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BOX SCORE
SAN JOSE, Calif. (AP) -- As difficult as it is, the Dallas Stars
are getting back to the business of defending their Stanley Cup
championship.
Showing they're trying to move past the losses of Mike Modano and Darryl Sydor, the Stars rebounded from their first loss of the year and beat the San Jose Sharks 3-2 Saturday night, getting goals
from rookie Pavel Patera and Jere Lehtinen in the final 5:40.
"We'd love to have a full team but we don't," said Mike Keane, who assisted on Patera's go-ahead score. "The players that showed
up tonight played strong and came through and got the win. It's
going to take a while for us to adjust to players missing. We're
still learning how to work together and we're slowing learning how
to play together."
Modano suffered a concussion and strained neck ligaments a week
ago when he was checked hard from behind and slammed into the
boards by Anaheim defenseman Ruslan Salei, who has been suspended for 10 games. Sydor sustained a fractured eye socket in the same
game. Both are on injured reserve.
The Stars lost a rematch with Anaheim Friday night, 3-0, before
coming back to snap the Sharks' season-opening three-game winning
streak.
"Their game hasn't changed much even though they're missing
some key people," said Stephane Matteau, who had San Jose's first
goal. "They played us very tight in typical Dallas fashion, just
waiting for our mistakes. And when we made them they took advantage
of them, plus their goaltender made some great saves."
With 5:40 remaining, Patera, who has replaced Modano, converted
Dallas' go-ahead score, streaking into the slot to knock in a
rebound from a shot by Keane. The goal was set up when goaltender Steve Shields lost his stick and had to use one given to him by
defenseman Brad Stuart, who then was left empty-handed against
Keane.
"I can't remember exactly how I lost my stick. I think I got
bumped when somebody skated by and then it got kicked away,"
Shields said. "But you make mistakes like that and it's the
difference between winning and losing games."
Less than 1½ minutes later, the Stars went up 3-1 when Lehtinen
picked up a loose puck and skated in to beat Shields.
San Jose pulled back to within one when Owen Nolan scored his
sixth goal. Nolan, who has at least one goal in his first four
games, wristed a shot past goaltender Manny Fernandez with 2:49
left. The Sharks pulled Shields and added an extra attacker with 52
seconds but Fernandez fended off San Jose's late flurry.
"I thought this game here went a long way in solidifying some
good things for us," Stars coach Ken Hitchcock said. "I don't
think I've seen our team play that well for a long time."
Trailing 1-0, San Jose evened the score with 4:30 remaining in
the second when Matteau ended a scramble in front of the net with
his second goal of the season, sending the puck through goaltender
Fernandez's legs.
Dallas came out strong, outshooting San Jose 16-6 in the first
period and scoring on a power-play goal by Derek Plante. He was
positioned by the left post and redirected a shot from Derian
Hatcher into the net past Shields.
The Stars had a go-ahead goal disallowed with 11:34 left in the
second. Shields fell into the net after blocking a second straight
shot, loosening it from its moorings an instant before Brad
Lukowich chased the rebound down and sent it back toward the net.
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NHL Scoreboard
Dallas Clubhouse
San Jose Clubhouse
RECAPS
Buffalo 5
Atlanta 5
Philadelphia 1
Boston 1
Ottawa 4
Toronto 3
Vancouver 4
Montreal 1
Los Angeles 2
Washington 2
Detroit 2
Florida 2
New Jersey 1
Tampa Bay 0
St. Louis 4
Edmonton 2
Dallas 3
San Jose 2
AUDIO/VIDEO
 Jamie Langenbrunner with the wrap-around shot.
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