DALLAS – Marek Svatos scored on a power-play rebound with 1:57 left to give the Colorado Avalanche a 3-2 victory over the Dallas Stars.
Svatos scored his first goal of the season on a scramble in front of the net with 2:09 left on a 7-minute power play.
Peter Budaj stopped 16 shots in his NHL debut. Joe Sakic added a goal and an assist for Colorado, and Pierre Turgeon had a power-play goal and an assist.
Stars center Jason Arnott was bleeding heavily from a cut to the head after a high stick from Dan Hinote of the Avalanche with 6:48 remaining. Referees Don Koharski and Wes McCauley did not see the high stick, however.
Arnott and teammate Bill Guerin retaliated, resulting in a brawl. Minor penalties were assessed to Arnott and Guerin, and Arnott also received a game misconduct for instigation to give the Avalanche the 7-minute power play.
Colorado’s Ian Laperriere got a game misconduct for being the third man in the fight as well as a roughing minor.
Jere Lehtinen had a short-handed goal and Brenden Morrow added a third-period goal for Dallas.
Sakic’s goal at 19:33 of the second period broke a 1-all tie. Sakic has 543 career goals, one short of tying Maurice Richard for 21st place.
Morrow tied it at 2 at 11:43 of the third period, converting from in front of the net after a feed from Guerin.
With a scoreless first period, Dallas was off to a far better defensive start than in Wednesday night’s opener when the Stars trailed the Los Angeles Kings after one period, 4-0. The Stars rallied for a 5-4 victory in that game.
Colorado had a man advantage when Lehtinen scored on a bouncing shot taken from just inside the blue line at 52 seconds of the second period to give Dallas a 1-0 edge.
The Avalanche tied it at 1 on the power play when Turgeon, a former Star, converted a goal-mouth pass from John-Michael Liles at 12:24 of the second period. Sakic also assisted on the goal.
Notes: RW Milan Hejduk is out for Colorado with a right knee injury. Hejduk underwent surgery on Sept. 20 and there is no timetable for his return. … D Jon Klemm missed the game for the Stars due to back spasms. Klemm hasn’t played or practiced since Wednesday.
AP-ES-10-08-05 2259EDT
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