Marty Turco worked out for about an hour after practice with goaltending coach Mike Valley and assistant coach Andy Moog, so I'm guessing that Alex Auld will get his first start in net on Friday against the Flames.
That probably won't be official until at the skate Friday morning, but if you have Auld in your pool, I would play him.
By the way, I like this plan for giving Turco rest and work. He pushed it hard today, he worked on a lot of basic things and on keeping his patience and position. He and Valley seem to have a very good chemistry where they can be very honest with each other, and I think both believe Turco can be better than he was the first two games. If this works as it is drawn up on paper, Turco will be able to work on a few things at the morning skate, have a good practice day Saturday and be ready for a big game in Vancouver on Sunday.
Jere Lehtinen (hip/groin) skated hard, appeared to be a regular on the fourth line and whipped some beautiful shots into the net on 2-on-1 drills...and he probably still won't play Friday. It's looking like his return to the lineup could be Sunday against Vancouver. When he comes back, he should be great. He looks fantastic in practice right now.
Mike Modano (ribs) can only ride the bike right now. He said he still feels sore and still feels like he really won't know how it feels for a week, as he originally predicted. He said once he feels healthy enough to get back on the ice, he will have a much better read on where he is. He watched practice from the stands and seemed to be in good spirits. Former Stars forward Brian Skrudland lives up here, and he Modano and Joe Nieuwendyk were chatting quite a bit and having a good laugh.
Lines look exactly the same. I'm not sure if Mark Fistric will draw in or not. I'll ask about that tomorrow at the skate.
By the way, the Battle of Alberta is being played in Edmonton tonight, with Miikka Kiprusoff in net for the Flames. Friday would be his third game in four nights and back- to back, so there is a chance the Stars could see Curtis McIlhinney. If you have Center Ice and want to scout the Flames, tonight would be a good chance. I'll definitely be watching it here.
-- Mike Heika
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