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MODANO'S STATUS IS DAY-TO-DAY Stars deny ESPN report he will miss rest of series 06/11/99 By Dan Noxon / The Dallas Morning News Stars players and coaches used the word "hopefully" a lot about Mike Modano after Game 2 on Thursday. That's about as definitive NHL teams are on injuries this time of year. Modano suffered what coach Ken Hitchcock called a wrist injury midway through the third period. Buffalo defenseman Jay McKee caught Modano to the side of the Sabres net and threw a right shoulder into Modano's left shoulder. Modano, who was facing McKee and had his left arm between himself and the rushing Buffalo defenseman, immediately dropped his stick and his left arm. He left the ice, heading straight to the locker room, and did not return. "It's probably day-to-day," Hitchcock said. "It's not overly serious . . . hopefully. We'll know more [Friday]." ESPN later reported Modano would miss the rest of the series, but the Stars denied the report. ``He is not out for the series,'' Stars trainer Dave Surprenant told the Associated Press. `Doctors will be evaluating him (today).'' Modano, who has a sprained left wrist, was unavailable for comment after the game. While the loss of their leading scorer would hurt, the potential loss of Modano for any length of time probably would not have the same devastating effect as losing Joe Nieuwendyk at the beginning of last year's playoffs. For one thing, the team signed Brett Hull in the off-season. Plus, this is a team that largely has stayed intact the past two seasons and has played through numerous injuries. "Hopefully, we don't lose him for any games," said defenseman Craig Ludwig. "But this team will not dwell on injuries. We have a veteran team, and we have depth. Somebody steps up. Look at Tony [Hrkac]." Hrkac replaced Modano on the top line and set up Brett Hull's game-winning goal with less than three minutes remaining as the Stars evened the series. Although he played only five minutes, 50 seconds - largely because he had missed the last 16 games because of cracked ribs - Hrkac finished plus-2 for the night. The Stars went 2-2 during Modano's four-game absence in early April with a groin strain. Overall, they lost 181 man games to injuries. With their top players out of the lineup, the Stars remained strong. Nieuwendyk missed 13 games battling five injuries, and the Stars went 7-4-2 in his absence. Hull was out 21 games, including 11 straight with a strained hamstring. The Stars were 6-2-3 during that 11-game stretch and 11-3-7 overall without Hull in the lineup. "We're kind of used to it," veteran center Guy Carbonneau said of playing without some of the team's top goal scorers. "Sure he's a big part of the team. I mean, losing Mo now is not not going to affect us. It has to. But we can overcome it. We've had a lot of games where Joe Nieuwendyk or [Modano] or [Derian] Hatcher was not there." Mike Keane halfway apologized for "sounding cold" but said Modano's status isn't anyone's concern but trainer Dave Surprenant. "Regardless of whether or not he's going to play, we still have to keep it going," Keane said. "That's the attitude we've had all year. Somebody else just has to step up."