HOCKEY DAILY REPORT : Hebert Nearing Record for Saves

Whenever Guy Hebert isn’t on the ice, there’s ice on him. It’s taped to his forearm, his ankle and anywhere else that’s sore. He has made 1,659 saves--only four shy of his personal best for a season--and has started 34 of the last 35 games.

Exhausted? He couldn’t feel better.

“The games are so big, and we’re so close to the end of the season and the playoffs, it sort of creates its own energy,” said Hebert, who has a 1.70 goals-against average and a .945 save percentage during the team’s eight-game unbeaten streak.

“Obviously, there are times when you feel pretty tired and need a day in between. But these are such exciting times.”

Coach Ron Wilson believes physical fatigue is sometimes less of an issue than mental fatigue.

“Vancouver, Chicago and St. Louis are probably saying, ‘Geez, we’re a little tired right now,’ ” Wilson said. “We’re saying, ‘Geez, we feel like we just got started!’

“Just the other night, everybody was saying, ‘Oh, Guy might be getting tired,’ but he looked sharper against the Rangers and Colorado than anybody else.”