The Dallas Stars may be down, but they sure are loose. And loose teams often can be dangerous.
Before flying here for Game 5 Thursday night, Dallas worked out Wednesday morning at its Irving, Texas, practice facility. That’s where somebody decided to celebrate center Mike Modano’s 30th birthday with a cream pie–thrown in his face.
“My guess would be Mike Keane,” Modano said with a smile. “It was a good-sized pie. I figured something was going on because it’s not too often we pull together and talk among ourselves.”
The offensive cream must rise to the top for the Stars on Thursday if they want the series to return to Reunion Arena for Game 6. Dallas has scored just four goals in the last three games. Modano hasn’t scored a goal in the series. Brett Hull scored both goals in the Stars’ only victory but hasn’t scored since. Joe Nieuwendyk has just one power-play goal.
“I don’t think that we need Brett Hull to score for us to win,” Dallas coach Ken Hitchcock said. “What we need from Brett and some other guys is to stay on the page for 60 minutes, to not try and hit the home run.”
Hull spoke to reporters Wednesday for the first time since scoring his two goals in Game 2. Like most of the Stars, he appeared relaxed and confident.
“He’s a guy who made a very determined effort to focus on his play and not on what he said,” Hitchcock said. “I think he wanted to get away from the limelight. He’s pretty cagey because he feels if he talks too much, then the other team is going to point at him.”
Minor move: The Blackhawks signed 26-year-old goaltender Erasmo Saltarelli to a contract on Wednesday, but the relationship may not be a long one. Saltarelli, who posted a 16-9-4 record with the B.C. Icemen of the United Hockey League last season, is almost certain to be left unprotected in the upcoming expansion draft.
Each team must expose at least one goalie, and the Hawks don’t want to risk losing prospects Michel Larocque and Jeff Maund. Saltarelli played his collegiate hockey at Princeton, where he set school records for wins, saves, goals-against average, save percentage and shutouts.
Fantastic feat: Modano has a whole new appreciation for the Montreal, New York Islanders and Edmonton dynasties of the ’70s and ’80s. The Canadiens won four straight Stanley Cups, followed by the Islanders capturing four straight, followed by the Oilers winning five in seven seasons.
“You don’t realize how tough it is to win two until you win one,” Modano said. “What Edmonton did was amazing.”
