Stars battle ailments, lead Red Wings, Avs

DETROIT -- Age, teams and nationalities are about the only things that separate Steve Yzerman and Peter Forsberg.

Yzerman is 37, plays for the Detroit Red Wings and is Canadian.

Forsberg is 28, plays for the Colorado Avalanche and is Swedish.

There are a lot more similarities between the centers, who will meet today in Game 1 of the Western Conference finals at Joe Louis Arena.

Yzerman and Forsberg, considered among the best two-way forwards in the world, each have led their teams to two Stanley Cups and their countries to an Olympic gold medal.

Both lead by example, deflecting praise as well as their goaltenders stop shots.

Yzerman has been hailed as a hero in Hockeytown for leading the Red Wings in the playoffs with 13 points on a sore right knee. Forsberg has been called superhuman.

He is the leading scorer in the playoffs with 19 points after missing the regular season following four foot surgeries and having his spleen removed in the past year.

"It's been a little up and down," Forsberg said. "Some games I don't feel that good, but I think it's going in the right direction."

While Yzerman noticeably limped down a hallway earlier this week, he insisted he doesn't listen to those who have gushed over his remarkable play.

"Our only goal is to win the Cup," Yzerman said. "We haven't accomplished that yet, so until we do, we haven't been successful."

Kapanen in a slump

RALEIGH, N.C. --Sami Kapanen skated in front of the net with a few teammates at the end of practice, shooting in rebound after rebound.

That's about as close as the Carolina forward has come to scoring during the playoffs.

After a career-high 27 goals during the regular season, the three-time Finnish Olympian doesn't have a goal in 13 postseason games, matching his longest drought of 2001-02.

Kapanen again was shut out Thursday night as Toronto beat Carolina 2-1 in Game 1 of the Eastern Conference finals.

Game 2 of the series is Sunday.

"Once I get into the locker room after the game and I'm told that the media requests me, I pretty much know what the question is going to be," said Kapanen, who's scored at least 20 goals in five straight seasons.

The Hurricanes eliminated New Jersey and Montreal despite Kapanen's problems, but who knows how much longer the team can win without help from one of its top scorers.

"It's nice to see that people are paying attention," Kapanen said. "Most people have been supportive and not putting me down. But at the same time, if you keep talking about it every day, it's in the back of your mind. I have to keep believing it's going to happen sooner or later."

Elsewhere

SENATORS: The team extended the contract of coach Jacques Martin and accepted the resignation of general manager Marshall Johnston.

President and chief executive officer Roy Mlakar signed a five-year agreement.

Johnston, who joined the Senators in 1996 as the director of player personnel, will step down when his contract expires on June 30.

RANGERS:Herb Brooks no longer is a candidate to become coach of the team, a position he was reportedly a front-runner for recently.

-- From wire reports