It is not. After an abysmal opening game, San Jose went to battle without its greatest warrior, Owen Nolan

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, Sunday night. And the Sharks played their hearts out in a 1-0 loss.

Ed Belfour stopped all 19 shots directed his way for his second consecutive shutout, the third of this postseason and the 10th of his career. Mike Modano scored the lone goal, banging a rebound of a Brett Hull shot just under a diving Steve Shields at 7:26 of the opening period. And a stifling Dallas defensive effort, the kind that has defined the Stars over the past three seasons, made it stand.

"When we're playing our game and they're playing theirs, we know it's going to be a close game," Sharks coach Darryl Sutter said. "This was just a hard-fought game. I think both teams got their money's worth tonight."

And so did the 95th consecutive sellout Reunion Arena crowd of 17,001, which saw the Stars withstand a furious rally in the final minute, when its penalty killers played four men against six with the net empty at the other end.

Within seconds, Sharks defenseman Gary Suter was teeing the puck up at the blue line for a rising shot that Belfour gloved. And before it ended, Belfour was forced to throw his right pad into a rebound attempt by Stephane Matteau, snuffing any hopes the Sharks might have entertained about sending this one into overtime.

"That was a huge save at the end," Sutter said. "There aren't many chances for rebounds. We're going to have to get something at him he doesn't see."

Because the Stars are one of the league's best face-off teams, Belfour never hesitates to ice the puck and force a face-off in his end. It's one of the ways he frustrates the opposition.

"He just controls the rebounds very well, and he freezes the puck a lot," said forward Vincent Damphousse. "Even though you crash the net on him, there's nothing to bang away at because there's no rebounds."

Despite taking the best-of-7 series home down 0-2, the Sharks were heartened by their effort after a 4-0 drubbing in Game 1.

"We showed tonight we can beat them," Damphousse said. "In the first game, we were just out of it completely. Tonight, we played stronger even without Owen Nolan."

Ah yes, without the guy who has carried this team on his shoulders all season long. Nolan was unable to skate, his foot still smarting from diving in front of an Al MacInnis slapshot to help preserve the lead in the third period of that remarkable Game 7 victory against St. Louis. Truth be told, and Sutter can talk about it now, Nolan probably shouldn't have played in Game 1 of this series either.

So how did Nolan's absence affect his team?

"When you're missing your captain, your most physical player, your top goal scorer and your top minutes (played) man, I think it's obvious what it means to us," Sutter said.

Now the Sharks can head home to the friendlier confines of the raucous San Jose Arena. Good riddance to Reunion, where the Stars have allowed only three goals in five postseason games.

"Our defense and goaltending were really good tonight," Stars coach Ken Hitchcock said. "Our six defensemen are really playing solid right now.

"But this game was nothing like the Edmonton series. This game was pushing it to the limits on both sides. Both teams knew exactly what was at stake here for the home team, and they gave us everything we could handle."

It'll be different in San Jose, everybody knows that. For starters, Belfour is a marked man among Sharks fans, who still feel betrayed that he left them to sign a free-agent contract with Dallas.

Sharks such as Vincent Damphousse (right) played tough but the Stars ended up being tougher Sunday night.(AP)

Though Sutter was unable to say for sure, it's expected that Nolan will rejoin the lineup for Game 3 if he can slip the skate boot over his swollen foot.

And the Sharks have every intention of returning this series to Dallas for a Game 5, at least.

"We've just got to come out with our best game," gritty center Mike Ricci said. "I believe in our team and I believe our team will do that."

So does Sutter.

"Good enough?," he asked Dallas-area reporters at the end of his postgame news conference. "I'll see you again after Game 5."

Don't doubt these Sharks. The St. Louis Blues would tell you that.