Scoring: none.

Penalties: Kronwall, Det. (tripping) 6:16; Lidstrom, Det. (interference) 9:43; McCarty, Det. (holding stick) 13:12.

No scoring.

The Stars might have played their best period of the Western Conference finals. For the first time in four games, a period ended without the Red Wings leading. The Stars swarmed Chris Osgood and charged the net, outshooting Detroit, 9-5. They had the edge in hits (11-8) and even faceoffs (8-7). But while the Stars drew three Detroit penalties, they were unable to convert on the ensuing power-play opportunities, with Henrik Zetterberg again impressive on the Red Wings' penalty kill.

Stars coach Dave Tippett shuffled his lines again, and finally got the desired result. He started Toby Peterson centering Joel Lundqvist and Loui Eriksson. Antti Miettinen joined the top line of Brenden Morrow and Mike Ribeiro. Tippett also put Brad Richards with Mike Modano on a line that also included Niklas Hagman. Steve Ott between tough guys Brad Winchester and Krys Barch was clearly designed for energy.

Dallas: 9 shots, 0 goals

Detroit: 5 shots, 0 goals

Scoring: 1. Dallas, Eriksson 4 (Robidas, Lundqvist) 19:37.

Penalties: Robidas, Dal. (holding) 6:43; Morrow, Dal. (cross check) 12:20; Ott, Dal. (elbowing) 15:03.

Loui Eriksson scored his first goal since Game 6 vs. Anaheim. Chris Osgood couldn't control the rebound of a Stephane Robidas shot. Eriksson got a piece of the puck with his skate and then slammed it into the net. After 219 minutes and 37 seconds in the Western Conference finals, the Stars finally took the lead.

The Red Wings managed 14 of the period's first 16 shots, had three full power plays and still couldn't grab the lead.

The crease rule again came into play. The Red Wings had an apparent power-play score by Pavel Datsyuk at 12:26 nullified by a goaltender interference call against Tomas Holmstrom. TV replays failed to show any conclusive evidence of interference, although the NHL interpretation was that his rear end was in the blue area of the crease.

Dallas: 6 shots, 1 goal

Detroit: 14 shots, 0 goals

Scoring: 2. Detroit, Zetterberg 10 (Datsyuk) 0:49; 3. Dallas, Modano 5 (Zubov, Richards) 5:35 (pp); 4. Dallas, Morrow 9 (Ribeiro, Zubov) 14:34.

Penalties: Eriksson, Dal. (tripping) 3:14; Rafalski, Det. (tripping) 5:17; Morrow, Dal. (delay) 17:43; Modano (hooking) 19:24.

Detroit forged a 1-1 tie in the opening minute when Henrik Zetterberg beat Marty Turco from the left wing on a rush. The Stars took advantage of a tripping penalty against Brian Rafalski to take the lead. Mike Modano scored from the slot on a nifty feed from Sergei Zubov for the eventual game-winner. Later, Brenden Morrow scored from nearly the same area, after taking a pass from Mike Ribeiro at even strength.

The Stars survived a rare 6-on-3 power play in the final minute. Brenden Morrow was whistled for delay of game and Mike Modano for hooking. Detroit then pulled goalie Chris Osgood for one final desperate charge.

The Stars became the first team to win a game vs. Detroit while facing elimination since the 1998 Stars in the Western Conference finals. The Red Wings had put away 12 consecutive opponents since then to clinch series.

Dallas: 7 shots, 2 goals

Detroit: 15 shots, 1 goal

Selected by staff writer Mike Heika

1. Marty Turco, Stars: Huge third period and stunning shutdown on late penalty kill

2. Stephane Robidas, Stars: Takes on Detroit's best and ends up even for the night

3. Mike Modano, Stars: Another game-winning goal for the face of the franchise

Datsyuk was his electric self and tallied an assist. But Robidas embraced the challenge of going head-to-head with Datsyuk and Henrik Zetterberg and helped lead the Stars in shutting down that duo. Robidas also had the shot that led to Loui Eriksson's first goal – and the Stars' first lead in the series.

Give it to Robidas. He neutralized Datsyuk, blocked six shots and logged 4:31 in penalty kill time, including the final 6-on-3 kill.

Stephane Robidas: 24:33 ice time (team high), 1 assist, 6 blocks

Pavel Datsyuk: 23:18 ice time, 1 assist, 1 goal disallowed

Mike Heika

24: Stars' takeways to nine for the Red Wings

10: Face-off wins in 11 draws for Stars center Mike Ribeiro

11: Shots for the Red Wings on six power plays, including a 6-on-3 during the final 36 seconds

33: Saves for Stars goalie Marty Turco, the most for him during these playoffs in a regulation game