In celebration, Belfour briefly let down that guard and spoke of how he would never have allowed Hasek to beat him. Don't expect Belfour to utter those words about Turek, who got along with Belfour for two years here by not pushing for playing time. Belfour's likely to say all the proper things about the Czech goaltender, but it's what Belfour's feeling that counts. So for the Stars' sake, people need to keep reminding him that he hasn't beaten Turek in five tries the last two years. Seriously, the Stars can't advance without Belfour at his very best.
Hockey is a complicated game, but the goaltending numbers tell a simple story.
Belfour has played in nine playoff series for Dallas in which one goaltender had a save percentage seven or more points higher than the other. The seven times Belfour has been on the high side, Dallas has won. The Blues have too much talent among their 18 skaters for anyone to expect the Stars to simply outplay them while the goaltending battle is even. Two years ago, the Stars knocked out St. Louis in a six-game series that required four overtimes. There wasn't a hill of beans' difference between the two teams beyond Belfour's vast superiority to Grant Fuhr.