In the past, Claude Lemieux has lit a fire under any team he has joined. This time, the new team might have to light a fire under Lemieux.

	CHIRPIN'
	"Don Van Massenhoven is actually a pretty good ref, but the other guy (Craig Spada) is atrocious. He should definitely think about resigning, because he'll definitely get fired…It's a joke, and that's why you don't see him reffing a lot. That guy was terrible." -- Blues winger Keith Tkachuk after receving a gross misconduct penalty at the end of a 3-2 overtime loss to the Islanders Thursday
	THE NUMBER
	2.56 That's Vancouver's goals against average. The Canucks have dropped to 11th in the league as they have yielded 18 goals in the past five games.
	WHO'S HOT
	Oilers winger Ryan Smyth has gotten hot while playing beside center Todd Marchant. Smyth has five goals and seven assists in the past six games, despite the fact he lost center Mike Comrie to a thumb injury.
	WHO'S NOT
	Canucks defenseman Brent Sopel has not responded well to the injury to Ed Jovanovski. With additional ice time, Sopel is a minus-9 in the past six games.

When the Stars acquired Lemieux in a trade Thursday from Phoenix for Scott Pellerin and a conditional draft pick, they received a 37-year-old winger who is definitely struggling. An edgy force on four Stanley Cup championship teams -- and the playoff MVP in 1995 -- Lemieux has always found a way to keep himself in the middle of any battle.

But, this season, the competitive fire has gone out of his eyes as he has sleepwalked his way through a season filled with disappointments in Phoenix and possibly added to the problems more than solved them.

"It's been a tough year for me here in Phoenix," Lemieux said in a conference call. "I felt it was better for me and the team to make this move (waiving a no-trade clause), and I couldn't be happier where I ended up."

That's what the Stars are banking on. After all, there is some risk involved. They must pick up about $1 million in salary this season and could be on the hook for another $2.5 million next season. Plus, they have to carve out a spot on a roster filled with wingers craving minutes.

What they hope is that Lemieux has a lot more crave in him now that he is back in the hunt for another Stanley Cup. He had six goals among 14 points in 36 games with the Coyotes this season and missed nine games with a foot injury. And while those numbers aren't horrible, the Coyotes were disappointed that Lemieux wasn't the tiger he had been in the past.

"It never clicked for me in Phoenix, it never felt like the right fit," said Lemieux, who had a respectable 16 goals and 41 points last season. "I would have hated to see my career end in the role I have here now ... The chance to compete for more Cups -- that's what I'm all about."

And that's what the Stars are all about this season. Lemieux practiced with the Stars on Friday and is expected to be in the lineup Saturday against the San Jose Sharks. With Ulf Dahlen still bothered by a high ankle sprain, Lemieux could play anywhere from the top line with Mike Modano to the fourth line with Kirk Muller.

Interestingly, Lemieux played one season with Muller in New Jersey (1990-91) and also played on the Devils with Bill Guerin (1991-95) and Jason Arnott (2000). He won Stanley Cups with Guerin (1995) and Arnott (2000) to go with the one he won in 1996 with Scott Young in Colorado and the one he won in 1986 with Guy Carbonneau -- now the Stars' special assistant to the general manager.

Needless to say, the Stars had plenty of opportunities to do their homework on Lemieux -- and the bottom line is that everyone in the organization believes he'll get a kick in the pants by taking one last kick at the can.

"Claude's urgency to win will make him a better player," coach Dave Tippett said.

The Stars are counting on it.

Flip side: Coyotes need push from Pellerin
Two seasons ago, Pellerin had such a good run with the Minnesota Wild and Carolina Hurricanes, he earned a free agent contract worth $1 million a year from the Boston Bruins.

However, in the span of almost no time, Pellerin went from a valued winger playing 18 minutes a game in Minnesota to an afterthought depth player who has been a healthy scratch in 26 games this season for Dallas. After scoring 11 goals among 39 points in 58 games with the Wild, Pellerin was waived by the Bruins, picked up by the Stars and had four goals among 12 points in 53 games with Dallas.

That's why the winger, who celebrated his 33rd birthday on Jan. 9, could be a great fit in Phoenix. He can score goals if he gets the chance to play in a top-six role.

"He's had some big games in this league and we think he can help us," Coyotes GM Mike Barnett said. "He's a little younger (than Lemieux) and will come here hungry to prove he can help."

Gaborik earns All-Star berth
Maybe the All-Star Game performance most anticipated this year will come from Minnesota winger Marian Gaborik. The 20-year-old in his third NHL season was announced as a reserve on the Western Conference team for the Feb. 2 game in Sunrise, Fla. and immediately responded with the kind of energy fans will love.

Gaborik, who already has five hat tricks in his career, had gone seven games without a goal, heading into Thursday's action. Upon learning of his nomination, however, he responded with a goal and three assists to lead the Wild to a huge 5-3 win over Northwest Division rival Vancouver.

"It was refreshing to see him," coach Jacques Lemaire said.

All-Star Game fans will likely say the same.

Oilers surging to safety
Nothing is ever safe in the Western Conference, but the Oilers are building a heck of a cushion in their battle to return to the playoffs.

After a 5-1-1 run in their last seven games, the Oilers sit solidly in sixth place with 54 points. Chicago is only one point back in seventh, but Colorado has stumbled through a 2-5-0 stretch and now is six points behind the Oilers. What's more, the once-proud Pacific has fallen apart and is putting no pressure on the resurgent Northwest teams. Los Angeles is suffering through a 2-6-0 slump. Anaheim has struggled with a 3-7-1 record in its last 11 and Phoenix is 1-3-1-1 in its past six.

"Any distance you can create with teams behind you is something we're focusing on right now," said Oilers coach Craig MacTavish. "These points are going to be valuable in March and April."

Depth chart