Dallas coach Ken Hitchcock gave outstanding goaltender Ed Belfour Friday night off.
The Blackhawks must have been envious. They took the last four minutes of the second period off and didn’t play defense.
Dallas exploited the letdown by scoring three quick goals to break open the game and Belfour’s backup, Marty Turco, coasted to a 5-1 victory, the first of his National Hockey League career.
Making his second NHL start after losing 5-2 to Carolina in his Oct. 10 debut, the former Michigan Wolverines star stopped 17 shots.
Alex Zhamnov of the Hawks opened the scoring early in the game. Later in the first period Jere Lehtinen answered for the Stars, scoring on the rebound of a shot by Mike Modano that hammered off the mask of Hawks goalie Jocelyn Thibault.
The Stars controlled play throughout the second period. But last season’s Stanley Cup runners-up couldn’t put the puck in the net until the Hawk defense gradually dissolved and Jamie Langenbrunner set up Joe Nieuwendyk for an easy goal that broke the tie.
At 17:20, with a crowd of Hawks standing around and obstructing Thibault’s view, Darryl Sydor took an open shot from the right point. Thibault blocked the shot but it leaked into the net.
The third goal came at 18:51 and was scored by Brenden Morrow on a shot from the near right set up by Mike Keane.
Late in the third period the Hawks once again did their statue impersonation act when the puck was in their end.
Nieuwendyk took advantage of the inactivity by scoring his second goal of the game.
Thibault faced 35 shots as the Hawks lost for the fifth time in their seven games this season and the third time in four appearances at the United Center.
