Edmonton hoping Dallas dive continues for 2 more games
Oilers may be hitting Lone Star State at right time
Last Updated: Sunday, November 30, 2008 | 9:28 AM ET
CBC Sports
Marty Turco has been under seige in his net this season, and the Oilers are hoping to take advantage on Sunday. (Tim Sharp/Associated Press) Here's a test: Can the Edmonton Oilers finally beat Dallas before the Stars find their legs again?
Because if it's not now, when?
These are the key questions as the Oilers (10-10-2) roll into the Lone Star State on Sunday, one day after a comeback 4-2 victory over the St. Louis Blues that began a two-game road trip.
It's also the first of a home-and-home with Dallas that continues Wednesday.
These are not the Stars you may fondly remember from, say, six months ago when they took the eventual Stanley Cup champion Detroit Red Wings to six games in the West final.
This is the 7-11-4 Stars, losers of four in five and featuring a sieve-like goaltender, Marty Turco, who has gone from sublime to silly bad.
Friday against San Jose, the backstop who isn't holding back anything gave up five goals on 19 shots in two periods before being replaced by Tobias Stephan.
"Our goaltending has to be better, said Dave Tippett, who in the best tradition of struggling coaches has announced changes may be coming.
"We expect a lot more from certain players and that starts in goal with Marty."
Turco has dropped from a 2.31 goals against average last season to 4.37 this time (1-4-3 over the last eight games).
"It's disheartening," Turco said of his San Jose disaster. "I wanted to be able to do so much more and be the guy who turns it around.
"We've all got to do this together, we realize that, but we're just not … We thought it could have been a big night for us, a big spark for us, but in fact, it was the total opposite."
If Turco were to check, he'd find 15 wins in 19 starts against these Oilers, and that would be heartening if goaltending weren't such a "what have you done for me lately?" kind of job.
Speaking of that job, Dwayne Roloson's turn in net as part of the three-headed monster coach Craig MacTavish has been using this year, went quite nicely on Saturday.
Roloson stopped 27 shots for his third win in nine starts (3-4-2).
"When he's on his game, he's like a sponge and everything is absorbed in the body," MacTavish said. "He was good and he was really solid."
Also solid was the way Edmonton's top line of Shawn Horcoff, Dustin Penner and Ales Hemsky came up with two goals on Saturday and that had to take some of the stress off MacTavish's heart.
More would be called for Sunday.
With files from the Associated Press
