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MIKE MODANO'S PLAYOFF DIARY - MAY 1 Oilers series was draining, but it's time to get refocused 05/01/99 The effects of the Edmonton series still are lingering. I lost about six or seven pounds after the triple-overtime game, but I put that right back on. It's funny, guys were just totally exhausted. One thing I was really struck with was how the goalies stayed so mentally strong, and stood there for six hours in their skates and made the saves they did in the overtimes. That says a lot about them. The plane ride was very quiet. Some guys already had started to fall asleep on the bus ride to the airport. It was a long trip. Coming home when the sun was rising was kind of like coming back from Japan after the Olympics. It was strange. It's nice that it's over and we didn't have to play Thursday. That would have been tough, especially since some of us had tickets to Aerosmith, and we really wanted to go. I don't know what we would have done if we had to play Thursday. But the show was great. It took a couple of days to adjust after getting back. Everybody went to bed when we got home and slept until noon or 1 on Wednesday, and just kind of relaxed and sat around. Some guys had a tough time sleeping that night. It was a hard-fought series that will give us a lot of confidence. We knew it was going to be tough. They played the physical side of the game a lot, with a lot of slashing and hacking and whacking. We were able to absorb it and play through it without getting frustrated. We weren't scoring on the power play, but we were finding ways to win. Game 3 was a huge game for us. Going to Game 4 leading, 2-1, it might have been a different story. Friday we practiced, and it was good to get back out on the ice. We'll take the day off Saturday, then come back Sunday ready to work hard. By then, I think everything will be laid out for us because we'll probably know who we're playing. The biggest thing now is getting refocused and ready for another hard push from another team. We have to get the rest when we can, get some guys back from injuries and rechannel our energy. It will take a few days to get the strength back and the bodies readjusted. We should have two real good practices Sunday and Monday, so we'll be ready in case we have to play Tuesday. Everybody should be sharp by then. Mike Modano's diary, as told to Staff Writer Bill Nichols, will appear in The News during the playoffs.