Havlat's hat trick not enough for Senators

DALLAS (AP) -- If the Stanley Cup finals can be as wide open and entertaining as Monday night's matchup between the best teams in the each conference, then hockey fans are in for a treat.

Mike Modano had two goals and an assist, and Bill Guerin got the game-winner when he redirected Sergei Zubov's shot from the blue line with 5:24 left as the West-leading Dallas Stars beat the East-leading Ottawa Senators 5-3 Monday night.

Martin Havlat's third career hat trick helped Ottawa take leads of 2-0 and 3-2. His third goal came 64 seconds after Dallas tied it with goals 41 seconds apart.

Despite a combined eight goals on 48 shots, there also was some great goaltending, giving a sold-out crowd plenty to cheer about in a game that certainly lived up to its billing as a showdown between the two top teams in the NHL.

"It was an exciting game for the fans and to play in,'' said Brenden Morrow, who had the Stars' first goal midway through the second quarter after clanking one into the post in the game's opening minutes. "It was a lot of up-and-down hockey and some good goals.''

Havlat's hot start gave the bankrupt Senators a chance to deal a strong blow against the rich Stars, whose payroll is twice as big.

Instead, Ottawa lost when leading after two periods for the first time since Jan. 20, 2002, they remain one point ahead of Dallas (71-70) with a game in hand in the race for the Presidents' Trophy. The teams meet again Feb. 27 in Ottawa.

"We knew it was a big game,'' Senators goalie Patrick Lalime said. "We had our chances, but we could've been a little better. When we take the lead into the third, we're usually pretty good. Tonight, I don't know if we backed off or what.''

Dallas has lost only twice at home in regulation, but dropped its last game at the American Airlines Center. When Havlat scored on a power play late in the second period, the Stars were in jeopardy of their first home losing streak.

Instead, they started the third period aggressively, with Guerin and Jason Arnott getting good scoring chances in the first two minutes. They continued going after Lalime on a power play shortly after that, but the goalie kept making nice plays.

Scott Young, who scored the winning goal in Dallas' last three victories, finally beat Lalime by knocking a puck through traffic from just outside the crease to tie it with 10:45 left. Guerin's goal put the Stars ahead for the first time.

Lalime left the net in the final minute to give the Senators an extra attacker, but Dallas got the puck out to center ice and Modano slid it from far out to seal just their fifth comeback win in 14 tries when trailing after two periods.

"We were trying to keep the score at 3-2 and we weren't able to finish it,'' Havlat said. "They got a lucky goal on a shot from the blue line and our goalie didn't see it.''

Havlat, who scored twice in Ottawa's 6-3 victory over Dallas in the only meeting last season, has 17 goals this season. He became the first opponent to record a hat trick at the Stars' new arena and had the first against Dallas since St. Louis' Corey Stillman did it Jan. 5, 2002.

"It's nice to score like that, but when you don't win, it's not as nice,'' Havlat said.

Lalime made 28 saves and lost for the second time in his last eight games (5-2-1). The Senators were 21-0-3 when leading after two periods.

"We felt like we were getting a lot of opportunities, so we just tried to stay with it,'' Stars coach Dave Tippett said. "They're a real good team with a lot of balance. It was a good test of our team and I think our guys responded well.''

Dallas goalie Marty Turco faced only 15 shots, but among his 12 saves were several great ones. The All-Star reserve made two in rapid succession during a late third-period power play and earlier used his glove to punch away a puck flying over him.

Turco is 8-0 against Canadian teams this season and is unbeaten in his last 11 games overall (8-0-3). The Stars are 11-1-3 in their last 15, dating to Dec. 26.

Game notes
Ottawa D Wade Redden was scratched because of a viral infection. ... Dallas' Claude Lemieux was scratched for the second straight game because of a slightly herniated disc in his neck. He will be out Wednesday night, too, and will have another week after that to recover thanks to the All-Star break. ... Dallas has trailed 1-0 in nine of its last 11 games and 15 of 19.