Makeshift Dallas Stars make it happen in 3-1 win
The Dallas Morning News
Dec. 3--CALGARY, Alberta -- The Dallas Stars lineup was an interesting conglomeration Tuesday night.
After forward Sean Avery was suspended for comments he made at the morning skate, the Stars had to put out a team that had seven defensemen and 11 forwards -- or all the healthy players Dallas has at this time.
The Stars used the strange concoction to post their second consecutive victory for the first time this season, beating the Calgary Flames, 3-1, and moving to 9-11-4. The Flames lost for the first time in the last four games and only the fourth time at home in 14 games. Calgary is 14-10-1.
Marty Turco had a huge game with 36 saves, and the Stars' makeshift lineup played together like a team.
"At the beginning of the season, that's probably not the lineup we would have projected in the first part of December, but we'll take it,'' Stars coach Dave Tippett said. "It was just a very good team win. We found a way to win in a very adverse situation with injuries and the controversy that surrounds our team today."
Defenseman Andrew Hutchinson, who was acquired in a trade with Tampa Bay on Sunday, played in his first game with the Stars and joined Doug Janik, Stephane Robidas, Darryl Sydor, Trevor Daley, Matt Niskanen and Nicklas Grossman on defense.
The Stars then juggled their 11 forwards (normally there are 12) in a mix of different line combinations.
The result: Two big goals from two unexpected sources. Veteran Toby Petersen scored his second goal of the year and second goal in as many games when he found a Robidas rebound off the pad of Miikka Kiprusoff in the first period.
Rookie Fabian Brunnstrom then put the Stars up 2-1 in the second period when he took a brilliant breakout pass from Trevor Daley down the center of the ice and whipped a shot on net. Kiprusoff made the original save, but then Brunnstrom made a one-handed tap-in of his own rebound for his seventh goal of the season.
Brunnstrom had played just one shift in the last game, but Tippett said the team needed everyone on board in their current situation.
"It's the desperation of a team that's fighting against a lot of odds right now," Tippett said.
Stars center Mike Modano said the team had a nice unity to it, despite being out-shot 37-23.
