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Final Score: San Jose 1 - Dallas 2
Dallas, TX (Sports Network) - Brenden Morrow scored at the 9:03 mark of the fourth overtime as the Dallas Stars advanced to the Western Conference finals with a 2-1 win over the San Jose Sharks in Game 6.
In the fourth extra session, Brian Campbell was called for tripping and the Dallas power play went to work. Mike Ribeiro received a pass along the left boards and fired it across the ice to Stephane Robidas, who faked a shot before sending it down low where Morrow redirected past Evgeni Nabokov for the win.
"By the time you get to the seventh period you've got a lot of tired guys out there," said Dallas coach Dave Tippett. "We just tried to keep the shifts short and keep the energy up. There's four teams left now."
It was the eighth longest playoff game in the history of the NHL and the longest thus far this postseason.
Antti Miettinen scored in regulation while Marty Turco set a Dallas record with 61 saves in the victory for the Stars, who advanced to the conference finals for the first time since 2000 and will face the Red Wings in Detroit starting on Thursday.
"Games like this make you feel like you're doing something right," said Turco. "I wasn't sure it was ever going to end but it did and luckily it came out our way."
Ryan Clowe scored the lone goal while Nabokov stopped 53 shots in the loss for the Sharks, who were defeated in the semifinals for the third straight year.
San Jose trailed this series, 3-0, but had won the previous two to force the sixth game.
"I thought we controlled the game well," said San Jose coach Ron Wilson. "But they got that power play and they have some dangerous guys out there. It's a shame to lose the game that way, but Turco had our number tonight."
The Stars almost had the win just 90 seconds into overtime as Brad Richards fired a one-timer from the low right side into a wide open net. Nabokov, though, got over and swallowed the puck with the glove before it crossed the line.
Turco made an equally spectacular save with a bit over eight minutes to play in the first overtime. Jeremy Roenick sent a pass from the right boards over to the left circle where Patrick Marleau let fly with a shot, but Turco came up with a right pad kick save on the offering.
In the final minute of the first overtime, Ribeiro beat Turco cleanly with a wrister, but it hit off the crossbar and the game went to a second overtime.
San Jose controlled the Dallas attack in the second overtime and limited the Stars to just two shots while throwing 11 at Turco, but the stanza went scoreless and the teams skated into a third overtime.
The Sharks were awarded a power play early in the third OT, but were unable to capitalize as Turco made eight saves in the frame and Nabokov stopped six to force a fourth overtime.
The Stars controlled play through much of the first 10 minutes and spent an extended amount of time in the San Jose end, but Nabokov came up with some big saves to keep the Stars off the board.
In all, each team had eight shots on net in the first period, all of which the goaltenders stopped.
Dallas took a 1-0 lead 4:49 into the second. Mike Modano fired a pass to the right point where Sergei Zubov blasted a one-timer on net. Nabokov made the stop, but the rebound kicked out to the left side and Miettinen buried it for his first goal of the playoffs.
San Jose managed 11 shots on net in the second period, but had few quality scoring chances and Turco stopped everything thrown his way.
The Sharks quickly evened things up in the third. Craig Rivet chipped a shot on net from the top of the right circle that popped into the air. Clowe settled in at the faceoff stripe and his turnaround shot beat Turco over the glove just 1:39 in.
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