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Tuesday, March 27, 2001
Teams' answers could determine playoff success
By Mike Heika
Special to ESPN.com
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The four most important names in the Western Conference in April might be: Ray Barile, John Wharton, Pat Karns and Dave Surprenant.
Those are the athletic trainers for the Blues, Red Wings, Avalanche and Stars, respectively – and they could have as much say in who comes out of the rugged West as any coach or general manager.
With just two weeks left in the regular season, all four of the top contenders are dealing with serious injuries to key players. How they rehabilitate those players and how they allow those players to play with a certain amount of pain and limitations could very well determine who wins in the postseason.
"Injuries are a big part of the game, and everyone has to deal with them," Stars center Joe Nieuwendyk said. "I guess it's just how you deal with them."
Nieuwendyk is on the fast track to make a return from a torn groin that has kept him out for three weeks. He said Wednesday he would like to join the Stars and travel with the team on a three-game road trip through Western Canada next week and then would like to play in the final three games of the season starting April 2.
The key to Nieuwendyk's return is that he and center Mike Modano have formed a 1-2 punch that has allowed Dallas to frustrate opposing checking lines and forced opponents to make decisions in match-ups. In the past two series with Colorado that have ended in Game 7 victories for the Stars, Modano and Nieuwendyk have been able to outplay Peter Forsberg and Joe Sakic.
?If you watch the series, it's all come down to the two centers and the goalies," Stars coach Ken Hitchcock said.
For Colorado, the concerns lie in a different area, however. After building a defense that might he as good as any in the NHL, the Avalanche could be without two of its best players. Rob Blake suffered a knee injury on Tuesday and could be out two weeks. Adam Foote is hopeful about his return to the ice soon from shoulder surgery, but trainers are wisely opting to let him sit a few extra games knowing the Avalanche has a decent lead for the No. 1 seed in the West.
"I wanted to play a week ago," Foote said. "When you have something like this, they try to keep you out as long as they can because every day is better for your shoulder."
The Avalanche has deftly dealt with injuries all season, using an impressive amount of depth to cover for lost time by Foote, Peter Forsberg and Chris Drury. But there is one position in which they likely would face more than a few nervous nights – goaltender. All-time wins leader Patrick Roy tweaked a knee the other night in a 4-1 win against San Jose. Roy missed Thursday's game against St. Louis as a precaution and is expected to return Saturday against Boston when Ray Bourque returns.
He said he does not expect the knee to become a nagging problem.
"If this were the playoffs, I'd be on the ice," Roy said. "I don't think it's a big thing, but I don't take anything for granted."
No one can when so many teams seem so determined that this is their year to win. The Red Wings are feeling their biological clock ticking and have been one of the hottest teams in the West over the past two months. But Darren McCarty rammed his right ankle into the boards last week and is expected out 2-3 weeks with a sprain and Chris Chelios suffered a broken thumb and had surgery Wednesday. Chelios, who had major knee surgery at the beginning of the season, is expected to be back for the first round of the playoffs.
What's more, captain Steve Yzerman is nursing a sore groin and could miss a game.
That's nothing, however, compared to what St. Louis has endured this season.
The Blues have twice lost captain Chris Pronger (knee and broken ulna) and are just now getting defenseman Al MacInnis back from a perplexing eye injury. The shuffling on defense has caused all sorts of problems for St. Louis, and the big concern is whether the team will have enough time to get ready for the playoffs.
"It's not that easy to jump in and play with different guys," MacInnis said. "You have to get used to each other, and that takes time."
Of course, if you don't get that chance, you have to sally forth.
"This all changes in the playoffs," Stars captain Derian Hatcher said. "Players who aren't healthy suddenly are ready to play and you do whatever it takes to get your team ready. I think once the playoffs are here, you'll see a lot more people in the lineup."
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Hockey talk
"This has to be the new style that we play. We can't go offense; we don't have the guns to go offense. We don't have many offensive players, if any. We have to be good defensively, let up as few goals as possible and try to play a boring game. We really don't have the ammo to do anything different. You can get an identity in two weeks and find a way to play that's successful. You can get in good habits."
– Coyotes forward Jeremy Roenick preaching the new defensive style before Phoenix went out and surrendered 15 goals in three games.
The number
Career hat tricks for Brett Hull that places him fifth on the all-time NHL list behind Wayne Gretzky, Mario Lemieux, Phil Esposito and Mike Bossy.
Infirmary report
The Vancouver Canucks have bounced back admirably from the broken leg that has sidelined captain Markus Naslund for the remainder of the season and playoffs. Naslund had a rod inserted into his right leg and is upbeat about the rehabilitation process that likely will keep him off skates for four months. Still, there are few players in the West who mean more to their team than Naslund. The well-liked captain was leading the Canucks out of the wilderness and was a candidate to be named to the NHL's first All-Star team at left wing. Now, Vancouver is left to fight without its leading scorer – and more importantly, without its leader. If ever there was an injury that dealt a serious blow to the playoff hopes of one team, this is it. And while nobody would admit it, you can be assured the Top Four in the West are breathing a sigh of relief, because they didn't want to face the Canucks in the first round.
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Inside the locker room
Maybe Owen Nolan is just in a bad mood. That's why he has declined to speak to the media for six straight games and two practices in between. The problem is that, as captain of the Sharks, that sort of mood permeates the locker room. If Nolan is sulking, the team is perceived as sulking. If Nolan can only speak to the media – and, in essence, the fans – when he is winning, that sends a harsh message about whether Nolan is accountable to the fans. Look, some people handle the media better than others, but when Nolan refuses to speak on behalf of his team during its extended slump, he's making other players speak for him. And that's a problem in hockey, where the captain is supposed to be the leader and the identity of the team.
Central Division
Alex Zhamnov, who has been in and out of the lineup in recent weeks trying to recover from a fractured larynx, said he would like to play as many games as he can before the end of the season...After an injury to Darren McCarty, the Red Wings called up Yuri Butsayev from Cincinnati and were expected to play him on a line with Igor Larionov and Slava Kozlov...Keith Tkachuk received a rousing applause in his debut in St. Louis Tuesday during a 4-3 overtime loss to the Islanders. Tkachuk said it gave him chills. Pierre Turgeon played his 1,000th career regular season game Thursday against the Colorado Avalanche.
Northwest Division
New Flames coach Greg Gilbert has already set the tone as he is pushing the Flames with hard, high-tempo practices. Gilbert is stressing passing and conditioning and he's riding the Flames into the ground right now in order to make a statement that attitudes will be changed now and not next season...With Rob Blake and Adam Foote out, the Avalanche has recalled Bryan Muir from Hershey. At 6-4, 220, Muir can give the Avalanche a physical presence for the short-term...In their last three meetings, the Oilers have outscored the Kings, 18-3. Mike Comrie has been an impressive point-producer for the Oilers with 16 in the past 16 games...Canucks rookie Daniel Sedin earned a $300,000 bonus in his contract when he scored his 20th goal of the season Wednesday.
Pacific Division
The Sharks are 1-8-1-2 in their past 12 games. They have scored two goals or fewer in eight of their past 12 games...The Stars have scored 23 power plays in the past 23 games. Brett Hull, who had not registered a hat trick since 1997, had two in three games last week. He had seven goals and two assists in that span...The Kings are 9-2-2 since trading Rob Blake. Center Jozef Stumpel, who has been out with a broken rib since March 4, is expected to return to the Kings lineup on Saturday.
Mike Heika of the Dallas Morning News covers the Western Conference for ESPN.com. Send this story to a friend | Most sent stories
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