panoo

Loss is sixth straight in extra session
Elliott Pap, Vancouver Sun
Published: Monday, April 16, 2007

DALLAS -- The Dallas Stars can't win in playoff overtime and head coach Dave Tippett is beginning to lose patience with his millionaires who score at contract time but can't do it in the post-season.

Dallas lost for the sixth straight time in overtime Sunday, falling 2-1 to the Vancouver Canucks to trail 2-1 in the best-of-seven Western Conference quarter-final. The only Star to be a star in extra time since 2004 is Steve Ott, a $775,000 US grinder.

Mike Modano hasn't scored a playoff overtime goal in six seasons. Jere Lehtinen, his mate on the top Dallas line, has none in his career.

"It's a huge concern," Tippett responded when queried about the lack of big goals from his big guys. "We need someone else to score some goals for us in this series, that's for sure. We've had a lot of overtimes and we need some players, who get the good offensive opportunities, to step up and start doing that.

"We have some players who can make a difference in overtime and we need them to make a play. They have to find a way -- and that's the bottom line."

Dallas has fired 41 overtime shots on Canuck goalie Roberto Luongo in the series-- 36 in Game 1 and five more Sunday -- and has only heartache to show for it.

"Space is hard to come by," said Modano. "Vancouver is taking away lots of time out there. We need to stay on the attack and create the win instead of hoping for the win. You have to create something out of nothing in overtime. There are no more shootouts now."

Stu Barnes, who netted the lone Dallas goal on a second-period power play, was dumb-founded by the swing in momentum Sunday. The Stars were dominating the Canucks in most areas but as soon as Barnes connected at 13:09, the Canucks rose from the almost-dead to make a game of it.

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