Five for Fighting

Postgame quotables, winning team version

Do you care what the Sharks had to say after narrowly escaping elimination at the hands of the Stars on Wednesday night with a 2-1 victory? Sure you do, faithful Five for Fighting readers. Here's what a few Sharks had to say after their win on Wednesday:

Patrick Marleau: I think we have to catch the breaks, but we have to work for them too. That's the only way you're going to get them. We drew a lot of penalties tonight and we got our power-play goal there. It'd be nice to get a few more, but we've got to work on that. ... We can't get too far ahead of ourselves. We're going home and feel pretty confidence about ourselves. That being said, we still have a lot of work ahead of us.

Milan Michalek: We just said before the game that we have nothing to lose. We just had to relax and play our game and get the pucks deep and work hard. We had to relax and have fun. ... We had to keep playing the same way (in the third person), get the pucks deep, don't wait for them. Shoot, shoot at their D. We have to do that every game now.

Brian Campbell: For us to get back in this series and win this series, you're going to face those challenges.

-- Keeli Garza

Postgame quotables, losing team version

Here's what a few of the Stars had to say after Wednesday's 2-1 loss to the Sharks. Have no fear, Stars fans, they still lead the series 3-1 and have had great success on the road so far in the playoffs.

Stephane Robidas: We do feel like we can win on their home ice but we still have to be ready for a big challenge. We have to stay more disciplined next game. Special teams has been the story of the playoffs and always is, no matter what year it is. We have to respond to the momentum that they have now, have a good meeting tomorrow and forget about this one.

Jere Lehtinen: We knew they were going to come hard and they got a couple of late goals. We have to play better and get our game to the next level in Game 5. I got a lucky break in the slot and it was nice to take the early lead. It's hard to play three games in four nights, but we're both in the same boat. Both teams played tight, defensive hockey and they just got one more goal than we did.

Brad Richards: It's a game of inches and they ended up capitalizing on their chances. We won two of the games in overtime and it's just a fine line. We'll go out and play a simple road game in San Jose, stay out of the box and play smart. We have to get pucks in deep and try to limit what they're doing. It's not a do or die game for us, but we have to play like it is. I still like where we are and we're still in a good spot. Marty has been great and he held down the fort for us a lot of the game.

Marty Turco: We smelled the blood and it was tough on both teams with the back-to-back. We certainly didn't play on sweeping them coming into the series. It was another tight game in the 3rd, and this is playoff hockey. It doesn't matter who scores the goals, it's about playing as a team and sticking to our game plan. We are going to continue to stick to our game and look for heroes. We like the way we are playing, limiting their opportunities and we were still knocking on the door in the 3rd.

Brenden Morrow: Our discipline was one of our keys to success and we lost it tonight. We put together some good shifts but it's tough to gain momentum when you are killing penalties that often. They did a good job creating turnovers and the shorthanded goals are tough. That's something we need to clean up. We knew they weren't going to quit on us and we need to go in and focus on the next game. Marty continues to make some hugr saves and gives us a chance every night. Unfortunately, we didn't make enough plays after he made those big saves.

-- Keeli Garza

Postgame quotables, losing coach version

So, there was no sweep. But Stars head coach Dave Tippett was very tempered in his postgame press conference. Here's what he had to say about his team's 2-1 loss to the Sharks on Wednesday night:

... We had five stick penalties and one over the boards. The after-effects of that are huge because you are taxing a lot of players who kill penalties. You have to control your stick. Without Barnes, you lose a lot too. We need to do better there.

... These are very tight games. A save here, a save there, it decided the outcome. Now, we have to back on the road and try to win there.

... (On the shorthanded goal) Those are uncharacteristic mistakes by Zubie. Those are mistakes that you'd like to see cleaned up. He's not trying to make them, but they happened. That's a way to give them momentum in hurry.

... We still have a 3-1 lead but we recognize that they're going home and they're going to get some life out of this. We have to regroup and go into game five and win another road game. It's a challenge for us.

... When you have an opportunity to close a team out and you don't -- they won a game and have life and feel good about that. This series has been pretty close. We found a way to win three times, and they did tonight. Our focus is on the next game.

-- Keeli Garza

Postgame quotables, winning coach version

Talk about a 180. Sharks head coach Ron Wilson was in a far better mood tonight (OK, maybe that's an overstatement, but he did seem a bit happier). Here's what he had to say about his team's 2-1 win over the Stars, which helped the Sharks avoid elimination:

... We had nothing to lose. You guys basically buried us already. So went out therre and had fun. We'll embrace the challenge to make history in coming back from a 3-0 deficit. We've been sitting back too much and not playing Sharks hockey. That was a pretty solid effort. It was an impressive effort. Our special teams were impressive, obviously. We scored a power-play goal and got another shorthanded. So it was a good night on the end.

... You hope you have that resiliency  and a little desperation. I think our bench settled down after (the shorthanded goal) at that point. The guys rallied around and dug in and got the job done.

... Nabokov was better last game. Tonight, he only faced 18 shots. Most were from the perimeter and our D did a great job. Other than the giveaway goal that wasn't his fault, he stood tall and did his job.

... (Marleau) did it the last game and obviously this game. He's got great speed and anticipation. I think he plays more relaxed when he's killing penalties. He has a quick stick. He anticipates where the puck might go. He did a great job -- got his stick in the passing lane, stole the pass and made them pay.

-- Keeli Garza

Sharks up 2-1

The Sharks spent so much time in the Stars zone, you had a feeling something bad was going to happen. And there you have it.

Milan Michalek scores on a tight one, on the Sharks' fifth power play of the night. The Stars don't look like they have much energy left at this point; guessing the legs are finally running out of gas. At this rate, we'll be heading back to San Jose.
That's Michalek from Joe Thornton and Brian Campbell at 3:26.

Whew

A close call or two in that period, as the Sharks came out a determined bunch. Stars take the early lead, but that got erased with the error along the blue line again. Anyway, it's going to be a tight finish, unless the Stars get one of those crazy third periods that they've already had a few times in these playoffs.

Marleau shorty again

Another bad attempted pass by Sergei Zubov, another shorthanded goal by Patrick Marleau. This was basically a replay of last night, with Marleau going the other way. Marleau tagged a beauty, tucking it into the corner enough that it pinged off the post.

Tie game at 9:19. Funny part is, during the delayed penalty, Brad Richards zinged one off the corner of crossbar/post.

Jere scores

Devin Setoguchi made a big ol' turnover, and guess who's in the middle to gobble it up? No, not Brad Richards. Jere Lehtinen.

Lehtinen was all by his lonesome in the slot, and he slaps one through Evgeni Nabokov (and Brenden Morrow, of course, was in front again) as the Stars take a 1-0 lead 5:25 into the second period. They looked great on the penalty kill in the first period, and I wonder how much the Sharks got frustrated with that. Anyway, it's always best to get more than a 1-goal lead, and the Ribeiro line was at it again just a few seconds ago. Unassisted on Lehtinen's goal, by the way.

PSA: Brooms banned at AAC

Yes, it's true. If you tried to bring a broom with you to Game 4 tonight, it was confiscated outside the arena.

Will the Stars be able to sweep without the help of spectator brooms?

We shall see ...

-- Keeli Garza

Barnes out tonight

Stu Barnes is out for tonight's game after his collision with Jonathan Cheechoo in Game 3. He's listed as day to day, so we'll see if they can get through this one without him. Toby Petersen is back in. The Stars are rolling seven defensemen again, too.

Starting line is Eriksson-Richards-Lundqvist. Starting defensemen are Nicklas Grossman and Stephane Robidas.

Overcoming 3-0

I know it hasn't been done very often, but I wasn't sure exactly how many times an NHL team has come back from a 3-0 deficit. The answer? Twice. And it's been a while since it happened:

The 1942 Toronto Maple Leafs did it in the Cup finals, beating the Detroit Red Wings 4-3 to win, at the time, their fourth Stanley Cup.
The 1975 New York Islanders did it in the second round against the Pittsburgh Penguins. The Isles got down 3-0 in the ensuing round against the Philadelphia Flyers, too, and once again forced a Game 7. They lost that one, however.

Defining moments

Just flipping through the channels here and I saw a show called Defining Moments is coming up on the NHL Network at 1 p.m. What's showing? The 1999 Western Conference Finals of the Dallas Stars.

Hmm... wonder if Stars management arranged that and will have the boys watching :)

It's hump day

Hey kids,

Pretty quick (and optional) practice this morning, for obvious reason. The Stars need to stay fresh and focused on the chance they have to sweep tonight. Let's face it: Nobody wants to get on that airplane again, deal with the two-hour time change again, or give the Sharks another chance.

Anyway, Zubov's fine again. Now with Stu Barnes, there may be a question mark. Barnes said he was fine when I talked to him post-game, and Tippett said they'd talk to him this morning to see how he's doing. There may be someone in for him if there's any doubt. I'm not sure he or Jonathan Cheechoo got the worst of their collision. Both looked dazed afterward.

It'd be great if the Stars finished this off tonight. Get some time, get some rest before the next round. Regardless, just finish it ASAP. Don't want to give a team like the Sharks any life.

Game 3 slide show

Click here for a slide show of images from Game 3 by Star-Telegram staff photographers Ralph Lauer and Sharon Steinman.

Unbelievable

OK, this was a fun one. Even if the Stars would've lost, it was a great game. Plenty of chances, two great performances by the goaltenders, more than enough hits, etc. Still, the Stars are in an incredible position right now. They have a chance to end this at home tomorrow. Now the only thing I wonder about is how much energy there's going to be on the second half of this back to back. Then again, the Stars and Ducks' back-to-back in two different places in round one produced a great Game 5 in Anaheim.

So here's the deal: The Stars have to come out roaring. That's all there is to it. If they want to sweep, they have to get to the Sharks as quickly as possible. Regardless, they're in a great position. A couple of topics:
** Brenden Morrow was fantastic tonight. He had 11 hits. Eleven. I didn't believe it myself until I saw the scoresheet. He was everywhere, and had a chance or two to score to boot. Great stuff from the captain.
**Marty Turco made some quality stops. No, he didn't face a ton. But what he did face he stopped. That's got to be morale-breaking for the Sharks, who are probably wondering what they have to do to beat him.
**Brad Richards doesn't need to score a darn thing to be effective. He was out there creating, grabbing turnovers, everything. Opponents have to pay attention to him at all times.
**Sergei Zubov defies explanation. He really does. He's out three months, yet the final scoresheet has him for nearly 26 minutes of ice time (that could be off, however; we had a clock malfunction here for a bit).
OK, folks, I'm calling it a night. I've got to be back here in the a.m. See you tomorrow night.

Postgame quotables, losing coach version

San Jose coach Ron Wilson was not happy after his team lost 2-1 in overtime to the Stars. I guess that's understandable, considering his team is now down 3-0 in the series and facing elimination tomorrow night. But don't ask him about how hard it is for a team to keep alive in this position. Here's what the grumpy coach had to say after the game:

... I thought for the first two periods, we played a perfect road game. We had some good opportunities, and snuffed theirs out. We took a bad penalty at the end of the second period and then we put a gun to our head  with that 5-on-3 opportunity and they converted. They got excited  and we got back on our heels. We were running around a little bit and didn't show much poise until late in the third period.

... We had couple of good opportunities in the overtime, especially the one by Milan [Michalek] but we didn't get it done tonight.

On Zubov's goal: Well, when you go down 5-on-3 what the heck are you going to do? Even that shot, it was a ricochet that swept through Nabakov's legs. It was a tough break.

On the Marleau short-handed goal: That was a great play. Patty made a great play. Zubov made a blind ply and then Patty jumped all over it and buried it. That was a great play because he was tired and still found a way to score.

-- Keeli Garza

Postgame quotables, Dave Tippett version

What Stars head coach Dave Tippett had to say following his team's 2-1 overtime win against the Sharks:

How's it feel to be 3-0? Better than 2-0 ... I thought that probably could have been the best game of the series we've played, actually. I thought we were around the play a lot more. The first couple of games, we were really opportunistic and Turco made a lot of saves. But this game, I felt like we just pushed and that was the best game of the series. I think if you just recognize the opponent, we're going to need to be better tomorrow and see how it goes.

Talk about the playoff that Norstrom has had: Both our old timers are coming up with big goals for us. He's just a warrior. He's a guy that leads by example and lays everything on the line every night.  When he gets some points because he scores a goal, he gets recognized more. He's one of those guys you recognize even when he doesn't score. He's putting it on the line every night. The guy wants to win and he's willing to do whatever it takes to win. He's a great example of that.

Was it the plan to play Zubov that many minutes? It was kind of how the game went. We gotta see where he's at. He kept wanting more. When he's wanting more, you've gotta give him more.

On Turco's performance: That's a game you need your goaltender to play well. We made a mistake to give them an early lead, and then we were lucky enough to get a 5-on-3 goal. It's a tight game, a tough game for goaltenders to play and we got a break in the end. Just like every shift, you've gotta make sure you're doing the little things right, a goaltender has to make sure he's doing the little things right because there's nobody behind him to clean that up.

On Morrow's performance: It's amazing how hard he plays and how well he plays. He has such purpose in every shift. The thing I think you can say about him is that we know he's around the action and they know he's around the action.

On what it takes to win a series like this: Your work ethic, your second and third effort, your execution, and your bounces that you get all have to be there to win games.

On being successful in the playoffs: We found ways to win. We were opportunistic out there. I thought this was our best game and we really pushed the play. I also that this was Nabokov's best game.

-- Keeli Garza

Postgame quotables, winning team version

What some of the Stars had to say after their 2-1 overtime win over the Sharks, to take a 3-0 series lead:

Mattias Norstrom: It's one of those situations that we had the pick for a while and I was just trying to get the puck to the net as soon as I could. Marty made a great save for us in overtime and kept us in it. I thought tonight was our best game of the series and tomorrow, we want to close this series out.

Mike Modano: It's about sticking to our gameplan and capitalizing on chances. We got a big 5-on-3 goal and it was just a tight game. Game 3 is pivotal and gives us a lot of momentum and excitement. We want to get right back at them and we'll see what happens tomorrow. There's a lot of adrenaline right now and elimination games in Dallas are always revved up. Their backs are against the wal and we'll need to match their intensity.

Brenden Morrow: We'll take it. We played some real good hockey and we're in a real good position right now. We are finding ways to win hockey games and have gained some steam here. It's a battle, they are good defensively and they do a good job clogging up lanes. We have emphasized the starts and we'd like to bring some momentum from the opening faceoff tomorrow night. Hopefully, our will prevails tomorrow night.

Marty Turco: We could care less how [Norstrom's goal] went it. That's playoff hockey and when games are that tight, you feel very fortunate to score in overtime. It's all about moving ahead and getting that fourth win. It was great to see it go in, though. We are going to need to try and limit them tomorrow like we did tonight. You have to continue to make your own breaks and that's our mindset right now.

-- Keeli Garza

Norstrom, Ott, etc.

Yes, Mattias Norstrom had the game-winner for the Stars 4:37 into overtime.

He now has two career playoff goals, both this season.

The Stars announced tonight that center Steve Ott has signed a two-year contract. The deal is worth $2.85 million - $1.35 million in ’08-09 and $1.5 million in ’09-10. Ott’s contract was to expire on June 30, 2008.

Ott, 25, set a career high in goals (11) this season and tied his career-high of 22 points.

Good timing on the announcement, since he really annoys the Sharks.

Stars win game 3 in OT

Stars #4 Mattias Norstrom celebrates his game winning goal in the overtime with #26 Jere Lehtinen and #5 Matt Niskanen during the Dallas Stars vs San Jose Sharks Western Conference Semifinals Playoff Hockey Game at the American Airlines Center in Dallas on April 29, 2008.

Let's play more

We head to overtime again, folks, as nobody can find an answer to end it in regulation. Great third period for the Stars, who were looking for the game-winner to no avail. Hagman's penalty shot failed. Trevor Daley and Brad Richards broke away on a 2 on 1 but Daley's shot was stopped by Evgeni Nabokov, who has looked very good tonight.

Not sure which way this one's going to go, but I like how the Stars are pushing for another goal. They've been awfully close a few times tonight.

Shots are 24-17 favor the Stars right now.

OK, it's all my fault

Apparently, you aren't supposed to talk about potential "overtime" in a hockey game.

Someone forgot to send me that memo.

So to all of you out there in the blogosphere who were holding out for a win in the third period, I apologize. I've learned my lesson. Please forgive me.

-- Keeli Garza, Hockey Newbie

Heard in the pressbox, part II

"The first rule about free hockey is you don't talk about free hockey ..."

Hagman penalty shot

Niklas Hagman was awarded a penalty shot when Christian Ehrhoff tripped him up on the way to the net. It was a good effort, but, it looked like Nabokov was ready for this one. He slid over to the left side of the goal and was right there for Hagman's backhand attempt.

Nevertheless, good stuff so far. The Stars are working.

Craig Rivet down

Craig Rivet is down, but he's slowly getting back up as I type this. He got crunched with fellow defenseman Brian Campbell and Stars captain Brenden Morrow. Rivet collided heads with Brian Campbell.

Rivet's down on one knee, probably regaining his senses a bit. He's still on the bench. Hockey players are just made tougher, folks.

Zubov scores

Oh yes, he's back, folks.

Sergei Zubov takes a whack at it on the Stars' 5-on-3 and it gets through everyone, including Evgeni Nabokov's legs. That ties the score, 1-1, just 47 seconds into the period.

The Stars are looking for more so far. Mike Ribeiro was pretty close to giving the Stars a lead but he just missed on that pass. I believe that was from Zubov, too.

Ott signs

According to TSN, center Steve Ott has re-signed a two-year deal worth an average of $1.425 million a year. Obviously I'm a big fan of Ott, so it's great to know he'll be around for a little while longer. He's already made his presence known here tonight... although that roughing cal on him was pretty weak.

Heard in the pressbox

"The Stars should run the Flying V ..."

That was bad

Y ou're doing so many great things in this period, and then you give up that. A pass that I believe was intended for Jere Lehtinen instead floated out, and Patrick Marleau gets away from everyone to beat Marty Turco. It's 1-0 at the end of the first period. Not a good way to end what was otherwise a fun period.

The Stars will have 41 seconds remaining on the power play when we come back in the second.

Boo to 6:30 starts

So much for it being loud here at the start of tonight's game against the San Jose Sharks.

A 6:30 start will find most of the anticipated crowd for tonight's game stuck in post-work traffic around the Metroplex.

Early morning

Everything was starting earlier today, with the early start for tonight's game. Not a whole lot to report out of the morning skate. Sergei Zubov is a go again, but Tippett didn't know if he'd be rolling six or seven D-men out tonight. As he said, there's a lot of pieces to possibly throw in there. Not a bad problem, to have, really.

Anyway, we'll see you all out there tonight. Come on, your boss isn't going to mind you knocking off early, is he/she?

Monday musings

I had to check first to make sure it's Monday. One thing about being a beat writer: You lose track of what day is what. Every day feels the same! Anyway, the updates:

One, really. Sergei Zubov is apparently feeling just fine after last night's game, and Dave Tippett expects him to be back out there tomorrow for Game 3. I asked if he was dressing seven defensemen again, but he wasn't sure at the moment. Zubov is ready to up the minutes, so we'll see how the Stars gradually work him back up to his usual numbers.

Oh, and tidbit about Brad Richards: He's the first player in franchise history to get four points in a period in a playoff game. Pretty impressive. Last guy to do it was Alex Moginly (former Devils man) in 2001.

My oh my

Hey folks. I'm sitting in San Jose Airport way before the crack of down. I think I slept last night but I have no real proof. Anyway, talk of the game:

All I can say is, wow. That third period was as big of a statement as the Stars have made in this postseason, with their third period in Game 2 against the Anaheim Ducks a close second. Very similar, actually. Couple of points:
** Yes, Sergei Zubov's skating wasn't his best. Three months off, here. But the man's passing and shooting haven't suffered a bit. I talked to him after the game, said he felt good. We'll see where his soreness level is today, but I think it was best his first game was Game 2, not Game 3 when he'd have a very short recovery time for Game 4.
** Mike Ribeiro's goal was ridiculous. He said afterward that he's actually had three goals like that off Evgeni Nabokov. According to Ribeiro, he's scored one off the inside of his leg, off his back and now off the back of his skate. That line was carrying the load through the first period, especially.
** Marty was great again. Yes, he probably wishes he would've stayed put on the Milan Michalek goal (who's to say Michalek still wouldn't have scored), but if not for Marty in the first period the Stars have more than a one-goal deficit staring at them to start the third.
** Welcome back, Brad Richards. We missed you in Game 1, and part of Game 2. But you reminded us again why the Stars picked you up at the deadline. Great goal to open the third, and it changed everything. Co-GM Brett Hull probably wore a smile in his sleep last night.
** I still find it a bit amusing that the third period, the period that doomed the Stars over and over again through that horrible March, has been their strongest in these playoffs. They're burying the opposition in that final 20 minutes, although I'm guessing the guys would like to enter it with a lead again. This is the third consecutive game they trailed to start.
**Niklas Hagman said it doesn't matter if he doesn't score, as long as the Stars keep winning. Nevertheless, he needed that game. By the way, credit Jennifer Floyd Engel for her prediction of Hagman getting off the schnide.

OK, folks, I'm fighting sleep deprivation hard. I've got a lengthy layover in Denver, so I'll be back.

Sharks back up

Milan Michalek found a seam and he was off and running. Brian Campbell found him racing down the ice, fed him the puck and Michalek split Sergei Zubov and Trevor Daley to hit basically an open net for a 2-1 lead. Marty came out to play this one and had just sprawled in an attempt.

Better

The Stars certainly ended this period much better than they started it. If their penalty issues are out of their system, they'll be better off. I'm still skating my head at Mike Ribeiro's goal... that's defying some law of physics. Brenden Morrow and Mike Ribeiro have 10 of the Stars' 11 shots of the first period, according to the official scoresheet.

Sheesh! Anyway, the Stars broke even through the first period, good considering the start. By the way, Zubov's slapshot still looks pretty good. His skating has some rust on it, though. Not that surprising.

Ribeiro scores

Wouldn't have believed it if I didn't see it. Brenden Morrow took his sixth (yes, sixth) shot of this period, and Evgeni Nabokov stopped that one. But Mike Ribeiro threw out back at him, and it hit off the back of Nabokov's left skate and in.

Odd, yes. But it counts. Stars and Sharks tied. Norstrom on the secondary assist.

Sharks go up

Here's a reminder of the dangers of taking too many penalties: Eventually, the other team takes advantage.

Joe Pavelski deked one high over Marty Turco's right shoulder, after a great pass from Craig Rivet, and the Sharks are up 1-0 at the 10:52 mark. That came on the Sharks third power play in the first 10 minutes of the game. Can't be doing that. Ever.

Zubov a go

Just saw the scratches sheet, and there's no line through Sergei Zubov's name.

So he's a go, kids. We'll see how this plays out. Oh, and the Stars are dressing seven defensemen for this one. I'm guessing that's a just-in-case move.

Yes or no?

Just got done talking to coach Dave Tippett, and here's the Zubov report: He'll skate in warmups, then decide if he can play or not.

We're down to this folks. So we'll stay tuned to see if he comes out of the tunnel that second time.

Game-time decision

That's the word on Sergei Zubov for tomorrow night's Game 2 vs. San Jose. So if Zubov tells Dave Tippett, "I'm ready," then he's on the ice. Once again, Zubov looked pretty good out there. Skating was fine, shot was fine, it was all fine. So we'll see what the decision is. Since I was surprised he didn't play in Game 1, I will be stunned if he's not in there for Game 2.

The Stars won't skate in the morning, since game time is 6 p.m. out here. So we'll find out when we get over there tomorrow afternoon.

Sorry it took me so long to post this tonight, kids. I knew there were no hot updates, and the day got much busier than I thought it would originally be.

Morrow scores

The Stars have struck again, this time with Brenden Morrow scoring his fourth goal of the postseason. Actually this was created mainly by Mike Ribeiro's attempted wraparound. The shot went wide, but Morrow was there to clean things up.

Morrow, from Ribeiro and Matt Niskanen at 9:09.

A mistake, then even score

Sorry, it always happens this way. Matt Niskanen's attempt to pass out of the Stars zone instead went right to Brian Campbell. A pass or two later, and Milan Michalek's dribbler gets through Marty Turco's glove and left leg (and I mean slowly). That came at 4:50.

Just over a minute later the Stars went on the power play and guess who? Yep, Mike Modano from the blue line gets one through a few Sharks and Stars (apparently Brenden Morrow didn't tip it down deep) and we're tied at 1-1 at the 6:06 mark.

The fun is just starting, kids.

This ain't Round 1

And this ain't Anaheim, either. The Stars looked like they had a fine case of the nerves through most of the first period. Well, the Sharks helped, bottling up the middle and not allowing a lot of those passes we saw in the first round. Just a friendly reminder that this is not going to be a cakewalk.

Anyway, Turco was solid on the other end, and he had to be. While the Stars had just two shots in the period, the Sharks fired off 10. I thought they had Turco at the end of that power play, when Ryane Clowe just ripped one. But he's held up well so far. Oh, and Marty might want to kiss the crossbar after that Milan Michalek shot early.

The Stars have to get more going on the other end. Their timing is off right now, and this is only going to get tougher. I love this time of year.

Out for the evening

That's a nice way of saying, "these guys aren't playing:" Sergei Zubov is out tonight. Be stunned if he's not in Game 2. The healthy nixes are Krys Barch, Brad Winchester and B.J. Crombeen.

Ott-Modano-Barnes starting against Clowe-Pavelski-Marleau

TV plan for tonight

Everybody needs a contingency plan, right? And Versus has one in place for this evening, with the Stars-Sharks game being the second half of a double-header with the Pittsburgh-NY Rangers contest.

(This is all from Versus, by the way). If the Penguins game goes longer than it ought to (i.e., past the 9 p.m. start time for the Stars game), cable viewers in the Dallas market will get the Stars game from the start. For those satellite folks in the Dallas area, the game will be shown in its entirety on an auxiliary channel: For DirecTV, it's Channel 659. For Dish, it's channel 453.

Now that all this has been planned, the Penguins will win 4-0.

Not quite for Zubov?

According to Dave Tippett, Sergei Zubov is not a go tonight. The guy looked pretty darned good out at morning skate today, and if nothing else, his shot has lost none of its zing. But Tippett said it was up to Zubov, and Zubov apparently isn't quite there.

Now, not only am I sarcastic, but I'm also a cynic. During this time of year, I usually don't buy what people are selling in terms of injury reports and when a guy is fully healthy: that's because there are a lot of ruses come playoff time! So would I be surprised to see Zubie tonight? No. But we'll find out for sure when we get back to the arena in a few hours.

TV schedule announced

Hey folks,

They've gotten the Stars television schedule all set, so here it is. Versus has exclusive rights to some of the games. I don't know all the cable system listings for Versus off the top of my head; I can tell you that it's channel 151 on Dish Network (9468 if you have the HD package).

       1 Friday, April 25           at San Jose (HP Pavilion)                     9:00 pm         VERSUS^

       2 Sunday, April 27         at San Jose (HP Pavilion)                     8:00 pm          My 27

       3 Tuesday, April 29        at Dallas (American Airlines Center)    6:30 pm          My 27-HD

       4 Wednesday, April 30   at Dallas (American Airlines Center)     8:00 pm         FSN-HD

       5* Friday, May 2             at San Jose (HP Pavilion)                     9:00 pm         VERSUS^

       6* Sunday, May 4            at Dallas (American Airlines Center)    8:00 pm         FSN-HD

       7* Tuesday, May 6          at San Jose (HP Pavilion)                     9:00 pm         TBD

* - if necessary         ^ - exclusive nationally & in DFW

Amend to Zubov

Sorry,

This is an answer to someone who asked about Zubov, and other roster chances. Defenseman Nolan Baumgartner was reassigned back to Manitoba today. Forgot to throw that into my previous post.

Perky Zubov

Yep, the Russian defenseman showed us a few smiles today when he came off the ice. And why not? It's been a long haul for Zubov, who's finally coming to the end of a frustrating season's worth of injuries. So is he available for the series? "Possibly," he said. He looked like he was enjoying himself out there, said he's feeling better. His teammates, not surprisingly, are happy to see him back.

So we'll keep an eye on the situation.

While you wait ...

for the second-round schedule to come out, check out what happens when Tracey joins Jennifer Floyd Engel for a video chat this week:

It is the Sharkies

OK, the Sharks' game 7 is over and they beat the Flames 5-3. That puts the Stars out on the West Coast. Again. The Sharks-Stars series will begin at 9 p.m. on Friday night. I'm guessing Game 2 will be sometime Sunday, but can't say that for sure until the official schedule comes out later tonight.

Anyway, here's the quick recap: When the Stars played out in San Jose, good things always seemed to happen. They won six of the last seven out there, with that last game going into overtime. Sergei Zubov will come back at some point in this series. We'll get more into this as things unfold. Wow, that was a shorter break than I thought it would be.

A StarCenter is born

The Stars are apparently constructing a new Dr Pepper StarCenter, this one in Craig Ranch in southwest McKinney. I've been to Craig Ranch. Golfed a few holes there. Very nice.

There will be youth and adult hockey leagues there, as well as general ice skating for everyone. The new place will be open in August of next year.

Now the Stars, they aren't moving. I'm guessing this is one more place that goes on the rotation of having at least one practice there per season, but the Stars' practices and every day activity remain in Frisco.

More on Zubov

Sergei Zubov skated, in full pads, with most of his teammates today. Dave Tippett said that it's a big positive that he took the full practice. Yes, it sounds like Zubov is a go at some point in the second round. When that is, exactly, we're not sure yet. But the potential of his return has to make Stars fans giddy.

Philippe Boucher, however, isn't anywhere near skating. The hip is apparently giving him a lot of issues. So it doesn't sound like he's even on the radar right now.

Meanwhile, the Stars are just waiting for tonight's Calgary-San Jose game to figure out who plays who, and where. There's a big difference here, depending on the outcome. If San Jose wins, the Stars are getting ready to get out of town in a hurry, with a probable Thursday game on the docket. If Calgary wins, the Stars can sit back and enjoy the first two games at home.

I got a strong feeling about Calgary tonight... tha