Off Topic » Everything changed in this first-round

DALLAS -- Kari Lehtonen stopped all 37 shots and the Dallas Stars clearly frustrated the top-seeded Anaheim Ducks. Everything changed in this first-round series when the Stars got their first home playoff game in six years. While Dallas captain Jamie Benn skated out of the penalty box to score first and 19-year-old rookie Valeri Nichushkin added a goal, Anaheims dynamic scoring duo of Ryan Getzlaf and Corey Perry probably had more punches than shots as the Stars won 3-0 in Game 3 Monday night. "Im pretty sure if you watch the scrums, our guys got punched in the face a few times," Stars coach Lindy Ruff said. "Eventually youre going to punch back. ... For us, we know weve got a good skating team and I think that we can frustrate." Ruff said it was "just playoff hockey." Lehtonen held up through five Anaheim power plays and had some tremendous stops to get his first career post-season victory. "It was unbelievable. Thats Kari at his best," Benn said. "He made some big saves at key times and kept us in the game and pretty much won that game for us." Game 4 is Wednesday night. And this best-of-seven series is now guaranteed Game 5 in Anaheim, where the Ducks opened the series with a pair of one-goal victories. It had been 2,162 days since the Stars last hosted a playoff game, May 19, 2008, a 4-1 loss to Detroit in the clinching Game 6 of the Western Conference finals. This one ended with chants for Lehtonen, previously 0-4 in the playoffs (two losses with Atlanta in 2007) with a 4.58 goals-against average and .858 save percentage. "I think in the first game I got scored on with the first shot and that just kind of sets the tone for the rest of the game. I was able to make a couple of good saves and it just kind of went from there," Lehtonen said. "At the age of 30, it was about time to get that first one." Late in the second period, Getzlaf and Perry were exchanging punches with different Dallas players during a stoppage. Antoine Roussel delivered a roundhouse left to Getzlaf, the Anaheim captain wearing a half-visor to protect the stitches from taking a puck to the face in Game 1. Meanwhile, Stars defenceman Alex Goligoski and Perry were going at it. Asked about the physical play, Getzlaf responded, "Youve got to stay as disciplined as you can, but you have to protect yourself, too. I never expected them to target my face that much." Ducks coach Bruce Boudreau was pretty direct with how he felt. "I guess you do anything to win, but its not something I think our team would do," Boudreau said. "Well take them and be as mean and physical as we need to be." Lehtonen had a kick save near the end of the first power play in the final minute of the first period. That came right before Benn came out of the penalty box and skated toward the other end. Trevor Daley, the only Stars player left from their last playoff team in 2008, passed to Shawn Horcoff, who shot. The ricochet was knocked into the net by Benn with 35 seconds left in the first period to put the Stars ahead to stay. "We look to shut them down, you know to get under their skin," Daley said. Benn had been penalized for hooking right after Daley was having words with Getzlaf. The back-and-forth with Daley and Getzlaf carried into the second period, and they had to be separated in the opening minute -- just before an eerie replay for Ducks defenceman Stephane Robidas when he broke his right leg again. Robidas had to be helped off the ice after his leg bent awkwardly when a sliding Ryan Garbutt of Dallas undercut him. The team said the latest fracture was just above the one he sustained Nov. 29 while with Dallas. He didnt play again until being traded to Anaheim last month. "Its a huge loss because he was playing great," Boudreau said. "And of course I think all the guys on the bench felt extremely bad for him. I mean, heres your teammate whos just fought his way back from a broken leg." Fans cheered for the 37-year-old Robidas, chanting "Robi, Robi!" as he left the ice before being transported to a hospital. Nichushkin scored on a one-timer through the legs of Frederik Andersen, the rookie goalie who stopped 66 of 71 shots in Anaheim. Andersen faced only 22 shots in Game 3. Garbutt added a goal in the third period. NOTES: The game came exactly six weeks after Stars forward Rich Peverley collapsed on the home bench because of an irregular heartbeat against Columbus, and later underwent corrective surgery. There was a huge cheer when he was shown during a video that was part of the pregame production. ... It was a record crowd of 19,120 at the American Airlines Center, breaking the mark set when Mike Modanos No. 9 jersey was retired last month. Discount Vans Shoes . Boston is making its first appearance in the ALCS since 2008. For Detroit, its a third straight trip to the ALCS and its fourth in eight years. Vans Shoes Outlet . Its the second of three meetings between these teams this season. Vancouver was a 2-1 winner on home ice December 22nd. http://www.vansoutletstore.com/. - Connor Brown and Dane Fox both scored in regulation and in the shootout, as the Erie Otters extended their win streak to 10 games by defeating the London Knights 4-3 on Saturday in Ontario Hockey League action. Vans Shoes Clearance . - Rookie Kyle Larson will start from the pole position Saturday night in the NASCAR race at Richmond International Raceway after a thunderstorm arrived just in time to wash out qualifying. Vans Shoes Outlet USA . 5 Trade Deadline is drawing closer and teams will be deciding on whether to buy or sell while figuring out which players can make the biggest difference and hold the greatest value.MANCHESTER, England -- Bad weather played havoc with the Premier League on Wednesday as two matches were called off because of stormy conditions in northwest England. Manchester Citys home match against Sunderland was the first to be postponed before Everton announced that its game against Crystal Palace at Goodison Park had been called off due to "building damage which has led to safety concerns." The Met Office issued red warnings -- the highest possible -- for parts of Wales and the northwest, with gusts of 100 miles (160 kilometres) per hour expected on Wednesday evening. An amber warning, meeaning possible severe gales, was also in place for the Manchester area.dddddddddddd City tweeted that the game was "postponed due to exceptional and escalating weather" and because the safety of fans "cannot be guaranteed." City could have gone top of the standings with a victory -- provided that Arsenal failed to beat Manchester United in their match in north London. Evertons game was called off 35 minutes before kick-off because of the stormy weather. Several roads around Goodison Park had been closed due to the high winds. No new dates have been set for the games. Cheap Jerseys China NFL Jerseys China NFL Jerseys Wholesale Discount Basketball Jerseys Cheap NHL Jerseys Authentic Cheap Baseball Jerseys Free Shipping Cheapest College Jerseys Sale Cheap Football Jerseys China Nike NFL Jerseys Canada Wholesale NHL Jerseys From China MLB Jerseys Outlet Canada Wholesale NBA Jerseys Canada Store Cheap Soccer Jerseys China Cheap Authentic Jerseys Canada ' ' '