CEDAR PARK, Texas -- Special teams can make all the difference. In Game 5 of the Western Conference Final the Toronto Marlies failed to convert on a key 5-on-3 power play and it eventually led to the Texas Stars taking a 3-2 series lead. On Monday, Toronto flipped things on Texas with a crucial 5-on-3 kill in the second period of a 3-1 victory in Game 6 to even the series at three games a apiece. With Peter Holland in the box for tripping and a 2-0 lead, Stuart Percy was called for crosschecking, which gave Texas-- the American Hockey Leagues regular season-leader with a 25.3 per cent power play-- a two-man advantage for 1 minute 33 seconds. The Stars won the draw and held the puck for a full minute, but Jerry DAmigo, Kenny Ryan and Petter Granberg collapsed in the slot and forced Texas to the outside and limited the scoring chances against goaltender Drew MacIntyre. "You really got to appreciate Petter Granberg, watching him out there the way he can go down and take away seams and take away passes, hes tremendous at it," Toronto coach Steve Spott said. "Hes done it at the mens worlds and done it at world juniors and you can tell why hes a gold medallist." That trio also got a break when MacIntyre made one of best saves of the night, gloving down a slapshot by Brett Ritchie. The Stars rookie raised his hands thinking he had scored. "I never even noticed," MacIntyre admitted about Ritchies early celebration. "Im just trying to stop the puck and I dont care who its against." MacIntyre stopped 36-of-37 shots, which was more than enough for the Marlies when it was combined with a 7-for-8 penalty kill effort and two goals from Carter Ashton. Just like the other five games in the series, Toronto scored first and took a 1-0 lead in the first period when Ashton scored 8:45 into the game. The goal came after Jamie Oleksiak turned the puck over behind Texas net. Cristopher Nilstorp made the initial save on T.J. Brennan, but Ashton was able to track down the rebound and scored his third goal of the post-season. Toronto then doubled its lead after an ill-advised penalty against Nilstorp in the second period. After a scramble by the Stars net, Nilstorp gave Kevin Marshall a two-handed shove near the side of the net and was called for roughing. On the ensuing power play, Trevor Smith beat Nilstorp through the five-hole after taking a pass from Sam Carrick. Ashton added his second goal with 54 seconds remaining in the period, tapping home a pass during a 2-on-1 with Spencer Abbott. "Playing with (Peter Holland) and (Abbot), they make good plays," Ashton said. "If I have my stick on the ice they make it pretty easy." Texas finally capitalized on the power play with 3:25 remaining-- a 6-on-4 goal by Curtis McKenzie. But it didnt sour the penalty-killing effort. In the series Toronto has killed 30-of-33 Texas power plays and had killed 23 straight before McKenzies goal. Nilstorp stopped 22 of 25 shots in the loss. Toronto has now scored first in all 13 of its playoff games. Game 7 will be Tuesday night at the Cedar Park Centre. The winner will play the St. Johns IceCaps or Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins in the Calder Cup Final. Swell Waterfles .C. - The Panthers will be without starting defensive tackle Star Lotulelei for Saturday nights NFC divisional playoff game against Seattle after undergoing surgery Wednesday to repair a broken bone in his foot. Swell Fles . I kind of got a taste of being able to pick a suit with the draft lottery, I went with the bow tie. http://www.swellkopen.be/. -- Oakland Athletics third baseman Scott Sizemore has undergone surgery on his left knee to repair a torn anterior cruciate ligament. Swell Bottle Belgie . -- Fresh off their surprising run in the playoffs, the Portland Trail Blazers have signed head coach Terry Stotts to a multi-year contract extension. Swell Belgie .ca MLB Power Rankings, the third consecutive week that the As have held top spot and the third straight week that they have been one ahead of the Toronto Blue Jays. NEW YORK -- A goal that didnt count in the Sharks victory over the New York Rangers garnered more attention than the one that made the difference in surging San Joses latest win. Antti Niemi stopped 41 shots for his fourth shutout, and Logan Coutures first-period, short-handed goal stood up as the Sharks beat the Rangers 1-0 Sunday for their sixth straight win. New York thought it had the game tied with 3:15 left in the second period. During a stoppage, all four officials gathered at the scorers table, and a lengthy video review was conducted in Toronto to see if Carl Hagelins stuff attempt at the left post nudged the puck over the line. Numerous replays failed to show the puck behind Niemi, who blocked the view, but one zoomed-in and enhanced picture appeared to show the puck disappear behind the post -- drawing a huge cheer from the crowd. Those yells turned to boos when it was announced there was no conclusive evidence of a goal. Rangers coach Alain Vigneault called over referee Dan OHalloran for an explanation he didnt really seem to accept. "It doesnt matter what I think. I dont make the decisions," Vigneault said in a quiet tone. "This is not me saying this, but some of my friends say that they make it up as they go along. Im just going to leave it at that. "The replay that I saw, you cant see the puck. Maybe I can assume that if you cant see the puck it is under the goaltenders pad and in the goal. It has to be conclusive and I guess they felt it wasnt, so there is nothing you can do about it." Niemi and the Sharks defence were the difference, unlike in the first meeting between the teams, won 9-2 by San Jose on Oct. 8. Niemi, who has 27 career NHL shutouts, was particularly strong during a Rangers power play early in the third. San Jose, tied with Anaheim atop the Pacific Division, is 11-2-1 in its past 14. In a 12-game stretch against Eastern Conference opponents that ends Tuesday at home versus Florida, the Sharks are 9-1-1. "Nemo was unbelievable," Sharks captain Joe Thornton said. "That was maybe his best game all year. He stole this one for us." Henrik Lundqvist made 28 saves but was denied in his first attempt to set the Rangers record with his 302nd victory. He equaled Mike Richters mark Friday at Winnipeg, but couldnt hide his disappointment in this loss. "This loss is so painful in so many ways," he said. "We had so many open nets, so many chances to get back in this game but we just couldnt get it in. Then you look at their goal, to givve it up on our own power play, and thats the only goal.dddddddddddd It just adds to the frustration." New York, which lost for the third time in four games, dropped one point behind Philadelphia in the Metropolitan Division race and into an Eastern Conference wild-card position. "We definitely understand how important every point is," Lundqvist said. "We played a really strong game against one of the best teams in the league, but its hard to be positive about a lot of things when you dont win. Right now its about points, its not about playing great against good teams." San Jose, which had 11 shots in the first period, recorded four while short-handed and grabbed the lead. Couture took the puck away from Mats Zuccarello in the neutral zone, raced ahead of Brad Richards, shook him off, and beat Lundqvist with a backhander at 11:48 for his 19th goal -- second short-handed. "Felt good to get a shorty that stood up for us," Couture said. "We have a great attitude as a team and know how important the last 13 games will be." San Jose came out much better in the second and held a 10-7 shots edge during the scoreless frame. New Yorks next best scoring chance came with 4:09 left when defenceman Ryan McDonagh, seemingly with an open right side in front of him, had his shot blocked by the reaching stick of defenceman Marc-Edouard Vlasic. Niemi was the main reason the Sharks went into the first intermission with the lead. He stopped all 20 shots fired at him. "We played another great road game," Niemi said after the Sharks finished a 3-0 trip. "They came hard at us from the beginning. With good reads and some luck, I was able to make some saves." Niemi made two eye-popping stops against struggling forward Derick Brassard, including a point-blank chance with 40 seconds left that Niemi kicked out with his left pad. It had Brassard staring at the ceiling and shaking his head. Earlier in the period, Niemi quickly moved over to deny Brassards backhander at the right post off a rebound of McDonaghs shot. "Weve got to believe that if we keep playing this way we will be all right," Vigneault said. Lundqvist was also sharp in the first, making a strong save with his chest against Patrick Marleau, who fired the Sharks first shot from the slot 5:31 in. New York had the games first seven shots. NOTES: The Rangers havent allowed a power-play goal in eight games, killing 21 penalties. ... San Jose took three penalties after having none on Friday. ' ' '