Stars blast Blues in OT

Dallas
Stars

"In overtime, you try to get as many pucks on net as possible," Nieuwendyk said. "On the goal, Zubov really sent me a crisp pass and I was able to get a step wide on the defense. I just shot it as hard as I could. I didn't actually see where it went or if it went in, but when I heard the crowd I knew I had scored."

Nieuwendyk suffered a damaging knee injury last year in the first period of the Stars' first playoff game and had to sit out the rest of the playoffs.

"He's making up for lost time," Hitchcock said. "He is a very focused individual. He's a very determined player right now."

The game marked the return of the Stars' Derian Hatcher, who was suspended seven games for breaking the jaw of Phoenix's Jeremy Roenick on April 14.

"I took a couple of hits on my third shift and that really got me into the game," Hatcher said. "As far as my intensity level was concerned, I had to make sure that it was settled a little bit, especially during the first five or 10 minutes. The reaction from the crowd made me feel a little bit nervous. But I was able to settle down a little quickly."

Jamie Langenbrunner, Mike Keane and Jere Lehtinen also scored for Dallas. Pavol Demitra scored twice and Scott Young and Pierre Turgeon got the other two goals for St. Louis.

"There is some encouragement because we did score four goals against them. But it's safe to say the feeling among the guys is one of desperation right now," said St. Louis winger Craig Conroy. "It's not quite like the situation we had against Phoenix, when we were one game away from being eliminated, but we certainly have to go home and win Game Three."