Hobbling Nolan a target of Stars
Associated Press
SAN JOSE, Calif. -- Owen Nolan understands the situation. He
knows an injured player is going to be targeted in the playoffs,
tested by an opponent eager for any advantage in games often
decided by a single goal.
| |  | | | Nolan |
Of course, that knowledge doesn't lessen the pain every time a
member of the Dallas Stars hits Nolan's tender shoulder.
Nolan absorbed plenty of punishment in his return from a game on
the sideline Tuesday, but he also scored the decisive goal in a
victory that pulled the San Jose Sharks within 2-1 of the defending
champion Stars in their best-of-seven series.
And he expects more of that treatment Friday night in Game 4 of
the Western Conference semifinal series.
"If we knew someone had a bad shoulder, he'd be getting hit
every shift," Nolan said. "That's not to injure him, just to let
him know we're after him."
Nolan was forced to sit out the second game against Dallas and
was ineffective in the opener, hobbled by a bruised left shoulder
and sore left foot. The Sharks were shut out in those two games at
Dallas.
Nolan, who scored a team-record 44 goals this season and had six
of the Sharks' 20 goals in their first-round upset of top-seeded
St. Louis, missed five of the last six regular-season games because
of the shoulder injury.
His foot was injured in Game 7 of the series against the Blues
when it absorbed a shot by St. Louis defenseman Al MacInnis.
Nolan has been reticent to talk about his injuries, partly
because of hockey's tradition of playing through pain but also
because he knows an opponent will seize on that information.
"The first thing they do is go after it if you tell anybody
about it, same as any sport," he said. "I got hit as much as I
expected to get hit. It won't stop. It's a physical series that
will probably go six or seven games."
Teammate Vincent Damphousse agreed with Nolan's policy of not
focusing on his injuries.
"There are a lot of guys with bumps and bruises. You just play
through them," he said. "It's part of the psychology of the
playoffs. You try to give the least amount of information to the
other club."
But Stars defenseman Derian Hatcher said Dallas realizes Nolan
is not at full strength, and will try to take advantage of that.
"If you know a guy is hurt in the playoffs, I hate to say it,
you're going to have a little bullseye on that area," Hatcher
said. "When you're hurting, and the other team knows it, you're
going to get tested, bottom line. I'm not saying it's right, it's
just the way it is.
"I'm sure there will be a couple of hacks and whacks. If he
reacts fine, it'll be the end of it. The refs know as well and
they'll try to watch for it."
The Stars expect wings Jere Lehtinen and Jamie Langenbrunner to
be available on Friday. Lehtinen has not played in the playoffs
because of an injured ankle, while Langenbrunner missed Tuesday's
game with a bruised shoulder.
Dallas coach Ken Hitchcock said Lehtinen has been able to
participate in all areas of practice.
"He's been practicing hard. We'll see what line he'll play
on," Hitchcock said. "He's been skating for 11 days, the last
five hard. If he can come in and give us 10-12 good minutes, that's
exactly what we need."
While the Sharks were thankful for an extra day of rest before
Game 4, the Stars were frustrated at having a two-day break due to
the San Jose Arena being booked for a Cinco de Mayo concert on
Thursday night.
"The intensity level is high and you'd like to keep playing,"
Hitchcock said. "But we'll wait for Friday." |
