Inside the NHL
Posted: Wednesday April 23, 2003 9:41 AM
Mighty Duck Hunt
The best way for the Stars to cool down hot Anaheim goalie Jean-Sébastien Giguere is to crash the crease By
Stephen Cannella 
The bruises he incurred during a bone-crunching, six-game first-round series against the Oilers had barely begun to purple, but Dallas left wing Brenden Morrow was already looking forward to a date with the Mighty Ducks this week in the Western Conference semifinals. "Anaheim has smaller defensemen than Edmonton," Morrow, a fixture in front of the Oilers' net throughout the series, said after the Stars clinched with a 3-2 win last Saturday. "Maybe my body won't take the abuse I got from these guys."
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Morrow and the Stars barreled past the Oilers. Jeff Vinnick/Getty Images/NHLI |
The Mighty Ducks make up for their lack of size on the blue line with the colossus they have in net, Jean-Sébastien Giguere. To avoid adding to the legend of Giguere, who stopped 165 of 171 shots in Anaheim's sweep of Detroit in Round 1, Dallas must attack him with more muscle than the flashy Red Wings did. Detroit peppered Giguere with shots from the perimeter but rarely crashed the crease to set screens or pounce on rebounds. Giguere is so fundamentally sound and quick on his feet that allowing him clear views of the puck is tantamount to booking a time-share in the Bahamas for the Stanley Cup finals.
The Stars will try to unsettle him by moving the puck across the offensive zone. That plan requires another big contribution from defenseman Sergei Zubov, an expert passer who often joins the attack. Against Edmonton, Zubov had four goals and six assists, and he set up Mike Modano's game-winner on Saturday with the type of misdirection -- a cross-ice pass through the slot -- needed to beat Giguere.
The 5'11", 210-pound Morrow, who had four assists against the Oilers, will be a key figure as well. Dallas coach Dave Tippett called him "one of the most influential players" in the Edmonton series for his ability to create traffic and take punishment in front of the opposing goalie. "That's his game," says Scott Young, the other wing on a line with Morrow and Modano. "He creates a lot that doesn't show up on the stat sheet."
Issue date: April 28, 2003
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