WESTERN SEMI-FINALS
GAME DAY PREVIEWS
GAME 2:
#1 DALLAS STARS vs #5 ST. LOUIS BLUES
Dallas leads 1-0
Game time: Saturday May 8th, 1999 7:30pm at Dallas
The top-seeded Dallas Stars will have captain Derian Hatcher back in the lineup tonight as they try and make it six wins in as many postseason contests in Game Two of their Western Conference semifinal series against the St. Louis Blues.
The Stars posted four one-goal victories in a first-round sweep of the Edmonton Oilers and blanked the Blues, 3-0, in Game One on Thursday.
Hatcher finished serving a seven-game suspension for his hit on Phoenix center Jeremy Roenick on April 14 and will play tonight. The Stars have not really needed the imposing Hatcher, having allowed just seven goals in the first five games of the playoffs.
Goaltender Ed Belfour has been in net all five games, compiling a .940 save percentage and a 1.18 goals-against average. "The Eagle" is 50-35 lifetime in the playoffs with Chicago and Dallas.
Mike Modano leads the Stars with five points while Joe Nieuwendyk, Jamie Langenbrunner and Sergei Zubov have four points apiece. About the only thing not clicking for Dallas is the power play, which is just 2-for-29 thus far.
The Stars will be without feisty right wing Pat Verbeek tonight after he was suspended one game for slashing Blues center Pierre Turgeon across the back of the knee in Game One. St. Louis rookie center Jamal Mayers also was suspended one game for slashing Stars defenseman Darryl Sydor in retaliation.
After rallying from a three games to one deficit in the quarterfinals against Phoenix, the Blues could not get any of their 23 shots past Belfour on Thursday. St. Louis went 0-for-5 on the power play in Game One after a 9-for-33 performance against the Coyotes.
The series shifts to St. Louis for Game Three on Monday.
#2 COLORADO AVALANCHE vs #3 DETROIT RED WINGS
Detroit leads 1-0
Game time: Sunday May 9th, 1999 2pm at Colorado
The Detroit Red Wings look to post their 11th straight postseason victory and complete a road sweep of the archrival Colorado Avalanche in Game Two of their Western Conference semifinal series.
The two-time defending Stanley Cup champion Red Wings showed no signs of rust in the series opener Friday, pulling out a 3-2 victory in overtime on Kirk Maltby's goal at 4:18 of the extra session. Detroit, which was playing its first game in 10 days, has won 10 consecutive playoff contests since losing Game Five of the Western Conference finals to Dallas on June 3.
The Red Wings got a stellar performance from backup goaltender Bill Ranford in Game One. Ranford was playing in place of the injured Chris Osgood and may start again today.
The 32-year-old Ranford is no stranger to pressure games. He backstopped the Edmonton Oilers to the Stanley Cup title in 1990, winning the Conn Smythe Trophy as playoff MVP with a 16-6 record and 2.53 goals-against average.
Detroit captain Steve Yzerman contines to sparkle. He has points in all five playoff games this season, collecting six goals and two assists. The Wings have scored at least one power-play goal in all five games this postseaon and are 9-for-30 overall with the man advantage.
Colorado won both overtime games against San Jose in the quarterfinals before losing Game One to Detroit. The Avalanche have lost three of four home games in the playoffs while winning all three road contests.
Captain Joe Sakic was held without a point Friday for the first time in these playoffs but still leads all scorers with 12 points. Center Peter Forsberg has a six-game points streak with two goals and five assists.
The Avalanche have registered at least 31 shots on goal in all seven playoff games.
Game Three is Tuesday at Detroit.