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Third-period flurry helps Kings crown Stars

Sat 22nd, March 2008

Dallas, TX (Sports Network) - Michal Handzus scored twice during a three-goal, third-period flurry, and the Los Angeles Kings stunned the Dallas Stars, 4-2.

The Kings scored three times in a span of 1:42, snapping a seven-game losing streak at Dallas. Lubomir Visnovsky tallied the game-winner with just over two minutes remaining in the contest, while Erik Ersberg picked up the much deserved win between the pipes, stopping 25-of-27 shots.

The come-from-behind victory puts the Kings at 66 points, just two points shy of last season's mark with six games left to play. They are well out of contention in the Western Conference playoff race, however.

Stu Barnes and Brenden Morrow tallied for the Stars, but it wasn't enough to halt Dallas' three-game skid. Morrow's 29th goal improved his career-high points mark to 67 on the season. Marty Turco was solid for 57 minutes, but let the win slip away in the third, ending with 26 saves. Dallas remains fifth in the Western Conference and holds a one-point edge over Calgary for that spot. The Flames defeated the Minnesota Wild, 5-4, on Saturday.

"It's obviously a cliche, but small plays make the big differences," Barnes said. "You have to play 60-minute games or the puck is going to be in the back of your net."

The second period ended with Dallas ahead, 2-1, where it stayed through much of the third.

The Kings exploded, though, as Handzus sliced a quick shot past Turco from the middle of the ice at the 16:59 mark to tie the score at 2-2.

Less than a minute later, Visnovsky deflected a Derek Armstrong shot from the blue line and Turco couldn't find the puck through the screen, giving Los Angeles its first lead of the game at 3-2.

Handzus put the nail in the coffin after Alexander Frolov maneuvered between two defenders to put a shot on goal. Handzus picked up the loose rebound and found the back of the net to put the game away.

The Stars used a power-play tally to net the only goal of the first period, as Matt Niskanen took a shot from the point that was deflected by Morrow at 13:08.

The Kings responded with a few chances of their own on the other end, but Turco proved up to the task by denying each shot.

Los Angeles answered the Stars' power-play goal with one of their own at the 5:48 mark of the second stanza. From the right corner, Mike Cammalleri threw a puck on net that caught Turco off guard. The rebound caromed in front of the net, and, with Turco caught out of position, Rob Blake found himself looking at a wide open net to tie the score at 1-1.

The tie would not last long, as Barnes lit the lamp for Dallas less than six minutes later. A nice give-and-go from Mike Ribeiro and Mark Fistric from the right side of the ice commanded two defenders, as Ribeiro found Barnes in the middle and the forward capitalized by blowing it by the screened goaltender in the top right-side corner.

Game Notes

Handzus hadn't scored since December 17, 2007 against Colorado, ending his dubious 42-game streak without a goal...Los Angeles is 4-3 against Dallas this season...The Stars have lost seven of their last eight games...Both teams were 1-for-3 on the power play.

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