STANLEY CUP FINALS
GAME DAY PREVIEWS
GAME 4:
#1 DALLAS STARS vs #7 BUFFALO SABRES
Dallas leads 2-1
Game time: Tuesday June 15th, 1999 8pm at Buffalo
The injury-prone Dallas Stars look to move one game away from their first championship tonight when they battle the Buffalo Stars in Game Four of the Stanley Cup Finals.
Right wing Brett Hull suffered a pulled groin midway through the first period of Saturday's 2-1 victory that gave Dallas a two games to one lead. Hull, who is listed as doubtful for tonight, was checked by defenseman Alexei Zhitnik and went immediately to the locker room.
If Hull is not given a green light, Dallas coach Ken Hitchcock plans to move defenseman Darryl Sydor up front and replace him on defense with rookie Brad Lukowich, who has not played since Game Two of the Western Conference finals against Colorado.
Left wing Benoit Hogue hopes to see action tonight for Dallas as well. He suffered two torn ligaments in his left knee during the conference finals and put off surgery with the hopes of having an opportunity to play in the finals. He skated with the team Monday and plans to skate in warmups today before a decision is made.
All-Star center Mike Modano injured his left wrist in Game Two but received a pain-killing injection before Saturday's contest and played effectively while wearing a cast.
Lost in all of this is how the Stars defense slammed the door on the Sabres. Buffalo only managed 12 shots on goal, including three each in the first and third periods. The lack of opportunities also shut down its power play, which went 0-for-8, failing to score for just the second time in 18 postseason games.
The Sabres definitely needs more production from their front lines. Their top two players in points, Jason Woolley (15) and Alexei Zhitnik (14), are both defenseman.
Joe Nieuwendyk scored both goals in Game Three and leads the league with 11 in the playoffs. His six game-winning tallies tie Colorado's Joe Sakic in 1996 for the most in one season.
Game Five is Thursday in Dallas.