A head-shaker of a Wild loss

The Wild clanged posts and waited out video reviews, but in the end it watched as the Stars pulled out a victory by erasing a two-goal deficit.

By MICHAEL RUSSO, Star Tribune

Last update: November 27, 2008 - 11:05 AM

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DALLAS 4, WILD 3

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Games don't get much more peculiar than Wednesday's come-from-behind 4-3 victory by the Dallas Stars over the Wild.

There was an excessively lengthy review of a Mikko Koivu shot that clearly was never a goal, barely zero attention paid to a Stars goal that at least warranted a look and then another Koivu goal overturned because the net was off its moorings.

Facing a goalie in Marty Turco who was shakier than a 5.0 earthquake, the Wild hit five crossbars or posts, including one with eight seconds left. An Antti Miettinen chance had to be swept off the goal line by James Neal. Eric Belanger missed a wide-open net.

In the end, the Wild -- ahead 3-1 in the second period -- caved to a defensively challenged Stars team that had won once in seven games. Brad Richards and Loui Eriksson scored third-period goals as the Wild fell to 1-3 on its five-game homestand.

It was the first time since Nov. 4, 2006, that the Wild scored three goals at home and lost in regulation. It was the first career regulation loss for Niklas Backstrom when he led after two periods (44-1-3).

"It was a strange game," Wild coach Jacques Lemaire bristled. "You get one thing after the other ... A goal refused that Turco pushed the net. ... It takes 10 minutes to decide that a goal's not in, which we knew a long time before that. But we waited and waited. You have the momentum, you want to play. You have the momentum, you don't want to go for coffee.

"I think it was a bad-controlled game."

The play in question came in the second period with the Wild up 3-1. Koivu took a one-timer that hit the crossbar, then the post. Referee Tom Kowal blew play dead and emphatically signaled it was a goal.

Replays clearly showed it was not a goal, yet it took 10 minutes with a restless crowd booing before Kowal announced his call was overturned by video review.

"Even though it wasn't a goal, it seemed to rally their troops," Andrew Brunette said.

Later, after the Wild failed to score on a power play, Neal drove at Backstrom. Backstrom couldn't handle his initial shot, and Neal batted the rebound out of midair and scored, making it 3-2. Neal's stick looked close to the crossbar and Marc-Andre Bergeron complained that Neal scored with a high stick.

But video goal judge Ron Foyt and supervisor of officials Mick McGeough barely gave it a look.

Early in the third, with Turco flopping around like a fish out of water, Koivu fired into an open net. Kowal signaled goal, then saw the net off the moorings and waved it off. Replays showed Turco knocked it off moments before.

"It's the third time that Turco does that just against us," Lemaire said angrily. "It's the third time. He looks like he stumbles and he just lays on the post ... It's a trick."

Told of Lemaire's accusation, Turco said, "I have knocked it off before when I've gotten bumped into to make sure it's off. In this case, I had no clue. You saw me afterward diving around like an idiot. ... I stumbled to one side and used the crossbar to gain my balance. I did not knock it off on purpose."

A minute later, Belanger missed a wide-open net that "could have put the game away." Richards and Eriksson soon scored.

"We have to be better at reading what's going on," Backstrom said. "We saw we weren't getting the bounces. Then, we have to play safe, be smart, be disciplined and know when to take chances and when not to."