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Series-changing miscue Hlinka's Game 5 error shows his coaching inexperience
If the Penguins and owner Mario Lemieux can't get by Buffalo in Game 7 on Thursday, they will look back with regret to a coaching adjustment Ivan Hlinka didn't make late in Game 5. With Pittsburgh on a power play and leading by a goal midway through the third period, Hlinka sent out his usual Fab Five, an all-forwards unit that employs Martin Straka and Alexei Kovalev at the points, instead of throwing at least one defenseman out there. Disaster struck when Kovalev and goalie Johan Hedberg became entangled in the Penguins' crease, knocking Curtis Brown's soft shot into the net. The short-handed goal tied the game which the Sabres eventually won in overtime. The gaffe was typical of Hlinka, a roll-the-lines rookie coach who has shown he isn't ready for the complexities of an NHL bench.
Changes in Big DAfter a St. Louis sweep deprived them of the usual "a-bounce-here, a-bounce-there" rationalizations, Stars coach Ken Hitchcock spoke bluntly about the need for changes. They WILL occur in Dallas but expect to see them mostly on the third and fourth lines. The nucleus will remain intact with Mike Modano, Ed Belfour and the top four defensemen. The one big-name player unlikely to be back is free agent Brett Hull. With money generated by their move to a new arena next season, the Stars figure to be a player in a free-agent market that includes Colorado's Joe Sakic. Dallas could also make another pitch for estranged Flyers star Eric Lindros, who still hopes to land in Toronto.
New chief in ChicagoIn filling the void left by the health-related resignation of their former European coach, Alpo Suhonen, the Blackhawks chose the anti-Alpo, Brian Sutter. Sutter is a hunk of red meat compared to Suhonen's sole meuniere, a plain-spoken coach who holds players accountable in the extreme. But Sutter is no Neanderthal. Despite the throwback notion that hard work solves any hockey problem, in Calgary, his most recent job, Sutter was able to strike a rapport with problem players like Theo Fleury and Valeri Bure and extract some of their best hockey.Sports Illustrated senior writer Michael Farber covers the NHL beat for the magazine and is a regular contributor for CNNSI.com.
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