Hull scored his third goal of these playoffs with a vicious wrist shot with 5:02 remaining in the third period, his second consecutive series-winning goal in a 3-2 Dallas victory. Hull also had the Stanley Cup-winning goal with his infamous "foot in the crease" shot against Buffalo last June 19.

"There's no better feeling in the world," Hull said. "I was in the delivery room when all three of my kids were born, and nothing beats that. But in those goals. . . that's what I live for.

"Sometimes I get a little down with the way this game is going, but I live to score goals. That's all. And when you get them like that, it makes you feel like, well, that's what you're supposed to do."

Both teams played this game with furious desperation. Dallas wanted no part of going back to Edmonton for an Easter Night Game 6 in the NHL's loudest and most hostile environment. Edmonton was playing for its life, needing a win to extend the season another day, and the Oilers threw everything at the Stars in a splendid playoff game.

"Next year, somebody else can play this team," said Stars coach Ken Hitchcock, whose team has faced the Oilers in each of the past four Stanley Cup tournaments.

"There was so much desperation for both teams, but in the second period and parts of the third, we were under siege out there. Thank God we've got a guy like Brett Hull."

That's not exactly what Hitchcock was saying during the regular season, when he had Hull playing sparingly on a fourth line through much of the season. Not only were Hull's offensive numbers slipping, but his defense suffered as well. He finished the season with 24 goals among 59 points, but he was a minus-20 in 79 games.

Hull began these playoffs as a part-timer again, but raised his game enough to get reunited on the top line next to Mike Modano, his centerman all last season and throughout the playoffs.

Asked between games if he planned to use Modano's line to check Edmonton's top line centered by Doug Weight, Hitchcock asked bluntly in response: "You mean we're asking Brett Hull to check?"

All that was missing was Hitchcock's mischievous smile. He wasn't kidding.

Hull knows where he earns his living in this game. He also earned an assist on captain Derian Hatcher's goal that put Dallas ahead 2-1 late in the second period. So five games into these playoffs, Hull leads the Stars with three goals among six points -- which helps make that miserable regular season already a distant memory.

"Worst season of my career," Hull called it before the playoffs began. "But I'm not really worried about the regular season right now."

On the winning goal, Hull found himself working a shift with Joe Nieuwendyk, who is struggling to find his game since returning late in the regular season from a shoulder injury. Nieuwendyk took a pass from defenseman Sylvain Cote and skated over the blue line on a bee line toward Tommy Salo's net.

Hull said he was certain Nieuwendyk was going to try to get off a shot. But just before breaking for the crease for a possible rebound, Hull yelled, "There's three of us."

Nieuwendyk heard him, and dropped a nifty pass behind him onto Hull's stick while Salo was caught leaning toward Nieuwendyk.

"He gave me the corner," Hull said. "I was going hard to the far side."

Hull snapped his shot from the top of the right face-off circle. Salo never had a chance. The bee-bee of a puck found the back of the net and took the breath away from 17,001 at Reunion Arena, the Stars' 93rd consecutive sellout.

Before then, there were moments of doubt. The Stars brought a 2-1 lead into the third period, but the relentless Oilers tied it 67 seconds into the period when grinder Jim Dowd stood behind Ed Belfour's net and banked in a shot off Hatcher's big skate.

Brett Hull (left) consoles Phoenix's Todd Marchant after the game.(AP)

Crestfallen, Hatcher just looked at his goaltender and tried to say he was sorry. The steely eyed Belfour looked back and said, "That goal is not going to beat us." Then his team went to work.

"We just kept going and found a way to win," Hitchcock said in tribute to a team that has patented that formula, especially in clinching games.

The Stars are 7-0 in elimination games since 1998, and Modano said that's no accident.

"It seems like so many of these series are filled with one-goal games that go right to the end," he said. "They're learning experiences. And it seems like at crunch time we just know what to do. How to get the lead, how to hold on to it. When you've been there over and over like we have, it gives you confidence.

"That's what makes a great team, being able to smell blood like that and close teams out."

Those lessons began in 1997, when the Oilers eliminated a strong Dallas team in overtime of Game 7 in the opening round.

"That was probably the best thing to happen to this team," Hull said. "A lot of guys learned right then you can't take anything for granted in the Stanley Cup playoffs."

Since then, the Stars have played eight playoff series and won seven of them. Now they're defending a Stanley Cup title.

But even great teams need rest, and the Stars can use the extra few days off they gave themselves with this victory.

"The shorter we can make these early rounds, the more time people have to get healthy," Hull said. "And right now, you have no idea how many ice bags and how much tape guys are using after only five games."

But Brett Hull was smiling. And for the Dallas Stars, that's a good thing.