HAGGY AND B-RICH!
Razor: So, Haggy, how do you like your new linemate?
Haggy: Haha. I like him a lot.
The Canadian Press
2/28/2008 11:57:03 PM
DALLAS - Brad Richards wasted no time showing what he can do for the Dallas Stars.
Richards had a career-high five points - all on assists - in his Dallas debut, setting up new linemate Niklas Hagman's first NHL hat trick and sending the Stars past the Chicago Blackhawks 7-4 Thursday night.
Richards arrived Tuesday as the centrepiece of a five-player deal with Tampa Bay because co-general manager Brett Hull figured the 2004 Conn Smythe Trophy winner could make a good offence even better. Proof came on Richards' second shift, just 4:57 into his Stars tenure, when he put a long pass right on the blade of Hagman's stick at the lip of the goal for a tap-in score.
Hagman smiled wide and pumped his fisted glove toward Richards in appreciation. He repeated the gesture in the second period after scoring another goal on a play started by Richards, then Hagman gave Richards a few taps on the helmet after their third hookup, which came on a third-period power play.
His five assists tied a franchise record; it was a first in the club's Dallas era. The Stars hadn't had a five-point scorer since Mike Modano did it Feb. 10, 2002.
Richards, who'd never had more than three assists in a game, was a plus-2 in 19:16 on the ice. He won seven of 13 faceoffs and was among the first unit on the power play. He pretty much did everything but score - including getting physical. He got away with shoving a Chicago player during a third-period staredown.
Trevor Daley and Jere Lehtinen were the other scorers off Richards' assists. Modano and Loui Eriksson also scored for Dallas, which has won four straight and 13 of 15 to get within three points of Detroit for the top spot in the Western Conference.
Dustin Byfuglien put Chicago up 1-0 on a power-play goal 4:08 in, but then Patrick Lalime allowed five goals on 13 shots and was pulled midway through the second period. Lalime was coming off his first shutout in more than a year the previous night.
Although the Stars were in control after taking that 5-1 lead, things got interesting and a bit chippy the rest of the way as the Blackhawks got two goals from Rene Bourque and another from Andrew Ladd. Bourque's first goal was short-handed.
Still, Chicago slipped to 7-3-1 in its last 11 games. The Blackhawks are 1-8-1-2 in their last 12 trips to Dallas.
Wearing No. 91 - a reverse of the 19 he'd worn his entire career with Tampa Bay - Richards got fans' attention the first time he stepped on the ice, opening his shift by winning a faceoff at centre ice. Then he set up the tying score only 49 seconds after his team had fallen behind.
His second assist came on a rush in which he fed Antti Miettinen, who then bumped it to Hagman. Even though Richards didn't directly give Hagman the puck, Hagman knew his new linemate was most responsible for the goal and immediately gave him credit for it.
Their third hookup came with Hagman taking advantage of room in front of the net. Daley scored on Richards' least fancy set-up of the night, while Lehtinen's came on a power play with 3:11 left.
Eriksson stretched his goal streak to four games in a row. He has six goals in that span, after scoring only six in his previous 49 games.
Dallas' Marty Turco allowed four goals on 29 shots. Corey Crawford replaced Lalime and was beaten twice on 12 shots.