Hatcher's return to ice gives Stars big boost vs. Oilers

DALLAS -- When Derian Hatcher is on the ice, the Dallas Stars' defense has a different look and the Edmonton Oilers know it.

Hatcher missed Game 3 of Dallas' first-round playoff series against the Oilers because of a suspension and defensive breakdowns by the Stars went a long way toward helping the Oilers rally in the third period.

Hatcher returned Tuesday night, making a number of big plays and Dallas evened the series going into Game 5 Thursday night.

"Our captain was dominant out there," coach Dave Tippett said. "He did everything he had to do to be a dominant player. He's a hard player to play against."

Hatcher was forced to sit out Sunday night because he received game misconducts in each of the first two games. Another such penalty would draw a two-game suspension.

Edmonton knew it and tried baiting him all night. The fans did their best, too. The final buzzer didn't end the Hatcher hunting either as several Oilers pushed and shoved him. Officials recognized what was happening and quickly defused it.

"Obviously, they know Derian's situation," Tippett said. "I thought he handled it unbelievably. He stayed away from the scrums. I'd rather him do that anyway. Keep him on the ice. The more he's on the ice, the better it is for us."

The statistics back that up. Hatcher is a plus-five in the series, best of any player.

In Game 4, he helped kill four power plays. He played nearly 30 minutes, took three shots and drew a penalty soon after Edmonton tied the game in the third period. Dallas later scored twice in 23 seconds, regaining the lead and then padding it.

"It felt great," he said. "We've got our home ice back. That was what we wanted. It's best-of-3 now."

Hatcher isn't concerned about getting another game misconduct. He pointed out that he didn't have any in the regular season.

The Oilers got bad news Wednesday as Radek Dvorak was scheduled to have surgery on a broken bone in his right hand. Dvorak scored the winning goal in Game 3 by stickhandling through the Hatcher-less Dallas defense and beating goalie Marty Turco.

"It's going to be a significant loss for us, the way he was playing," Edmonton coach Craig MacTavish said of Dvorak. "He won us a hockey game with a great goal. He is the type of game-breaking player we've been trying to get for a while around here."

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