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Quacky challenge Stars realize Ducks, Giguere are capable of pulling upsetPosted: Wednesday April 23, 2003 5:44 PMDALLAS (AP) -- The Dallas Stars aren't expecting anything to be easy about the rest of the playoffs, although they are the last of the Western Conference's top three-seeded teams still playing. "That's a trap a lot of people are going to fall into. They are going to look at this and say those type of things," winger Scott Young said Wednesday. "We are not going to fall into that. We know if a team can beat Detroit, they can beat anybody." Sure, the top-seeded Stars could be tempted to think otherwise since defending Stanley Cup champion Detroit and nemesis Colorado are already home for the summer after being knocked out in round one. But they know the postseason is filled with the unexpected. The Stars begin the second round Thursday night against Anaheim, which completed its stunning first-round sweep of the Red Wings on April 16. Game 2 will be played in Dallas on Saturday before the series switches to the West Coast. In the other Western semifinal series, Vancouver plays Minnesota, both after winning Game 7s on Tuesday night. The Wild posted a 3-2 overtime win over Colorado in their series clincher, and Vancouver beat St. Louis. "I don't think anybody would have guessed the final four teams left," Stars center Mike Modano said. Especially Anaheim. "I think it surprised everybody that watches the game," Modano said. "You never expected them to beat Detroit, but then to sweep them is another thing you never would have guessed in a million years." The Stars overcame Edmonton in six games, wrapping up the series Saturday with three straight wins after losing the first and third games to fall behind. Anaheim will be playing for the first time in eight days. "The layoff has been great. It gives us a chance to get healthy and to get re-energized and gives us a chance to prepare," Ducks coach Mike Babcock said. "The first 10 minutes of the first game are always a concern with that time off. But saying that, I'd trade that in a second, because you want to get through a series as fast as you can." While the Ducks are rested, the Stars are getting reinforcements. Pierre Turgeon, out since breaking a bone in his ankle March 7, is expected to return to the lineup Thursday. All-Star forward Bill Guerin has been out since Feb. 27 with a thigh injury, but skated his second straight full practice Wednesday and seems on track for a Game 2 return. "Everyday, he gets a little stronger and a little closer. He's to that day-to-day stage. I'll stick with not far away, but [Thursday] is not the day," Stars coach Dave Tippett said of Guerin. "Everybody else is available for selection." That includes Jason Arnott, who missed Game 6 of the Edmonton series with an undisclosed injury. Dallas won the season series over Anaheim 3-1-1, scoring seven goals off goaltender Jean-Sebastien Giguere, who didn't finish either of his starts against the Stars. But in the four-game series against Detroit, Giguere stopped 165 of 171 shots (97 percent). "Detroit never got any traffic in front of him, and he saw a lot of their shots," Modano said. "We have to get as much traffic as we can in front of Giguere and make it tough to see pucks coming." That is exactly what Giguere expects. "Dallas is more of a grinding team than Detroit. They're not afraid to cycle down low and drive to the net and create a lot of traffic," Giguere said. Stopping Modano is a key for the Ducks. Modano has 62 points in 43 career games against Anaheim, and had four goals and six assists in the first round against Edmonton. Ducks center Steve Rucchin now gets Modano after helping hold Detroit's Sergei Fedorov to just one goal. "He's a lot like Fedorov, a big guy with a lot of skill as a scorer and a passer," Rucchin said. "But it's not just going to be me out there going against him." |
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