Stars Head West
March 20, 2007
By Jason Danby (www.dallasstars.com)
Stars Hit the Road for Three
Through the highs of Mike Modano’s milestones to the controversies in Nashville, the Dallas Stars continue to push towards the playoffs. Now a game removed from these events, the Stars head west to California as they take on Los Angeles and Anaheim before ending the road trip against Phoenix.
Stars captain Brenden Morrow keeps his focus on the teams play rather than what went down in Nashville over the weekend.
“We are gearing up for the playoffs,” said Morrow. “Our focus is on that. Robi’ has been hit a lot harder than that before and he keeps popping back up, so he will be fine. What we need to worry about is our own team and not what they do. It’s not about Nashville, it’s about the Dallas Stars.”
After a hectic weekend full of controversy and heated opinions, Mike Modano is ready for the Stars’ playoff push to take the spotlight.
“Every organization is different,” replied Modano. “I would have loved to [break the record] here in Dallas, share it with friends, family, and the people of Dallas. Everybody is so supportive of their home team, especially in the NHL. They love their team in Nashville, and they would hate to see themselves cheering for the opposition, especially in their home building, so you can understand that a little bit, in some sense.”
From Head Coach Dave Tippett to the players, the focus of the team is on the next three games. This stretch will prove to be a valuable opportunity for the Stars to achieve their goals as the season wraps up according to Tippett.
“We have a lot of things that we need to work on,” answered Tippett. “We need to continue to integrate Morrow and Norstrom, players that have been out of our lineup for a while. We have to get them up and running at full speed.” Stars forward Stu Barnes echoed his coach’s sentiments and acknowledged the team’s need for continued improvement.
“We’ve got a tough trip ahead of us,” said Barnes. “We need to focus and make sure that we tune our game up so that when the puck drops in the playoffs we are ready to do our best.”
Defensemen Philippe Boucher added his thoughts on the road trip and marks the road trip as another test for the team.
“We are getting ready for the playoffs and these games are key for us to get where we want to be in the standings,” said Boucher. “They are also key in gearing our game to what we want it to be for the playoffs. I think it’s good to go on the road to play some teams that are actually playing well. Los Angeles and Phoenix are two teams that are obviously out of the playoffs, but they are playing really well, and we all know about Anaheim. So, it’s not going to be a piece of cake going from now to the end of the year.”
For Modano, who earned the NHL’s third star of the week with four goals and six points in four games, the end of the season is all about improving team play.
“It’s just a matter of us continuing to build on what we have going on here,” said Modano. “We are trying to get better as a team, smarter and stronger, and being a detailed team that is ready to go in two or three weeks.”
Returning to battle Los Angeles for the first time since joining the Stars, defensemen Mattias Norstrom says he is eager to meet his old team on the ice.
“I think it’s a real challenge down the stretch to play some of these teams that are mathematically out of the playoffs,” remarked Norstrom, “but they have a lot to prove.”
Norstrom went on to compare playing the Kings to playing against a brother or father. He holds no grudge against them, but wants to win deeply. Furthermore, Norstrom’s ex-teammates are not the only people awaiting his return in Los Angeles.
“I will get a couple of hours here and there to spend with my family,” said Norstrom. “We play three games in four nights, and that’s the number one priority, but I’ll get to spend a few hours with the family and it’s been a while now.”
Stars forward Jussi Jokinen, who has tallied 20 points in the last 19 games, added that there is still a sense of urgency in the locker room as the schedule diminishes.
“We have 10 games left,” said Jokinen, “and I think last year, the last stretch of games didn’t mean as much. This year, we still have a lot to get done and we need to start playing playoff hockey right now.”
For Morrow, the playoff race is still uncertain as he regains his chemistry with the team. Morrow recorded his first point since his return to the lineup with a goal against Phoenix on Sunday.
“Colorado is hot right now and they are chasing and looking for that eighth spot,” said Morrow. “Nothing is guaranteed. We have to keep improving, keep moving forward, and get the bad habits out of our game.”
Traveling with the team, Steve Ott’s return may be as early as the game against Phoenix on the 24th. Tippett believes that Ott’s second attempt at a return to the ice has greater promise.
“Otter’ is very close,” said Tippett. “That was his first full practice with the team and he looks like a different player than when he came back to the team the first time. I don’t know if the second surgery was something that worked better for him, but he looks like a different person. He is days away, not weeks anymore.”
Stephane Robidas will also travel with the team according to Tippett while Matthew Barnaby, Eric Lindros and Chris Conner will stay behind to rehabilitate their injuries.
