Canucks Put End To Stars’ Streak

Around the NHL

The Dallas Stars aren’t perfect anymore.

Markus Naslund had two goals and an assist, and Mike Ridley added a goal and three assists as the Vancouver Canucks handed Dallas its first loss of the season, 6-1 Thursday night.

“People were talking about how well they were playing so, sure, we wanted to beat them,” Naslund said of the Stars, whose 6-0 start was the franchise’s best. “That’s how you get respect. They came in with a lot of confidence.”

The Stars host Toronto on Saturday night and center Mike Modano is eager to see how his team bounces back from its first defeat.

“The best thing to do is to forget about it,” Modano said. “We’ll see how we respond. Last year we didn’t respond very well to losses.”

Tony Amonte and Chris Chelios scored in the third period and the Chicago Blackhawks rallied for their first home victory, 2-1 over the Detroit Red Wings.

Detroit’s Viacheslav Fetisov, making his 1996-97 debut after undergoing arthroscopic knee surgery last month, scored 3:11 into the game.

Detroit was scoreless on four power plays and is now 0 for 20 this season.

Alexander eyes NHL

Houston Rockets owner Leslie Alexander has applied for an NHL expansion franchise in Houston.

Alexander submitted his application and $100,000 fee to the NHL’s expansion committee. The league, with 26 teams, is considering expansion by up to four cities.

The league also has received expansion applications from Nashville, Oklahoma City and Atlanta.

The first franchises are expected to be awarded in December when the NHL Board of Governors meets.

On the ice

The Rangers have scored 13 goals in their last two games after scoring only 10 in their first five contests.

The Pittsburgh Penguins, who led the NHL in goals scored last season with 362, have managed only 13 goals in their first six games.