WESTERN FINALS
GAME DAY PREVIEWS
GAME 4:
#1 DALLAS STARS vs #2 COLORADO AVALANCHE
Dallas leads 2-1
Game time: Friday May 28th, 1999 7:30pm at Colorado
The Colorado Avalanche hope to find a way to change their fortunes on home ice tonight in Game Four of the Western Conference finals against the Dallas Stars.
The Avalanche are a remarkable 7-1 on the road this postseason, splitting the first two games of this series in Dallas. But they have lost five of seven at McNichols Sports Arena, including a 3-0 loss in Game Three on Wednesday.
In addition to their problems on home ice, the Avalanche need to keep a close watch on Stars center Joe Nieuwendyk, who scored his fifth game-winning goal of the playoffs on Wednesday. Only Colorado's Joe Sakic scored more game-winners than Nieuwendyk in one playoff year. Sakic had six in 1996, when the Avalanche won the Stanley Cup.
The Stars are winning without much help from their power play, which is 1-for-13 in this series and just 6-for-65 overall this postseason.
The Avalanche need more production from Sakic and Theo Fleury. The duo has combined for just one assist in this series but have 29 points in the playoffs. Center Peter Forsberg leads all playoff scorers with 20 points.
Center Mike Modano leads the Stars with 14 points and Nieuwendyk is second with 13.
The series moves back to Dallas for Game Five on Sunday afternoon.