SJS vs DAL

SAN JOSE - The Stars and Sharks proved in Game 1 that this series is going to be a balanced one with emphasis on details rather than hitting.

Both teams are coming off of series wins against physical opponents - Dallas against Anaheim and San Jose against Calgary - so the adjustment to a smart, disciplined opponent is going to take a little time.

"They play a lot like us, and they frustrate you a lot,’’ Stars defenceman Stephane Robidas said. ``It’s almost like a chess match and you just have to remain patient and wait for the chance to make your move.’’

The Stars took the early lead in the battle with a 3-2 overtime victory Friday at HP Pavilion. Brenden Morrow scored two goals, including the game-winner at the 4:39 mark of OT. Mike Ribeiro had two assists and also made a smart play on the game-winner that wasn’t credited with an assist on that goal.

Sharks defenceman Craig Rivet summed up the Sharks’ concerns even before the series started. When asked how you deal with Steve Ott, Rivet replied, ``I think a better question is how do you deal with Mike Ribeiro?’’

The Stars have struggled in the past with being the favourite in series, losing as the first and second seed in the past four seasons. So it’s no surprise they are embracing the underdog role right now. They won their first two games on the road against Anaheim, and they’re trying to pull the same feat against the Sharks.

"When you’re the road team, you want to steal one on the road," Morrow said. "We got greedy against Anaheim and we want to be greedy again here. We want to play a disciplined game and I thought we did tonight. This is probably how this whole series is going to be."

Sharks still confident

San Jose also has been in this situation before. The Sharks lost at home to Calgary to start the last series, and then rallied with one of their best games of the playoffs. They had 27 shots on goal in the second period alone in Game 2 last time.

"It's far from over," said center Joe Thornton, who created tons of chances.

Winger Milan Michalek said the Sharks have to bring an edge.

"They have a good line," Michalek said. "Mike Ribeiro has been very good on the puck. We have to go and hit them hard."

Room for improvement

Both teams said they have to be better in Game 2. The Stars sat back and allowed the Sharks to get too many chances in the third period. The Sharks said they didn’t do enough with their chances and made the game too easy for Marty Turco, who had 25 saves.

Sharks coach Ron Wilson said Jonathan Cheechoo’s tying goal was a perfect example. Cheechoo fought through Stephane Robidas, and the momentum of the two pretty much shoved the puck past Turco with 3:02 left in regulation.

"Cheech, when he gets involved and gets his nose dirty like he did, he's going to score," Wilson said. "He scored kind of a typical Jonathan Cheechoo goal. We need him to do that on every shift. We need more."

Dallas coach Dave Tippett was less than pleased with the win.

"We came out here, weathered the storm a little bit,’’ he said.

“I would like to see us generate a little more. I didn't think we skated as well as we needed to early. We had some spurts in the game, but the reality is we're going to have to be much better. We capitalized on some chances, so give us credit for that. (Marty) Turco made some big saves for us, but I don't think we played close to what we played in the Anaheim series. So, we're going to have to raise our level if we're going to compete with this team."

Stat watch: Dallas has won its last two playoff overtime games, with Brenden Morrow getting the winning goal in each. Before that, the Stars had lost six in a row and eight of their last nine OT playoff games, dating back to 2003.

The Sharks have lost six of their last seven OT games dating back to 2004.

Practice updates:

Stars coach Dave Tippett said Sergei Zubov still is the one to decide when he is ready to play next. Zubov said Saturday he is ”a game-time decision” for Game 2 Sunday at HP Pavilion.

Zubov, who had a procedure April 3 in Germany to repair his sports hernia injury skated in a full practice Saturday and was paired mostly with Matt Niskanen or Trevor Daley. Mattias Norstrom had practice off to rest, so that also could have been the reason for Zubov's pairing.

Zubov said he felt “pretty good” after the workout, but added, “it's not there yet.''

Tippett said he is ready to put Zubov in the lineup: “If he walks in and says he wants to play, we'll find a spot for him.''

Tippett said he would make whatever necessary adjustments are needed. The Stars might have to play seven defensemen in Zubov's first game back.

“There's variables in every lineup, but I think even though he hasn't played for a while, Zubie is a pretty special player,'' Tippett said of his return. “It's like every game, you put together what you think is a game plan to win that game, and if you have a player that is going to come back and hopefully make an impact on the game, there's a spot for him.''