Linden, Canucks beat Stars in Game 7

The Vancouver Canucks got past the first round for the second time since 1995. The Dallas Stars are going home quickly for a third straight season.

Trevor Linden scored the go-ahead goal on a power play seven minutes into the third period to lift the Canucks to a 4-1 Game 7 win on Monday night, ending the Stars attempt to come back from a 3-1 deficit in the best-of-seven series.

Linden, a former Canucks captain playing in his ninth career Game 7 for Vancouver, tipped Mattias Ohlund's quick point shot through the legs of Stars goalie Marty Turco, the puck barely trickling over the goal line inside the far post.

"Yeah, it was a tight series the whole way," Canucks goalie Roberto Luongo said. "We worked hard all year and it's nice to get rewarded like that."

Bryan Smolinski and Taylor Pyatt added empty-net goals, Henrik Sedin had a goal and an assist, and Roberto Luongo made 19 saves for the Canucks, who will start the second round in Anaheim on Wednesday night.

Turco finished with 28 saves and Mike Modano sent a shot off the post and crossbar with four minutes left as the Stars, who were forced to play Game 7 without top defenseman Sergei Zubov, exited the playoffs in the first round for a third straight season.

After being shut out by Turco for two straight games as Dallas climbed back from a 3-1 series deficit, the Canucks battled back in Game 7.

Joel Lundqvist scored late in the first period for Dallas before Sedin finally ended Turco's shutout streak on the power play with 4:48 left in the second period.

After shutting out the Canucks in Games 5 and 6, Turco started strong in Game 7. He made four fantastic saves to kill off a 5-on-3 Canucks power play early in the second before Sedin finally beat him on another power play with 4:48 left in the period, ending his career-best shutout streak at 165:45.