Stars 4, Sharks 1

Sunday, March 3rd 2002, 12:00 am

By: News On 6

(DALLAS) - Pierre Turgeon and Jamie Langenbrunner scored 37 seconds apart in the first period and the Dallas Stars beat San Jose 4-1 Sunday to move within five points of the Pacific Division-leading Sharks.

Dallas has won three straight games, including 2-1 over Northwest Division leader Colorado on Saturday.

Turgeon scored at the 8:23 mark of the first period when his shot popped over goalie Evgeni Nabokov and trickled past the line. Turgeon almost missed while taking a hard swipe at the puck, but got just enough of it to score his 11th goal.

Langenbrunner scored on a rebound, giving the Stars a 2-0 lead.

Dallas took 14 shots, scoring its first two goals, before the Sharks had a shot on goal. The Stars outshot San Jose 18-3 in the first period.

The Stars were in 10th place in the Western Conference after a 5-1 loss at Phoenix on Tuesday, their first game after the Olympics. They are now tied with Los Angeles, which plays at Dallas on Wednesday, for sixth in the conference and second in the Pacific Division with 69 points.

Play turned physical after the Stars took their early lead.

Stars' scoring leader Mike Modano injured his right knee three minutes into the second period when he was flipped by Sharks winger Alexander Korolyuk while skating toward the net with the puck. He didn't put any pressure on his right leg while being helped off the ice, but the extent of the injury wasn't known.

There were also several fights.

San Jose defenseman Bryan Marchment fought with Stars captain Derian Hatcher in the final minute of the first period. Marchment was given a game misconduct and faces a mandatory two-game suspension from the NHL after his third fight-instigator penalty of the season.

That came soon after San Jose's Todd Harvey slammed Brad Lukowich into the boards and then fought with John Erskine, who also duked it out with Scott Thornton in the second period.

Harvey got 14 minutes of penalties, including a 10-minute misconduct, for a third-period outburst in front of the Dallas net.

San Jose got within 2-1 when Owen Nolan scored 2:04 into the second period, pushing the puck just past goalie Marty Turco's glove.

Turco, making his second straight start ahead of Ed Belfour, stopped 17 shots. Nabokov had won seven straight games, allowing two or fewer goals in six of those games.

Hatcher gave Dallas a 3-1 lead when he scored from the lower circle with 2:07 left in the second period. Joe Nieuwendyk's unassisted backhander with 10:13 left closed out the scoring.

Notes: The Stars set an NHL record with their 48th straight win when leading after two periods. The streak dates back to Nov. 11, 2000, and broke the record 47 games in a row by the Detroit Red Wings from Nov. 21, 1964 to Jan. 23, 1966. ... The 18 first-period shots were a season high for Dallas. ... San Jose has lost two straight after a franchise-record seven wins in a row.