Mike Modano ached all over yesterday following his 11th playoff game of the spring, and with good reason.
The scoring star of the Dallas Stars with the poster-boy good looks was stapled all over the ice in the opening game of the Western Conference final when the Colorado Avalanche made a statement about what to expect tonight in Game 2 at Reunion Arena.
Modano was the target of Colorado defenders, especially Adam Foote and Sandis Ozolinsh, when the Avalanche opened the best-of-seven rematch with a convincing 2-0 decision Saturday.
The mild-manner Ozolinsh, usually more concerned with scoring than defending, twice ran Modano into the end boards with jarring checks that sent him crashing to the ice.
In the National Hockey League, that particular tactic in the postseason run to the Stanley Cup is called stapling an opponent. Modano got more of the same from Foote and other Colorado skaters.
The mobile Colorado defender steered the 6-foot-3 Modano into the boards in front of the Colorado bench in the opening period. Foote then used his leverage to catapult Modano into the sea of Avalanche sweaters waiting for the next shift.
Statistically, the Stars were out-hit 45-39, but Colorado's real message was that the Avs will continue to initiate physical play during the absence of injured defenceman Ray Bourque, who sat out Game 1 with a recurring sore knee.
"We've got to analyze it, talk about it and regroup," Modano said. "There are things we can work on and focus on better. You must be mentally strong to bounce back. You're playing for keeps and you're playing to advance to the finals."
A year ago, Colorado won the conference opener 2-1 in Dallas before the Avs eventually lost in seven games to the Stars.
Although Modano has six playoff goals this spring, he didn't come close to scoring in Saturday's game, as his route to the net and goalkeeper Patrick Roy was littered with checkers. He had a shot on goal each period and missed the net twice on two other attempts.
"That was one of the most physical games I've played in," Modano said. "You expect that at this time of the year. You're four wins away from going to the finals. You play hard and do whatever you can do to advance.
"They're playing hard and they're playing physical. We have to be that way on their key guys. The main guys are the game-breakers. If you allow them space and room in a game like this, they can hurt you. Big players need to make big plays at this time of year."
Modano and linemates Brett Hull and Brenden Morrow didn't get much skating room, and were denied during five Dallas power plays, four of them in the first period when the Avs were most aggressive.
Colorado got a power-play goal from opportunistic Milan Hejduk in the second period when the second unit came through late with a man advantage on a rebound. Defenceman Aaron Miller got the other goal, also in the second, on another rebound when a Dallas line change left him unchecked as he trailed a rush by Peter Forsberg.
Dallas coach Ken Hitchcock may shuffle his forward lines tonight following the first playoff loss at home this year by the Stars.
Morrow took three questionable penalties in the opener and also has a leg injury suffered when he became tangled with Colorado's Dave Andreychuk. Morrow will miss the rest of the playoffs with a broken right ankle.
Jere Lehtinen, a two-way winger with 10 playoff goals last year, played for the first time in weeks in the opener, used on a Dallas checking line with Guy Carbonneau and Mike Keane. Lehtinen could be elevated to the first line, where he played with Hull and Modano last season.
"We are going to have to dig deeper, get a little dirtier, in order to pay that price to score," Hitchcock said. "When the level of determination is so high, we are going to have to have a much bigger commitment."
Colorado coach Bob Hartley changed his lines before the opener. He took centre Chris Drury away from Forsberg and Adam Deadmarsh and replaced him with checker Stephane Yelle on most shifts. The versatile Drury, one of the best players in the second round series win over Detroit, skated with rookie Alex Tanguay and checker Dave Reid as the Avs spread their scoring over three lines.
"We wanted to establish our ground here," Hartley said. "They have in Modano and [Joe]Nieuwendyk some great skaters. Brett Hull is always very dangerous.
"We focus on those three guys up front. Adam Foote and Co. did an outstanding job on the blue line."
So did Roy in goal. He posted his 14th career playoff shutout, one more than Toronto's Turk Broda and tying Roy with Montreal great Jacques Plante. Roy is just one behind the all-time leader. Clint Benedict had 15 shutouts with Ottawa and the Montreal Maroons in the 1917-1930 era.
"We certainly learned from the past and use that to prepare for Game 2," Roy said in reference to the see-saw Dallas series of 1999. "We are going to have to play this type of hockey, especially in Dallas."
Dallas likely will encourage rushing defencemen Sergei Zubov and Darryl Sydor to join the rush more when the series resumes. If not, it's a long way back from two games down for the defending Stanley Cup champions.