04/12/2001

The Oilers simply didn't have a chance. The Stars were flying, winning races to the puck, firing rubber at Tommy Salo and displaying the obvious differences between a regular Stanley Cup Finals participant and a No. 6 seed.

That impressive show of dominance lasted nearly six minutes.

But some big hits that had the crowd on its feet and a 6-1 shot advantage in those first six minutes did not help on the scoreboard. After 60 minutes, Game1 was tied.

Edmonton and Dallas were in overtime once more, and with any sense of history you knew this would not be the final extra session in which the Stars and Oilers would engage.

"We've played 25 games against these guys, and they all look the same to me," said winning coach Ken Hitchcock.

He wasn't exaggerating by much following the Stars' 2-1 Game1 victory.

Huy Nguyen / DMN Dallas defenseman Sergei Zubov checks Edmonton's Rem Murray into the boards.

Jamie Langenbrunner's overtime game-winner marked the 15th time in 22 playoff games between these teams the last five springs that one goal has decided the game.

So this was more of what we have come to expect. A 2-1 overtime game hardly demonstrated the Stars' vast superiority or sounded the death knell for the visitors.

"I don't think the loss tonight did anything to detract from anyone's confidence that we can beat this hockey team," Oilers coach Craig MacTavish said.

Still, that didn't keep MacTavish from trying to get a head start with the officials for Game 2, claiming Shaun Van Allen was in the crease on the winning goal.

"They had the one called back earlier [on Brett Hull's interference], and I don't know if they didn't want to call back two or not," said MacTavish.

He also complained loudly about how enforcer Georges Laraque, who received a pair of penalties, was unfairly singled out because of the "big man's call."

Gee, that's never happened to Derian Hatcher, has it?

Whether the officials choose to pay attention to MacTavish's whining or simply decide he spent too many years playing without a helmet, we won't know until Saturday afternoon. Either way, MacTavish's team has a real chance to get back in this series.

Quick mathematical note: What number comes next in this series – 7, 5, 4, 5, ...?

That's the way this rivalry has gone ever since the Oilers' seven-game upset in 1997. Even when the Stars have dispatched the Oilers in four or five games, it's rarely been easy, and it's just going to get tougher. Salo made that apparent with some big saves Wednesday night, which was the only thing that kept Mike Modano from totally dominating the game.

Modano had seven of the Stars' 25 shots in the first three periods including their only goal. His power-play score near the end of the second period erased the advantage Edmonton had gained on Ryan Smyth's even-strength goal earlier in the period.

While the final score and intensity were familiar, the Oilers did inject one new facet into the series. They played Stars hockey.

When was the last time you saw Dallas on the short end of a 27-8 advantage in blocked shots in a playoff game? The Oilers were flopping in front of the puck all night, which may have been the only thing that kept Salo off the postgame injury report.

Fittingly, Langenbrunner's game-winner 2:08 into the extra period came immediately after defenseman Janne Niinimaa had blocked Langenbrunner's first attempt.

Historically, the Oilers have performed better during the playoffs at Reunion Arena (now 4-9) than against Dallas in their own building (2-7), which suggests Edmonton could be just as difficult to solve in Saturday's Game 2.

But there is another side to the Oilers' confidence in Reunion Arena, and that is that the Stars have been on top of their game at Skyreach Centre. Last year marked the first time in four playoff series that the Oilers have won half of their home games against Dallas.

So just because this series may not be the walkover that the Detroit Red Wings are likely to get against the Los Angeles Kings isn't necessarily bad news for the local heroes. Assuming they survive the series relatively injury-free, the Stars may go into a highly anticipated second round showdown with the Red Wings having gained a better taste of playoff battle than Detroit will get from Los Angeles.

You can thank the Edmonton Oilers for that.

Tim Cowlishaw can be reached at 214-977-8446 or .