Posted on Fri, May. 09, 2008

Nightmare in Detroit stalks Stars In my opinion

By JIM REEVES

Star-Telegram Staff Writer

AP/JERRY MENDOZA

Stars goalie Marty Turco, center, is swarmed by Red Wings wingers Henrik Zetterberg, left, and Tomas Holmstrom.

Most-read stories

• Huge Arlington fixer-upper with a shady past could be yours for pittance
• 2 men die in separate Fort Worth motorcycle wrecks
• T.O. offers counsel to latest wayward Dallas Cowboys player
• Four Hurst teens indicted on capital murder charges
• Man died driving home to surprise mom for Mother's Day

 

Most e-mailed stories

• Huge Arlington fixer-upper with a shady past could be yours for pittance
• Allstate to cut rates in Texas after settlement
• Schools vie for new teachers at Arlington job fair
• Hot jobs for teens in a cool market
• Huge Arlington fixer-upper with a shady past could be yours for pittance

 

DETROIT -- Stephen King couldn't have written a more horrifying script than the one the Dallas Stars penned for themselves Thursday night at The Joe.

Every murderous boogeyman hidden in the Stars' closet, every venomous monster lurking under the bed, every hideous ogre they've ever dreamed about in the depths of their darkest night came to life here in Game 1 of their Western Conference finals series with the Detroit Red Wings.

This is the fire-breathing dragon the Stars must slay, the only one left between them and another shot at the exalted Stanley Cup.

They'll never get that chance if they can't play better than this.

The Red Wings embarrassed the Stars 4-1, dominating the game almost from the moment the first octopus splattered on the ice during the national anthem to the final horn.

"I'm not worried about how the Red Wings played, I'm worried about how we played," head coach Dave Tippett said grimly. "That was a game that wasn't even close to how we've played in the playoffs.

"Whether it was fatigue or whatever, it is disappointing. We just didn't skate. Whether we left our legs back in Dallas, time will tell."

If you want to use the oh-but-they-just-played-a-quadruple-overtime excuse, this is the time to do it, but I'm not buying that alibi and neither was team captain Brenden Morrow.

"It's the Western Conference finals," an exasperated Morrow said. "Sure I'm surprised. We've had three days to recharge. I don't think we can use that quadruple overtime as an excuse. Maybe mentally there was [some residual hangover], but physically, I think we all felt pretty good.

"We gave up that goal on the 5-on-3 early, then we started panicking a little bit. That's what it looked like to me."

Chasing the game after the Wings took a 2-0 lead in the opening period, the Stars were guilty of seven mostly ticky-tack penalties, four in the first period, and the Wings scored three times on the power play, constantly parking a huge forward in Marty Turco's lap. The befuddled and meek Stars defenders either didn't have the guts to move him or simply couldn't get it done.

But this wasn't just a Wings' team taking advantage of the man -- or in the case of the first goal of the game, a 2-man -- advantage. Even when it was supposedly 5-on-5, I'd have sworn the Wings were sneaking three extra players onto the ice.

This was not the same Stars team which out-gritted, out-worked and ultimately out-lasted the tough Anaheim Ducks or San Jose Sharks in the first two rounds of the playoffs. This Dallas team was nervous, jittery and soft.

"We looked like we were lacking a little emotion or jump that we've been having," Turco said. "This team's resiliency has been the biggest factor for us to be at this point in the playoffs."

No resiliency this time. The Stars didn't just lose to the Wings, they capitulated. They allowed the Wings to do what they always do to the Stars here: play the role of schoolyard bully.

Don't for a minute believe the stat sheet that showed the Stars and Wings virtually even (31-30 Wings) in the hits department. The ones that counted were all delivered by the Wings.

The Stars validated every fear their fans had coming into this series.

Turco just can't beat the Wings: True.

Mike Modano never plays well in his home state of Michigan: True.

The Stars turn to Jell-O at the sight of Detroit's red jerseys: True.

To be fair, Turco had little chance. He can't stop what he can't see, and with either Johan Franzen or Tomas Holmstrom, each of whom deflected in a goal, sitting on his lap in the crease, he couldn't see much. The only even-strength goal he allowed was the last one, and it came on a Steve Ott turnover followed by a breakaway wrist-shot by Valtteri Filppula.

"We've done a great job of blocking [shots] and dictating where we want them to come from, and that just wasn't the case tonight," Turco said. "They didn't do anything we didn't expect as far as traffic."

Maybe, but the Wings' third goal should have been waved off -- Holmstrom was backing into the crease and goalie interference should have been called -- but the Stars aren't going to get that call here.

"It was more the team in front of him tonight than it was Marty," Tippett said in defense of Turco.

That said, throw Turco into the same miserable stewpot as the rest of the Stars. For the Stars to have a chance in this series, he has to be as outstanding as he was in the first two rounds, and he clearly wasn't.

Perhaps the Stars were due for a stinker. They enjoyed an amazing run through the first two rounds, playing at their best almost every game.

This wasn't even close to that team, and that's the scariest part.

"We have to be better in everything," center Brad Richards said. "We were behind the speed of the game and that's why we took penalties. It's something we can control. That's the good thing about this loss.

"We have to put our game out there and see how we do, and worry about Detroit after that."

Exactly.

The boogeyman is out from under the bed now. He's mean, he's frightening and he's not going away.

It's up to the Stars to face and vanquish those old fears, all that bad history here.

They must slay this dragon or it will roast them alive.

And, like Thursday night, it won't be pretty.