The Dallas Stars did not give the Detroit Red Wings a chance to recover as they rallied with a 4-1 lead that ultimately transformed into a victory on Thursday night.
The Stars did not miss a breakdown and advanced to victory by adding up to their goal advantage; they also had the bonus of playing on their home ice at American Airlines Center in Dallas.
The Wings had to lose Johan Franzen after the midway point of the first period as he suffered a concussion. They were already playing without defensemen Brian Rafalski as he is suffering a knee scope and is out until October; Jonathan Ericsson was also absent.
Brad Richards clinched the Stars their first point when he blasted a shot through traffic on a power play with 41 seconds into the first period. Loui Eriksson scored the second with 44 seconds into the second, and Brenden Morrow capitalized on a behind-the-net pass to turn it 3-0 at 7:03 of the second period. James Neal sealed the deal by scoring at 16:26.
Niklas Kronwall scored the sole goal for his team when he used a power play at 11:25 of the third period, thus avoiding a shutout for his team. Todd Bertuzzi of the Wings recorded his 400th career assist on the play. The Stars had just 15 shots on net when compared to Detroit, who had 26.
The Red Wings lost, 5-4, in a shootout to Colorado Tuesday night at their home arena; they will play Phoenix on Saturday.
