Overtime win helps Stars close gap on Red Wings

The Dallas Stars edged closer to the Detroit Red Wings in the Western Conference standings.

Loui Eriksson scored at 4 minute, 18 seconds of overtime to give visiting Dallas a 4-3 comeback victory over Detroit yesterday in a game between the conference's two top teams.

Eriksson also had two assists, Brenden Morrow scored twice, Brad Richards added a goal and Andrew Raycroft stopped 28 shots to help Dallas pull within a point of conference-leading Detroit.

"We had a lot of reasons, a lot of excuses to pack it in, but our guys hung in there," Stars coach Marc Crawford said.

"It was a hard-fought game," said Morrow, who played in his 700th NHL game.

Pavel Datsyuk and Johan Franzen each had a goal and an assist and Patrick Eaves also scored for Detroit. Chris Osgood made 28 saves in an unsuccessful bid for his 400th career victory.

"For sure, [he would have liked to have done it] especially at home. But I've always said I don't know when it's going to happen. You can't really plan it," Osgood said. "Guys tried, but it didn't work out. Only thing I can do is move on but for sure it's disappointing. Only a few minutes left in the game and I was feeling real good. It's unfortunate."

Eriksson scored on a wrist shot from the left circle for his 14th goal.

"I saw we were going to have a 3-on-1," he said. "[Detroit's Niklas] Kronwall took the pass away so I knew I was going to shoot."

Morrow had tied the game with 3:14 left in regulation with his 12th goal of the season.

The Red Wings' last overtime win over the Stars was Oct. 31, 2001. Dallas is 5-0-5 in overtime and shootout games against Detroit since that game.

In other games:

* At Ottawa, trailing 2-0 on first period goals by Ryan Shannon and Chris Kelly, the Washington Capitals rallied for a 3-2 win over the Senators. Mathieu Perreault scored two goals and Eric Fehr one in the first 6:55 of the second period to clinch the Caps' win, ending Washington's eight-game losing streak, during which the Capitals scored only 11 goals.

* At Chicago, Jonathan Toews, Duncan Keith and Fernando Pisani scored, rookie goalie Corey Crawford, starting for the ninth time in 11 games, made 26 saves and the disciplined Blackhawks beat the Los Angeles Kings 3-2. Kyle Clifford and Wayne Simmonds scored for the Kings, who lost in regulation for only the second time in their last eight games (5-2-1).

* At Denver, T.J. Galiardi broke a second-period tie, Craig Anderson stopped 27 shots and the Colorado Avalanche won their sixth straight game, beating the Montreal Canadiens 3-2.