NEW JERSEY VS. PITTSBURGH COLORADO VS. ST. LOUIS

Saturday, May 12 Updated: May 14, 6:45 PM ET Deep down, Pens know they need break By Wayne Drehs ESPN.com EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. – For all the heads he's turned and jaws he's dropped in his all-but-miraculous hockey comeback, Mario Lemieux proved Saturday that even he is human. In between the second and third period of a 3-1 loss to New Jersey, when he was asked if he felt fatigued, the other Great One couldn't lie. Pittsburgh's Kevin Stevens, left, and Mario Lemieux were clearly frustrated after their ineffectiveness in Game 1 on Saturday. His kryptonite? A physical, emotionally draining seven-game series against Buffalo, in which the Penguins needed a pair of overtime thrillers to prevail. "Sure I am a bit (tired)," Lemieux said during intermission. "But this is the playoffs. There are no excuses. You have to play through it." On Saturday, that proved easier said than done. Though Lemieux was the only Penguin who admitted fatigue after the loss in the Eastern Conference final opener, the on-ice proof was there. The Penguins were often sluggish in their play, not only carelessly turning the puck over on occasion, but also committing numerous mental errors. At one point late in the third period, goalie Johan Hedberg snapped his stick and the Pittsburgh bench had to all but stop the game to get its on-ice members to pick up another stick for Hedberg. It was just another example that the 40-hour turnaround from Thursday night's nerve-wrecking win over the Sabres was hardly enough time to prepare for the defending Stanley Cup champions. Pittsburgh was outshot by New Jersey 21-15, which included an 18-8 margin over the last two periods. "Any time you come off a tough series that goes seven games, it takes a lot of you," Lemieux said. "I think it showed in the third period. But like I said earlier, that's not an excuse. "The playoffs are grueling. You are not going to feel great the whole time. You just have to get your rest when you can and hopefully you'll feel good by the next game." Lucky for the Penguins, the series doesn't resume here until Tuesday, allowing Pittsburgh two days of that mental and physical rest they so desperately need. "It's something we need, definitely," said Hedberg. "We could play tomorrow if the schedule said we had to, but since it doesn't, the time off is something we can take advantage of." Still, Hedberg wouldn't admit that fatigue played a role in Saturday's loss. In fact, none of Lemieux's teammates even hinted at being tired. "I was a little nervous before the game about our legs, but once we got out there, everything felt good," said defenseman Andrew Ference, who logged 20:14 against the Devils, the third most minutes on the team. "We were in a groove where we were used to going every second night and that's what we did. Honestly, I don't know if we could have felt any better." New Jersey, too, was coming off a seven-game series, but they dominated Toronto in the decisive game, 5-1. In addition, that series ended Wednesday, one day before the Pittsburgh series came to an end. At his postgame press conference, Pittsburgh coach Ivan Hlinka was pressed about the fatigue issue. Though he refused to admit he was coaching a tired team, reading a little between the lines suggested otherwise. "I could say, like you say, that we are tired," Hlinka said. "But we've still got a long way to go. And I don't like to talk about that. We already played some games. I hope we've got a lot of games in front of us. We cannot be tired." But they are. Not 10 minutes had passed after the completion of Saturday's game, and already, Pittsburgh equipment managers were hauling out each player's duffel bag. And if that doesn't signify a group of guys eager to get back into their own beds, nothing does. "We are going to go home, look at some films, get some rest and be a new team when we come back," Lemieux said. "It's a long series." Wayne Drehs is a staff writer at ESPN.com. Send this story to a friend | Most sent stories

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