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DALLAS -- The Dallas Stars got a huge lift from Tim Thomas after a big hit knocked Kari Lehtonen out of the game. LeGarrette Blount Jersey . Erik Cole scored on a breakaway with 4:49 to play, and the Stars rallied to defeat the Minnesota Wild 4-3 on Saturday night. Lehtonen injured his head in a collision with the Wilds Erik Haula at 6:37 of the third period. Haula was given a major penalty for charging -- Lehtonens helmet came off as he fell backward into the crossbar -- and was ejected. Tyler Seguin scored with 26 seconds remaining in the 5-minute power play to tie the game at 3. "Obviously, not good," Stars coach Lindy Ruff said. "(Haula) went in hard, (Lehtonen) hit the crossbar hard. Likelihood, its a concussion on just a dirty play. He should be suspended. "Fourth-liner takes out our goaltender." The newly acquired Thomas stopped all six shots he faced for the win in his Stars debut in relief. The Stars acquired the 39-year-old goalie from the Florida Panthers at Wednesdays trade deadline, giving them another seasoned goalie. "For me, Tim looked calm in there," Ruff said. "He made some plays that maybe younger goaltenders wouldnt make. That was vintage Tim Thomas. Hes lived it and he knows how to play." With the game tied at 3, Cole picked up a loose puck at centre ice and Wild goalie Darcy Kuemper came out to stop him, but Coles shot went past Kuemper and into the upper left corner. Cole also assisted on Seguins tying goal. "We fought hard all game long and kept battling back and were able to grab the lead," Minnesota coach Mike Yeo said. "And then all of sudden you take a 5-minute major and another mistake after that and you find yourself down, so its tough." Wild defenceman Keith Ballard had the turnover that led to Coles goal. "Bad read on my part," Ballard said. "I dont know if I telegraphed it a little bit or I just kind of misjudged how high he was playing in the D zone. Obviously, the guy picked it off." Both the tying and winning goals were scored under a banner raised before the game to honour Mike Modano, the franchises all-time scoring leader. Seguin also had two assists, giving him four goals and four assists in two games. Jamie Benn and Alex Chiasson also scored for Dallas. Haula scored in the first period and Charlie Coyle in the second. Kyle Brodziak gave the Wild their only lead in the third. The Stars, eighth in the Western Conference, moved within three points of the seventh-place Wild. Minnesota had won five in a row. Dallas also increased the lead over No. 9 Phoenix to three points. "With the 5-minute power play right off the bat," Thomas said, "it kind of allowed me to settle in and adjust and think the rest of it through to be like, Man, this would be a very important win to us." Before the game, the Stars retired Modanos No. 9 in front of a Dallas-record crowd of 19,109. The Stars then scored just 31 seconds into the game. Rich Peverley dropped a pass to Jamie Benn in the right circle for a wrist shot into the right side of the net. "Its I think one of the biggest days in franchise history when you put a guy like that up in the rafters and then you cap it off with that type of game," Ruff said. "I think they were pumped by watching some of the video, some of the Mike stuff. I know I was because theres some dynamic goals there you get to watch." Added Seguin: "I think if anything that motivated me, thats a true character guy, a big leader, an incredible hockey player and now a legend. Watching his jersey go up and seeing that (1999) Stanley Cup again, I think the only thing it did was make me more motivated and I think the guys felt the same." The Wild tied it on Haulas short-handed goal at 16:32. But the Stars regained the lead 4 seconds into a power play at 1:55 of the second period. That snapped a streak of 20 successful penalty kills by the Wild over eight games. Kuemper, who was making his 16th consecutive start, had 34 saves. Lehtonen made 26 saves. NOTES: Seguin raised his team-leading totals to 29 goals and 37 assists. ... Benn has three goals and seven assists in six games. ... Forwards Matt Moulson and Cody McCormick made their Wild debuts after being traded Wednesday from Buffalo. ... The previous attendance record was 19,099 on March 16, 2012. It was only the fourth sellout in 34 Stars home games this season. ... The home team won every game in the season series. Minnesota was 2-2 and Dallas 2-1-1. The Wild are 1-14-5 in Dallas. Lynn Swann Authentic Jersey . The game has been rescheduled for Tuesday at 4:05 p.m. Tickets for Monday will be honoured Tuesday. The forecast Monday calls for heavy rain throughout the day. Throwback Cortez Allen Elite Mens Jersey . Play hard, play tough and play rough. The philosophy has been a lesson in frustration for opponents.LONDON -- Underwhelming up front and uneasy at the back -- but England still signed off with a victory at Wembley Stadium before the World Cup. Only one forward contributed a goal in the 3-0 victory over Peru on Friday, with Daniel Sturridges deft strike in the first half breaking the dreary deadlock. But coach Roy Hodgson was still encouraged that his players managed to successfully exploit Perus inability to defend set pieces to extend their lead in the second half. From two corners in a five-minute span, Gary Cahill and Phil Jagielka both netted in Englands first friendly since the 23-man World Cup squad was named. "It didnt look as if it would be too comfortable in the first half, but as soon as Daniel scored that wonderful goal the game wasnt in doubt," Hodgson said. "To do it in front of 85,000 people was a great send-off, the atmosphere was a vote of confidence. "When you play against teams with 10 men behind the ball you have to be patient but I had no doubt we would win." England heads over the weekend to Miami to play friendlies against Ecuador and Honduras before flying onto Brazil. In the Florida sun, it will be Wayne Rooney in particular with a lot to prove after the striker failed to come close to scoring in north London. "We think we know where he is, how his fitness is being maintained or progressing," Hodgson said. "His attitude and commitment are first-class, even in a game of this nature. He has two more weeks to keep that going." Although England was in control in the first half, there were anxious moments due to sloppiness that provided openings for the ineffective Peruvians, who didnt qualify for Brazil. When Rooney conceded possessioon early on, Jean Deza was able to unleash a dipping shot that Joe Hart saved, one of several openings for the winger on his debut. Markus Wheaton Jersey. And in the second half, defender Glen Johnson gave the ball away too easily inside his own half, allowing Andre Carrillo to break forward and release Deza to shoot. Peru goalkeeper Raul Fernandez at first had little to do, with the hosts taking until the 19th minute to come close to finding the target, with Sturridge dragging a shot wide. The match was so dreary that England fans made paper airplanes out of the cardboard used for a pre-match mosaic. But Sturridge produced a goal out of nowhere with Englands meaningful effort in the 32nd. A throw-in from Glen Johnson reached his Liverpool teammate, who placed the ball high into the net beyond Fernandez. That aside, throughout the first half Fernandez didnt have a save to make, while Hart was called into action just before the break, coming off his line to deny Luis Ramirez with his left boot. This wasnt the rousing send-off England fans had hoped for, with the creativity missing and anxious moments. But the pair of goals from defenders added gloss to the win. Cahill first met Jagielkas corner in the crowded penalty area, planting a header into the net in the 65th. Then Fernandez raced off the line to catch Leighton Baines corner but dropped the ball, which fell onto Cahills head and dropped for Jagielka to dispatch into the net. The victory was secure, but it will be far tougher on June 14 for the World Cup opener against Italy. "There wasnt the match sharpness as much as we would have liked," Sturridge said. "But it was great to be out there and we are happy with the result." wholesale jerseys ' ' ' |
