Red Wings Running Out of Players

The Detroit Red Wings, who trail the Colorado Avalanche, 2-0, in the Western Conference finals, are losing players rapidly too. Left wing Bob Errey, one of their top defensive players, will sit out the rest of the series after suffering a separated shoulder Tuesday when he was checked by Colorado defenseman Uwe Krupp during Detroit’s 3-0 loss.

Team captain Steve Yzerman, who sat out Tuesday’s game because of a sore groin muscle, didn’t skate Wednesday at Denver. However, he planned to skate this morning and, if all goes well, return when the series resumes tonight at Denver’s McNichols Arena. Defenseman Paul Coffey, who sat out half of Tuesday’s game because of back spasms, is doubtful for tonight’s game.

Avalanche Coach Marc Crawford acknowledged things couldn’t have gone better for his team in the first two games at Detroit.

“Not unless we could be up, 3-0,” Crawford said.

There isn’t much the Avalanche can improve on. Its power play, which scored only once in 18 tries against the Red Wings this season, clicked Tuesday and supported goaltender Patrick Roy’s 35-save performance. The Red Wings’ forwards have not scored a goal in two games--Coffey scored both goals in their 3-2 loss in the opener--and the Avalanche is threatening to send the record-setting Red Wings home in a sweep again. Detroit was swept by the New Jersey Devils in last year’s Stanley Cup finals.

Detroit forwards have scored one goal in the last 229 minutes 31 seconds, since Game 6 of their quarterfinal series against the St. Louis Blues. That was the Game 7 double-overtime winner by Yzerman. Sergei Fedorov, who led Detroit with 39 goals and 107 points this season, has one goal in 15 playoff games.

“I’m pressing with everything I have,” Fedorov said. “I have no choice. But also I try not to lose my head when I get a scoring chance. . . . It’s not an easy business, not an easy game.”

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Pittsburgh center Mario Lemieux, who sat out part of the Penguins’ 3-2 victory over the Florida Panthers on Monday because of stomach flu, skated for an hour Wednesday and appeared to be fine, a club spokesman said. The Eastern Conference finals, which are tied, 1-1, will resume Friday at Miami Arena. The Penguins were scheduled to practice at home this morning and arrive in Miami this evening.

Florida forward Radek Dvorak, who sat out Monday’s game because of flu, is expected to return Friday.