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head coach: Ken Hitchcock

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

injuries: Mike Modano, c (separated shoulder, 4-6 weeks). Patrick Cote, d (shoulder separation, indefinite). Juha Lind, lw (thigh bruise, day-to day). Craig Muni, d (pulled groin, day-to-day). Greg Adams, lw (neck, indefinite).

transactions: Bob Bassen, c, taken off injured reserve April 3. Benoit Hogue, lw, taken off injured reserve April 3. Sergei Zubov, d, taken off injured reserve March 26. Dave Reid, lw, taken off injured reserve March 26. Recalled Dan Keczmer, d, from the Michigan K-Wings (IHL). Reassigned Jeff Mitchell, rw, to the Michigan K-Wings. Acquired Mike Keane, rw, and Brian Skrudland, c, from the New York Rangers in exchange for Todd Harvey and Bob Errey. Acquired Mike Kennedy, rw, from the Toronto Maple Leafs in exchange for an eighth-round pick.

standings:

Western Conference - Central Division
Team         GP   W   L   T   PTS   GF   GA   
x-Dallas     75  43  21  11    97  219  155  
x-Detroit    76  41  20  15    97  230  181  
x-St Louis   75  41  26   8    90  227  179  
Phoenix      75  30  33  12    72  206  209 
Chicago      77  30  35  12    72  185  187  
Toronto      74  26  39   9    61  170  213  
x - Clinched playoff spot

game results:

3/26 Toronto       L 1-0
3/28 San Jose      L 4-1
3/29 New Jersey    W 3-1
4/01 at Calgary    L 3-1
4/03 at Edmonton   L 4-1
4/04 at Vancouver  L 5-3
4/06 Toronto       W 4-2

team news:

by Jim Panenka, Dallas Correspondent

Funk's A-Brewin

What's up with the Stars? The injuries have finally caught up to the previously hottest team in the NHL. Although many of the bigger names on the injured list have since come off of it, the team seems to be suffering lately from a collective case of brain cramps.

Dallas stumbled to a miserable 2-5-0 record in the last seven games. And besides the one win against New Jersey, the Stars lost to teams they have previously handled with relative ease. At first it seemed to be due to a natural adjustment period to the change in chemistry - the trades for Mike Keane and Brian Skrudland definitely changed the look of the team.

But, quickly it became apparent that it was just a case of the players squeezing the stick, and pressing up a bit too far looking for that lost offensive punch. The Stars let far too many out-manned rushes back their way. It was as if they lost the focus and patience necessary to carry on the "Stars' game," a term which became synonymous with hard work and a gritty effort.

As a consequence, Dallas was beat repeatedly by hungrier, quicker, and faster teams. The Stars forwards never built off of each other's efforts - it was like they were starting the game fresh after each and every shift, ignoring any of the momentum gained or lost in the meantime.

Nobody could blame the newcomers Keane and Skrudland. They both commented on how hard the Stars work after getting a first look at their new team in practice. Both have lived up to that work ethic. Skrudland seems to be a clutch player, somewhat similar to a Brent Gilchrist in the terms that they both come up with key plays at the right time, and both know what it takes to win. Keane has already impressed many Dallas fans, and sweetened the deal by scoring his first goal as a Star at home against Toronto on April 6.

Hitch blows a fuse

Coach Hitchcock kept his game face on early in the skid, remaining stoic and non-specific about it all. But after a particularly frustrating loss (Edmonton, I believe) Hitchcock shut down the locker room either after the game or during the next day's practice and let the team have it. And rightfully so. The team was quickly squandering away one of the most impressive winning seasons in recent memory - a season that has already been better than last season's worst-to- first miracle.

The Stars' practices are now closed off to the public, and after a game during the recent Canadian road trip, the Canadian press was barred from the locker room. Only Hitchcock spoke to a few American journalists covering the game.

It was clear the funk was legitimate, and feeding off of itself. On paper (meaning the effort the team showed on the ice), it appeared as if everything was alright because the players appeared to be working plenty hard. But a closer look revealed that while they were working hard, they were not being smart. The Stars were beating themselves at every turn by not finishing when it counted.

Core players like Guy Carbonneau were still showing up to win, and played like it. But players like Nieuwendyk and Verbeek, who were red hot in the previous 10 games, quickly cooled off and were lost back into the crowd temporarily. You can't expect a few guys to strap the team on their shoulders and carry it the whole way, whether it can be done or not. Something will eventually give.

Eagle's nagging backbone

Another thorn in the side was the fact that Ed Belfour's sore back has finally become an issue for the team. Eddie had missed the previous 3-4 games prior to the game against Toronto. Turek looked very capable in his consecutive starts, but his teammates didn't play well in front of him.

As a result, the team felt they weren't getting the key saves in clutch situations that they needed to keep them in the game. Tell me that's not going to be an important point come playoff time! The only good thing about this has been the very hard work of Belfour in his efforts to not only rehab, but come back stronger than before.

Make no mistake about it - the team's shortcomings are all in their heads right now. All they have to do is snap out of it, and begin reacting on auto-pilot during the games again instead of thinking about what to do next. Even though they have hit the skids somewhat, most of their Western Conference peers pick the Stars as one of the teams to beat.

Bob Gainey reacted to his team's nominations by stating: "We're definitely the flavor of the month this month," Gainey said. "Everybody wants to select us as the team."

Yeah, Dallas had tanked the last few games, but so had a few other teams. The most notable exception being the Detroit Red Wings, who had caught up to Dallas with a tying 97 points until the 4-2 win over Toronto. And, Dallas also has a game in hand and gets to play out the majority of the last seven games at home.

Trade winds a-blowin

Gainey pulled the trigger on a mega-deal (for him) that involved letting go fan-favorite Todd Harvey and Bob Errey to the Rangers in exchange for forecheck-specialist Brian Skrudland and the gritty Mike Keane, formerly of the Cup- winning Avalanche team.

While Dallas definitely hated to lose Harvey, Gainey was quoted as saying that the Rangers were committed to making Harv a part of any deal with the team - that was the price that had to be paid. It is a symbol of the respect that Harvey now commands in the league, considering he just underwent surgery to repair a knee, and was still gambled on by New York.

We all wish Todd well in his first taste of the Eastern Conference. But, Keane and Skrudland are both players that know what it takes to win it all. Both have considerable playoff experience, and both have played in a Stanley Cup finals series. Also, both are very valuable additions to the overall team philosophy of forecheck pressure and team- tough play.

And, Gainey dealt an eighth-round pick to the Maple Leafs in exchange for former-Star Mike Kennedy. Kennedy is a quick player, and adds to the Stars' depth - with the obvious bonus that he is already familiar with most of the team, and should assimilate relatively quickly into the new system.

With both deals, Dallas sent out an unmistakable message that they intend to contend for Lord Stanley. Now if they can just manage to concentrate long enough to get to the finals.

And, beat or avoid Edmonton. D' oh!

Other Notes

* Joe Nieuwendyk scored twice against Toronto to further his lead as the Stars' top goal-scorer. With his recent total of 35 goals, Nieuwendyk has taken sole possession as the top-scoring Canadian player in the league. Congratulations are in order!

* Jere Lehtinen and Greg Adams have both struggled without Modano. The good side of this is Modano has been skating well recently, and reports that he is "on schedule," meaning he should still be available to return during the first round of the playoffs.

* Greg Adams has gone down once again with a neck injury. Whatever black cloud is following this poor guy around needs to get lost already. The only possible positive in that was the fact that Sergei Zubov, Dave Reid, Benoit Hogue, and Bob Bassen are now all healthy enough to have been put back into the lineup.

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