head coach: Kevin Hitchcock

roster: C-Mike Modano, Guy Carbonneau, Joe Nieuwendyk, Bob Bassen. LW-Dave Reid, Greg Adams, Benoit Hogue, Juha Lind, Bob Errey, Patrick Cote. RW-Todd Harvey, Pat Verbeek, Jamie Langenbrunner, Jere Lehtinen, Grant Marshall. D-Derian Hatcher, Craig Ludwig, Darryl Sydor, Shawn Chambers, Richard Matvichuck, Sergei Zubov, Sergey Gusev, Dan Keczmer, Craig Muni. G-Ed Belfour, Roman Turek.

injuries: Jere Lehtinen, rw (1st degree separation of shoulder, day-to-day).

transactions: Reassigned d Sergey Gusev to the Michigan K- Wings(IHL).

standings:

Western Conference - Central Division
Team       GP   W   L   T   PTS   GF   GA   
Detroit    15  11   2   2    24   56   33
St Louis   16  11   3   2    24   51   34
Dallas     16   9   5   2    20   50   40
Phoenix    13   6   5   2    14   41   36
Chicago    15   5  10   0    10   27   41
Toronto    12   3   7   2     8   25   39

game results:

10/21 Vancouver       L 5-1
10/24 at Chicago      W 2-0
10/25 Colorado        W 3-1
10/28 at NY Rangers   W 3-2
10/29 at Washington   W 4-3
11/02 at Philadelphia T 3-3 OT
11/03 at Montreal     L 6-4

team news:

by Jim Panenka, Dallas Correspondent

Its about time!

Dallas finally put together all the pieces. The Stars have once again demonstrated the type of play that had them battling for the President's Trophy last year. And, its about friggin' time, considering the team's spotty start to the season.

The players had to deal with the distractions involved with a couple of friends that were holding out, and with some new faces in the locker room that were struggling to find their place on the team.

Players like Sergey Gusev, Bob Errey, and Craig Muni must have needed some adjustment time to the new team. The other guys had to take some time showing them the system during games, and the overall effort suffered because of it.

But the team put all that behind them by holding a players-only meeting, where it was reported that the Stars talked about getting back to playing the way that won games for them before. It must have worked, because after the meeting the team went on a five- game streak without losing. Dallas won four consecutive games during that stretch.

The only downside so far has been the shoulder injury of Jere Lehtinen. It seemed pretty likely that some of the offense on Modano's line would dry up with Lehtinen's absence.

But Hitchcock avoided that by placing another "JL" on the first line. Jamie Langenbrunner has really turned his energy level up since he was shifted to the Adams-Modano line, and has begun getting a nose for the net in the company of his prolific linemates.

Langenbrunner has six goals and an assist for seven points so far, and has taken advantage of all the attention that Modano and Adams receive from the other team. Jere Lehtinen is about ready to return after suffering a separated shoulder, so Jamie may be moving back down to the rotating "energy" lines as soon as next game.

Ed Belfour has gotten into the swing of things after clearing his name. Hitchcock had ripped Belfour after Eddie had a few questionable games following up shutouts the night before. As it turns out, Belfour wasn't used to defenders that dropped to block shots in front of him.

Belfour said he really didn't mind the defenders dropping so much, as long as they blocked the puck. If the netminder isn't ready for it, and the defender misses the block, the result is most likely a goal.

Hitchcock, Belfour, and the other players talked over the problem and worked out a suitable line of communications, so Eddie now knows who is going to drop, and in what circumstances. And now everyone else knows the reasons behind what appeared to be bad play be Belfour.

Eddie's re-established confidence showed through when he faced his former Chicago teammates at the United Center. Belfour shutout Chicago on October 24, for the second straight time. Belfour also blanked the Blackhawks during a 7-0 thumping at Reunion Arena in Dallas. This time though, Eddie said he was surprised by the chants of "Eddie!, Eddie!" that came from the appreciative Chicago crowd.

In overall news, the Stars have finished the fourth game in a five-game road trip, the longest of the season. Their five-game unbeaten streak was snapped by a 6-4 loss to the Canadiens on November 3.

During the road trip, the entire team played well, sticking to their system. There was inspired play by many, including Langenbrunner, Modano, Nieuwendyk, Verbeek, Hogue, Matvichuk, Hatcher, Ludwig. Hell, you get the idea.

Defenseman Richard Matvichuk scored two goals against the Rangers on October 28. He added an assist for his first career three-point night.

Mattie got the chance to get the hat trick in the final seconds of the third period, but iced the puck instead by sailing a shot from his blue line just wide of the empty Rangers net.

Coach Hitchcock said he would waive the usual $100 fine for committing one of the cardinal sins of hockey.

Modano's recent scoring tear was enough to earn him Player of the Month honors from both the team and the league. Modano had a point in 10 of the Stars' first 14 games in October, with nineteen points overall. Modano is tied for second in the NHL in points (20) and in goals (9). He is also first in shorthanded goals (2) and is second in shots (60).

Mike has had to gut it out the last few games, after being clotheslined by a Ranger high-stick. Jamie Langenbrunner got tied up with a Rangers player, and skated right into the path of Modano. Modano didn't have time to brace for the hit, and the stick broke across his face before Langenbrunner could drop the other player's stick.

Modano went to get his lip stitched and came back out to finish the game. He had to put on a shield the next game after the lip cut was reopened. He's still sporting a nasty shiner.

Of course, it's a good thing Modano kept right on playing, because this season the team is 8-1-2 in games in which Modano registered a point and are just 1-3-0 when he is held scoreless.

In other news, both Joe Nieuwendyk and Pat Verbeek have found their scoring touches. Pat Verbeek was riding a five-game point streak going into the November 3 game against Montreal. Beeker scored two goals, four assists for six points in those five games. The two goals were consecutive, one on the power play, and one a game-winner.

Joe Nieuwendyk was also riding a five-game point streak going into Montreal. The points were big ones, because Joe figured in on the last four game-winning goals in those five games. Two he scored himself, the other two were assists. Joe continues to be one of the key players on the team, and seems to have found his stride.

An interesting fact became obvious after the NHL announced the face-off win percentage awards. Dallas was the first place team overall in face-off win percentages, and the number one player was none other than Joe Nieuwendyk. The second place individual player was Guy Carbonneau. Hmmmm.

The Stars have gutted out a few tough road wins, showing they still intend to be one of the contenders in the west. But first, they had to face a few powerhouses in the east.

The highlight games were against Philadelphia and Washington. The Flyers were roughing up Dallas pretty heavily during their November 2 game, looking to capitalize on Dallas' lack of size up front. The Stars got mad, then got even by staying toe to toe with the Flyers, and by successfully playing a game that was just as physical. The checking was intense. This was the perfect follow-up to Dallas' 4-3 comeback win against Washington on October 29, where the Stars also out-toughed a tough opponent to stay in the game.

Dallas is looking forward to getting Jere Lehtinen back, and his return should help spark the guys into keeping up the much better play that has now earned them the third-best record in the league with 20 points, as of November 3.

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