The Mighty Ducks are flyingsintosthe Western Conference finals for the first time.

　　After sweeping defending Stanley Cup champion Detroit in the first round, Anaheim beat the top-seeded Dallas Stars 4-3 on Monday night to move within four wins of the Stanley Cup finals.

　　Like the Anaheim Angels' improbable run to their first World Series title last fall, which included a series win against the defending AL champion Yankees, the seventh-seeded Ducks are on a postseason roll.

　　Defenseman Sandis Ozolinsh knocked a rebound past Marty Turco with 1:06 remaining to lift the Ducks to the win over Dallas that clinched Anaheim's 4-2 series win over the Stars.

　　With fans banging their plastic "Pond Rockers" - white versions of the red "ThunderStix" Angels' fans used last October - and waving "Fowl towels," the Ducks trailed early against the Stars, then moved ahead only to see Dallas come back to tie twice, the final time on Brenden Morrow's goal with 5:11 remaining.

　　Then, Ozolinsh scored his first goal of the playoffs after Turco blocked Mike Leclerc's shot from the right circle and the puck bounced out in front of the crease. The sellout crowed of 17,174 erupted.

　　In the other NHL playoff games on Monday, Ottawa beat Philadelphia 5-1 to reach the Eastern Conference finals for the first time in the franchise's 11-year history; and Minnesota avoided elimination with a 7-2 rout of Vancouver.

　　Anaheim will face the Vancouver-Minnesota winner in the conference final. The Canucks lead that series 3-2, with Game 6 to be played tonight and, if nece-ssary, Game 7 tomorrow.

　　Ozolinsh's goal capped a wild third period.

　　Morrow's goal was revie-wed because Sergei Zubov's wrist shot from 55 feet bounced off Morrow's skate and past Giguere, and would not have counted if Morrow had intentionally redirected the puck with his skate.

　　That goal counted, unlike the one the Stars thought they had with 7:58 remain-ing. Stu Barnes put the puck past Giguere at close range, but after a review, the goal was disallowed because officials ruled that the net was dislodged.

　　Defenseman Ruslan Salei had given the Ducks a 3-2 edge 3:22sintosthe third period with his first goal of the playoffs.

　　Niko Kapanen had a goal and an assist for the Stars, who were trying to become the third team this year to come back to win a series after being behind 1-3.

　　Giguere, who had been sensational in his first postseason but was benched after two periods of the Stars' 4-1 victory in Game 5 on Saturday, had 26 saves as the Ducks finished off Dallas.

　　The Ducks are in the postseason for only the third time since entering the league as an expansion franchise in 1993.