard and their effort was rewarded as Benn backhanded in a power-play goal. Benn hit the twenty goal mark on the season as Ott and Langenbrunner collected their respective seventeenth and twentieth assists. Two empty net goals by the Sharks made the 6-3 result look nothing like the game fans in Dallas witnessed that night.

The Stars came out eager to prove a point as the defending Stanley Cup champion Chicago Blackhawks were on the end of a sound beating on Thursday. Ott's breakaway goal gave Dallas the lead late in the first period. It was his eleventh of the season as Richards and Lehtonen assisted. Shortly into the second period, Benn doubled the Dallas lead as he found his twenty-first goal with Ribeiro and Morrow assisting. Moments later, Morrow grabbed a goal of his own and his twenty-seventh of the season. This time Benn was the provider as he picked up his twenty-sixth helper while Ribeiro reached forty-six assists.

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Langenbrunner challenges the Hawks' Frolik for the puck as the Stars went on to a 5-0 win.
Dallas went into the second intermission with a commanding 3-0 lead but they continued to light the lamp in the third period. Hawks' goalie Marty Turco made a mistake clearing the puck as Jason Williams batted down the puck and scored into the empty net. Brandon Segal completed the 5-0 rout with his fifth goal of the year. Richards added his fourty-second assist while Vincour notched his first career assist. Lehtonen saved all twenty-three shots on net as he raised his shutout total to two on the season. His sixth assist gained in the first period set a new record for goalie assists in a single season for the Stars.

Richards spoke about the important of the win. "From here on out over the next 11 games, every time we win one it'll be the biggest one," he said. "It's good for our locker room because this is a little bit how it feels like when you're in a (playoff) series."

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Goligoski, Ribeiro and Benn celebrate Goligoski's goal against the Flyers.
The Eastern Conference leading Philadelphia Flyers were next up on the Stars' schedule. Jeff Carter and Mike Richards helped the Flyers to two unanswered goals before Dallas was able to beat Philly net-minder Sergei Bobrovsky. Goligoski scored twelve minutes into the second period as he recorded his eleventh goal of the season with Benn and Morrow reaching twenty-seven and twenty-one assists respectively. The game continued to be a tight one into the third period as Stephane Robidas evened the contest at 2-2 late in the period. It was Robidas' fifth goal of the year as Ott picked up the lone assist, his eighteenth.

Overtime couldn't produce a winner as the game ventured into a shootout. The first three participants were unable to find the back of the net but it was the Flyers' Claude Giroux who scored first as he out-deked Lehtonen. Ribeiro answered right back with a skillful move of his own to even the shootout. The next six combatants couldn't find the winner until Ville Leino secured a 3-2 victory for the Flyers.

Over this stretch, the Stars faced some of the most difficult teams around the NHL and are sitting just outside the playoffs in ninth place. Their 85 overall points is tied with the Anaheim Ducks who hold the eight spot in the Western Conference. Wednesday night's game will be a hugely important one as the Ducks will visit the American Airlines Center as the Pacific Division rivals continue their battle to make the playoffs. After Wednesday, the Stars will begin a five-game road trip that will conclude on April 3rd at Anaheim.

Brad Richards maintains Dallas' point lead at 67. Captain Brenden Morrow is atop all Stars' skaters with 27 goals while Mike Ribeiro is ahead in assists with 46. Alex Goligoski's plus/minus of plus-27 is a team-best. Loui Eriksson has been the Stars' most clutch performer with 10 power-play goals and 6 game-winning goals. Kari Lehtonen's goals against average currently stands at 2.55. He's recorded 30 victories and 2 shutouts while maintaining a save percentage of 91.6%.

Nicklas Grossman and Loui Eriksson remain day-to-day and it is likely that both will be ready for Wednesday evening's encounter with the Ducks. The Stars have called up veteran defenseman Brad Lukowich from Texas of the AHL in case Grossman is unable to take part.
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