Stars winger Stu Barnes missed his second straight game with concussion-like symptoms. Barnes rode a stationary bike Thursday in Dallas, but did not respond well to the increased activity level, so the Stars left him home.

"His neuron-psych [test] 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."

Mike Heika

San Jose coach Ron Wilson tried to stir the pot a bit when asked about Mike Modano before Game 5.

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

When told the quote, Modano responded:

"And rightfully so. Mike [Ribeiro] is a great player,"

Modano said he and Wilson became friends when Wilson coached Team USA at the 1996 World Cup.

"There's always incentive when we play against each other," Modano said. "We've become pretty good friends, and he has some fun with it and he likes to get the media fired up."

Mike Heika

There isn't an NHL rule that mandates the Stars encounter a former Edmonton Oiler in every playoff series. It just seems that way.

In the first round, the Stars saw Edmonton alumni Doug Weight and Todd Marchant with Anaheim. Now they're facing hard-working checker Mike Grier with San Jose.

"Those series were very memorable and fun to play in," Grier said, thinking back to those epic first-round battles between the Stars and Oilers. "We probably had a little different edge to the series. It was kind of an all-out physical battle. These two teams probably have a little bit more skill than those two teams."

Chuck Carlton

For almost everybody on the Stars, losing a 3-0 playoff series lead is just a hypothetical. Forward Steve Ott knows the reality of the situation firsthand.

While playing junior B hockey in Ontario, his team blew a 3-0 lead and lost a best-of-7 playoff series. "It was the worst feeling I've ever had in hockey," Ott said.

Chuck Carlton

San Jose defenseman Matt Carle, a former University of Denver standout, knows the "wall" that former college players encounter in their rookie seasons. "It's not a matter of if; it's a matter of when," he said.

So he's impressed by the way Stars rookie Matt Niskanen has made the adjustment from Minnesota-Duluth.

"He's done a great job all season," Carle said. "He just shows a lot of poise and character for being a young guy. I admire the way he handles himself and the way he handles the situation."

Chuck Carlton