Lemieux to face Canucks Tuesday
Canadian Press
2/3/2003
PITTSBURGH (AP) - Mario Lemieux is ready for his next comeback.
Lemieux, out of the Pittsburgh Penguins' lineup for all but a few minutes of their last 11 games because of a sore groin, will play Tuesday night against Vancouver and hopes to make an immediate impact.
``I felt great today on the ice and I was able to do all the drills,'' Lemieux said following an 80-minute practice Monday. ``I'm ready to go and I'm looking forward to it.
``I like to be out there when I'm feeling good and, finally, I'm feeling up to par and ready to go.''
Lemieux, still the NHL's top scorer with 68 points despite being out nearly a month, initially expected to be out only a few games after straining his groin Jan. 7 against the Islanders.
But the first groin injury of his career lingered far longer than expected and he couldn't resume skating normally until last week. He was voted as an all-star starter, but skipped Sunday's game in suburban Miami.
The 37-year-old Hall of Famer doesn't anticipate he'll need a lot of time to get back into game shape, not after playing in all but one game during the first half of the season. By contrast, he missed three-quarters of last season with a hip injury.
``I don't think it's going to take that much time,'' he said. ``If this was October or November, it would make a big difference, but I played most of the season except for this past month.''
If he stays healthy the rest of the way, Lemieux said the unwanted time off could help keep him strong the rest of the way.
``I hope I'll be stronger down the stretch and be able to play more minutes and try to help this team,'' he said.
Right now, the Penguins can't think of anything that would help them more than No. 66 on the ice again. They are 1-4-1 in their last six games and have dropped into a pack of six teams chasing the last two Eastern Conference playoff spots.
Lemieux said there's plenty of time for the Penguins to get back into contention to make the playoffs for the 12th time in 13 seasons. The schedule could help; eight of their next 11 and 15 of their next 22 games are at Mellon Arena. Only 13 of their final 30 are on the road.
``Every game is going to be a playoff game for us, and it starts (Tuesday) night,'' Lemieux said. ``Everybody on this team is aware of that.''
Even if he does need a game or two to get his game legs back, Lemieux thinks he can help the Penguins' struggling power play immediately.
The Penguins still have the NHL's best power play, despite going only 3-of-51 in their last 11 games. But their conversion rate has dropped from nearly 30 per cent with Lemieux playing to 22.3 per cent.
``They're putting a lot more pressure on the guys up top, and the guys down low aren't reacting,'' Lemieux said. ``Once we start moving the puck quickly, they (the defence) can't react as fast.
``The power play is going to be a big key. I know we've struggled the last two or three weeks, but we worked on it so that everybody knows what to do on the ice.''
Penguins forward Ville Nieminen saw a big difference with Lemieux back, even during an otherwise routine practice.
``When you lose a guy like him, there's a big hole in the highway,'' Nieminen said. ``Everybody has to throw a little bit of sand in there.
``When he's back, we can start driving, and that makes our hockey club even more dangerous.''
Cheers,
Aquaman