SJS vs DAL

The Stars and Sharks spent a good deal of Friday morning deciding which team had more pressure.

The Sharks were selling the idea that even though they are down 3-1 in the series, that the Stars are the one who actually should be feeling the weight of expectation.

San Jose forward Jeremy Roenick referenced a situation in 1999 when Phoenix had a 3-1 lead on St. Louis and was preparing to meet rival Dallas in the second round. The Coyotes couldn't handle the pressure and ended up losing the series.

”I know it was very nerve-wracking” Roenick said. “It ended up costing us because of those jitters and second-guessing ourselves.”

Stars centre Mike Modano said he felt fine with a 3-1 lead.

"It's probably equal pressure,'' Modano said. "They're in a do-or-die situation and we're trying to close it out in an elimination game. I like being on the road in this circumstance, I think it's more of a workmanlike mentality."

Stu Barnes out tonight
Stars winger Stu Barnes will miss his second game in a row with concussion-like symptoms. Barnes rode a bike in Dallas Thursday, but did not respond well to the increased activity level, and so the Stars left him back home.

"His neurosych was fine, but he was just a little foggy,'' Stars coach Dave Tippett said. "He had a bike ride and got a good sweat on, he just wasn't quite feeling right, so we decided to give him an extra day.''

The Stars struggled to find the right fit on the checking line with Barnes out. Niklas Hagman took a lot of shifts on the checking line with Mike Modano and Steve Ott, but Joel Lundqvist could the call in Game 5.

Stirring the pot
San Jose coach Ron Wilson tried to stir the pot a little bit when he was asked a question about Mike Modano this morning.

“Mike Modano scored one power-play goal, one other goal, he's minus in the series -- so it's Ribeiro that we're more worried about,” Wilson said.

When told the quote, Modano responded: "And rightfully so. Mike (Ribeiro) is a great player.”

When asked about the dig, Modano chuckled a little. He said he and Wilson became good friends when Wilson coached Team USA at the 1996 World Cup.

"There's always incentive when we play against each other…Ron and I have had it since we met in 1996 at the World Cup,'' Modano said. "We've become pretty good friends, and he has some fun with it and he likes to get the media fired up.''

When asked to assess Wilson's coaching the series, Modano said: "We're 3-1, and that's the bottom line.''