DALLAS -- There will definitely be a winner if the Dallas Stars and Detroit Red Wings meet again this season. There are no ties in the playoffs.
The Western Conference division leaders played to their fourth tie in four games Sunday night, 2-2, in their last regular-season meeting.
"The resemblance is striking -- look at the stats and the numbers," Stars coach Dave Tippett said. "They are champions still, and we are trying to play to their level. These are good tests for our teams."
Detroit outshot Dallas 29-28, the extra shot coming for the defending Stanley Cup champs in the overtime period.
"Four ties. They're probably just as happy as we are with them," said Detroit's Brett Hull, a former Star.
The season series is a deadlock, and the overall series is only one game from being one as well. Dallas has an 88-87-33 series lead through 208 games, 104 each in Dallas and Detroit.
Tomas Holmstrom scored two goals and the Red Wings stretched their unbeaten streak to eight. Holmstrom scored early in each of the first two periods to give Detroit leads, only to have Dallas tie it by both intermissions.
Detroit is 5-0-3 their last eight, including a 1-1 tie at home against the Stars on Dec. 19. The Red Wings are the first NHL team to 50 points, one more than Eastern Conference leader Ottawa and Vancouver, the other Western Conference division leader.
The other two games this season between the Stars and Red Wings ended in 3-3 ties, Nov. 3 at Detroit and Dec. 6 at Dallas.
"It was pretty much the same as the other games. Both teams had their chances," Detroit's Chris Chelios said. "It was a very good road game for us."
In the overtime, Detroit went on the power play when Scott Young was called for high-sticking, but the Red Wings managed only Nicklas Lidstrom's shot before Brendan Shanahan was called for holding halfway through the penalty.
The two teams skated 3-on-3 for a minute, and Dallas got the only shot the rest of the game.
Just 70 seconds in, Holmstrom took a pass from Chris Chelios, twisted and sent a shot that went over Marty Turco as the Dallas goalie sprawled trying to stop the puck.
Holmstrom's power-play goal 2:08 into the second put the Red Wings back up 2-1. He got his ninth goal of the season by using his stick to redirect Jason Woolley's shot.
"Some nights, the fancy plays don't work and you have to rely on the bang-bang plays," Holmstrom said.
Dallas almost tied it a minute later but Joseph blocked consecutive shots, smothering a putback attempt to stop play.
But Dallas tied it at 2-2 with 14:34 left in the second when Brenden Morrow, on a second effort, punched the puck through Joseph's legs.
"It was just laying between his legs. I swatted at it, and it found a hole," Morrow said.
"This is a building block for us. When we play the best teams, we usually play well," he said. "We want to stay in position and hopefully meet this team again."
After Holmstrom's first goal, the Red Wings had the first seven shots on goal until Dallas winger Scott Young finally sent a puck toward the goal almost eight minutes in.
The Stars had two power plays -- including a 5-on-3 for 41 seconds -- and finally got even at 10 shots when Morrow pushed a puck under Joseph's legs. But it slid through the crease parallel to the net and past the post.
Jere Lehtinen's power-play goal, his 14th, tied it 1-1 with 4:13 left in the first.
After Sergei Fedorov missed on Detroit's second straight shorthanded attempt, Mike Modano was charging down the right side when he passed back to Lehtinen for a one-timer from the top of the right circle.
Notes
- Dallas is 1-4-2-1 in its last eight games against Detroit on home ice.
- The Stars are 11-1-3-1 at home this season.
- The Stars played the first game after a seven-game road trip -- their longest of the season -- during which they were 2-3-2.
- Dallas has 40 first-period goals in its 39 games, and Detroit has 37 in its 37.
AP NEWS
The Associated Press News Service
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