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Game Day Notebook Stars have to defy the odds two more times
Posted: Friday June 09, 2000 03:20 AM
EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. (AP) -- The Dallas Stars can feel a little better about their situation. Their 1-0 victory early Friday morning over the New Jersey Devils, kept them alive for a chance to repeat as Stanley Cup champions. Sure, only one has come all the way back from 3-1 down in the finals to win the championship, but most of the teams that failed didn't get as far as the Stars are now. Of the 25 teams that fell into the hole, 15 were knocked out in Game 5; five more succumbed in the sixth game and four forced a seventh game. The 1942 Toronto Maple Leafs, who trailed 3-0 before, were the only success story.
Searching for offenseThe Dallas Stars are finding it hard to get pucks past Martin Brodeur. Even with Mike Modano's game-winner in Game 5, the Stars have been held to just three goals in three games and eight in the entire series. "It's hard to believe we just scored the goal today, to be honest with you," coach Ken Hitchcock said. Dallas took 41 shots at Brodeur on Thursday night into Friday morning, and only Modano could put one in -- ending the game 6:21 into the third overtime.
Making historyDallas' 1-0 win in Game 5 over the Devils was the fourth longest in Stanley Cup finals history and the longest before a goal was scored. Modano's goal at 46:21 of overtime bested Colorado's 1-0 victory that clinched the 1996 Cup against Florida.
Watching from aboveYes, there's pressure on the ice in the Stanley Cup finals. But watching it is even tougher. Such is the life of New Jersey's Brad Bombardir -- who's suited up for only one game in the playoffs and has no control over whether his team wins or loses. "I've felt pretty good in this series," said Bombardir, a defenseman who's been in the Devils' organization for six years. "The Philly series we were sweating, especially down 3-1. "It's tough watching, it really is. You get excited and you're powerless against it and you can't make that difference." After putting in so much time and effort into making the parent club, where he has been the last three seasons, the 28-year-old native of British Columbia feels very much a part of the Devils success even though he only played in the first game of this year's playoffs. "Yeah, I do," he said Thursday. "I think maybe if I just got traded here and was not playing, probably I wouldn't." Given the chance, Bombardir said he wouldn't trade his current situation for one that would guarantee him regular playing time. "When the trade deadline came and went, you wonder if it would have been better," Bombardir said of going elsewhere. "But you sit here now, you can kind of see it, and I'd rather be here. I'm not playing, but I'd rather have that opportunity to get that ring. "A lot of guys play a lot of hockey for a lot of years in this league and never even get the chance. They never get past the second round. I'm sitting here in a position where I can be a part of a Stanley Cup champion. You want to be a bigger part of it, but I'm a part of it."
The Langenbrunner sagaJamie Langenbrunner's comeback lasted one game, but his teammates gave him another chance to play again. The Stars forward, who seriously injured his knee in Game 5 of the conference finals, made it back for the fourth game against New Jersey but will be unable to go Thursday night. His linemate, Joe Nieuwendyk, struggled while Langenbrunner was out, getting no points and only a handful of shots. Even though the young forward wasn't on the ice at the time, the veteran Nieuwendyk, last year's playoff MVP, broke his scoring drought with a goal in Game 4 against New Jersey. So much attention has been focused on Langenbrunner, who only has one goal and seven assists in the playoffs, much to his surprise. "I became a much better player while I was injured," Langenbrunner joked. Dallas coach Ken Hitchcock said after the Stars victory that Langenbrunner could be back for Game 6 Saturday night.
Pregame plansMaybe Larry Robinson should go back to his old tricks. Robinson has gotten the most from his team in the playoffs by harshly pointing out their errors but the Devils coach planned a different approach prior to Game 5. "I will do my normal thing I guess," Robinson said Thursday after the Devils' morning skate. It didn't work as the Devils are still a win away from the their second Stanley Cup. When the Devils lost Game 4 of the conference finals at home to Philadelphia, falling behind 3-1, Robinson yelled loud enough at his players to be heard in the hallway of Continental Airlines Arena. New Jersey's loss in the second game of the finals to Dallas led him to criticize the play of his top line. "No tirade, no," Robinson said when asked if screaming was again in order. "I have something planned." On the other side, where elimination is only a game away, the Stars expect some sort of message from Hitchcock, who often invokes the Civil War to get a point across. "Hitch has always got speeches," Mike Modano said with a smile Thursday. "So, I wouldn't expect anything less from Ken."
Birthday funModano's 30th birthday spanned half the United States on Wednesday. The Stars center was surprised at practice in Dallas when he was summoned to a group meeting on the ice and presented with a strawberry pie in the face. The moment broke some of the tension the defending Stanley Cup champions must be feeling, facing elimination Thursday from the Stanley Cup finals in New Jersey against the Devils. How did the rest of Modano's day go? "I spent four hours on an airplane, which is always fun," Modano said Thursday. "Coming to Jersey and spending the rest of your birthday ... I can't think of another better place to be."
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