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.

Owen Nolan
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."
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