Eriksson scores in OT as Stars beat Devils 4-3

It was a really nice comeback after getting down 2-0 7:13 into the game.

Kari Lehtonen bounced back from a slow start, and leaders like Brenden Morrow, Brad Richards, Mike Ribeiro and Stephane Robidas really helped younger players like James Neal and Loui Eriksson step up.

Loui Eriksson had two goals and scored the game-winner in overtime as he roofed a shot when he came in on a 2-on-1 and the Devils took away the passing lane to Richards.

"The first one was a good job by Richie and Nealer to get the puck to net and I was there on the rebound. It was a typical Loui goal, I think," Eriksson said of a goal where he got a rebound and shoveled it in. "The second one was two against one and I was just able to put it in. I wanted to pass first, but they took it away and I had to shoot. It was a good shot."

Lehtonen said he was excited to start the game and was probably a little too active. But when he played poorly, he said he was happy that his teammates picked him up.

``I was excited and I wanted to do well, and it was hard when I didn't,'' Lehtonen said. ``But it was nice to see the guys battled so hard when I wasn't doing well. I was struggling, but they picked me up.''

Stars coach Marc Crawford added that Lehtonen clearly was a key player in stopping 13 shots in the third period and pushing the game to overtime.

"While he wasn't great through the first two periods, he was absolutely dynamite in the third and preserved the chance for us to get it into overtime," Crawford said.

The Stars caught a break when Ilya Kovalchuk hit a post in the first period, and then Brenden Morrow came back to score for Dallas and make it 2-1.

"Quite truthfully, they score on the third one it might be a little bit too much," Crawford said. "That post Kovalchuk hit ended up being fortunate for us. I thought our guys really got back into the game and the goal by Morrow was huge to say the least."

The style was both sloppy and exciting. Both teams went up and down the ice, and both teams struggled with defensive coverage.

"It wasn't pretty at times, but it was a fun game to be a part of,'' Richards said. ``It went back and forth at times, maybe not what both coaches want, but it was a fun time for us and the fans."

Notable

The Stars won the battle fo faceoffs, getting 24-of-39 or 62 percent. Jamie Benn and Steve Ott were each 4-for-5 and Mike Ribeiro was 8-for-12.

The Stars had not won in New Jersey since Game 5 of the 2000 Stanley Cup Finals.

Crawford said he has not decided if Lehtonen will start Saturday against the Islanders in back-to-back games. Lehtonen said he will let the coaches decide, but that he felt fine after the game.