Associated Press
Monday, April 26, 1999; 2:11 a.m. EDT

EDMONTON, Alberta – Joe Nieuwendyk capped a three-goal rally at 12:32 of the third period, giving the Dallas Stars a 3-2 victory over the Edmonton Oilers on Sunday night.

The victory gave the Stars a 3-0 lead in their best-of-7 Western Conference quarterfinal series. The top-ranked Stars can finish a sweep with a victory on Tuesday night against the eighth-ranked Oilers.

Only two teams in NHL history have come back from 3-0 deficits in a best-of-7 series – the last the New York Islanders against the Pittsburgh Penguins in 1975.

Dallas eliminated the Oilers in five games in last year's conference semifinals.

The Oilers had built a 2-0 lead on power-play goals by Ryan Smyth in the first and third periods. But the Stars pulled it out with third-period goals by Mike Keane at 6:15 of the third period, Mike Modano at 10:20 and Nieuwendyk.

Keane scored Dallas' first goal on a long wrist shot and Modano popped in a rebound at 10:20 to tie it.

Nieuwendyk then beat Oilers goaltender Tommy Salo with a 50-foot wrist shot.

Nieuwendyk skated to the edge of the left circle and put a shot over Salo's glove that gave the Stars their third one-goal victory in as many games. Dallas also won for the second time in the series when trailing after two periods.

The Oilers had two goals disallowed.