GLENDALE, Ariz. (AP)—Brenden Morrow’s hard work paid off on the scoreboard.
Morrow had his first career three-goal game in the surging Dallas Stars’ 5-4 victory over Phoenix on Saturday night.
“Brenden’s always all over it, knocking on the door almost every shift,” Stars goalie Marty Turco said. “It’s nice to see a guy who does all the little things right, a guy we can’t win without in crunch time, get some results.”
David Oliver scored the winning goal, Bill Guerin also scored and Steve Ott added two assists for the Stars, 7-1-1 in their last nine games. Since losing 2-1 in Arizona on Dec. 10 to cap a five-game losing streak, Dallas is 15-5-6.
Morrow had a chance at a fourth goal, but missed an empty-net attempt wide left in the final minute.
“I probably had a chance to get six or seven so I’m not sure if it’s the empty net I’ll remember, or the breakaway or the other times,” Morrow said.
Shane Doan, Ladislav Nagy, Chris Gratton and Mike Sillinger scored for the Coyotes, who have lost three straight and are 2-6-1-1 at home since moving to Glendale Arena on Dec. 27.
The Coyotes had seven consecutive power plays in the first and second periods and spent 12:12 of the second period with the man advantage, scoring once.
“We hung in there and they had a few shots miss the net,” Dallas coach Dave Tippett said. “Our penalty kill hung in there, especially when they were pushed to excess.”
Nagy tied it at 2 with a power-play goal 35 seconds into the second period, beating goalie Marty Turco to his stick side from the right side of the net for his team-high 22nd goal.
But Morrow answered 33 seconds later, chipping a loose puck in the left side of the crease just past goalie Sean Burke’s outstretched right skate for a 3-2 Dallas lead.
“It was a scramble play,” Phoenix coach Bob Francis said. “The morale is Morrow should have been on his backside.”
Oliver extended the lead at 8:18 of the second, receiving a long outlet pass from Ott behind the defense, skating untouched to the crease and firing over Burke’s left shoulder for his fifth goal.
Doan pulled Phoenix to 4-3 at 10:43 when he took the puck behind the net, skated out to Turco’s right and stuffed the puck in the short side for his 20th.
Three consecutive Dallas minor penalties gave the Coyotes an extended 3-minute, 37-second power play—2:06 with a two-man advantage—but Phoenix was unable to tie the game.
Guerin made it 5-3 with an unassisted goal at 4:07 of the third, his 22nd goal. Gratton cut the lead to 5-4 on his seventh goal at 6:18 of the period.
After Sillinger gave the Coyotes a 1-0 lead 1:37 into the game, Morrowscored twice in a 101-second span of the first to give the Stars a 2-1 lead.
Notes
Dallas is 51-0-6-0 in the past two seasons when leading after two periods. The Stars last loss when leading after two was Oct. 19, 2002, when Dallas blew a 3-2 lead en route to a 5-3 loss to St. Louis… The Coyotes’ eight power plays were their most since going 1-for-9 with the man-advantage against Los Angeles on Dec. 31. … Morrow has one previous multigoal game this season, scoring twice Nov. 21 against Los Angeles. … Burke, who recorded his second assist of the season on Sillinger’s goal, lost his sixth straight datingto Dec. 27. … Turco made his career-high 15th consecutive start.
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