All the Detroit players wear jerseys. But only a few, Derian Hatcher said, wear targets.

"There are definitely guys on that team that we want to hit," Hatcher said, after he and Richard

Matvichuk had led the hit parade that evened this series at 1-1. It continues Friday night at Joe Louis Arena in Detroit.

"I'd rather hit [Steve] Yzerman or [Sergei] Fedorov than [Kirk] Maltby or [Kris] Draper. You can tire guys out more. When you get hit, it takes energy out of you. If you don't hit them, they circle back and get their speed going.

"I don't think anyone gets intimidated. But you can get worn down."

Stars coach Ken Hitchcock had Hatcher on the ice for 23:53 and Matvichuk for 21:28 in Game 2. Only Sergei Zubov (26:12), who stays out for almost all the power-play time, logged more minutes among Stars defensemen. Matvichuk and Hatcher were credited with nine hits, as the Stars stepped up the physical play Tuesday night.

"I think this whole series will be a physical series," Hatcher said. "The first game in the first period we didn't play that bad. Maybe we were happy with that, and we let down a little.

"We knew we had to come out and get physical early [in Game 2]. It's not like you go too far out of your way to take a hit. But if the hits are there, we have to take them."

Matvichuk lacks Hatcher's size and presence but at 6-2, 200, he can still be a factor. He ranked fourth in the league in hits during the season and leads the club with 47 in the playoffs.

"We knew we had to be aggressive. If we don't agitate the other guys, we're not doing our job," Matvichuk said. "Ugly, nasty, agitating - it's all the same thing. Everybody knows our game is physical play. We have to follow our captain and set the precedent.

"In Game 1, we didn't set the precedent. It was our rink, and we didn't do it. But our forecheck is a big part of our game, and our forwards came out and hit their skilled defensemen. That created turnovers and was a big part of our game."

During the regular season, Hitchcock matches Hatcher and Matvichuk against the top scoring line. That's not as big a concern in this series. As long as they’re out there against anything except the Red Wings’ checking "Grind Line" that Draper centers, then Hatcher and Matvichuk have a chance to make life miserable for the Wings' skilled center-icemen.

"They've got the Yzermans, the Fedorovs, the [Igor] Larionovs," Matvichuk said. "All their centers have skill and can skate. If we can clog up the middle, keep them from having the puck, it's to our advantage. We'll be in pretty good shape."

Detroit has not forced the Stars to back off; the Red Wings are only 1-for-12 on the power play. A team has to score at a 15 percent rate to make an opponent think twice about taking penalties.

The question becomes whether the Stars' physical act will translate to success on the road, where they must win at least once if they are to advance to the Stanley Cup Finals.

The first two rounds don't provide any answers because the Stars, according to the official league statistics, were out-hit by San Jose and Edmonton. There was no significant difference in the numbers between home and road.

"We know they've got forwards like [Brendan] Shanahan and [Darren] McCarty and [Martin] Lapointe who are going to hit us," Matvichuk said. "I don't think this is going to be a skill game; it’s going to be a war. Whoever shows up and works hardest is going to win the game."

While Hatcher's biggest hit of the night was a blast on Yzerman behind the Dallas net, Matvichuk seemed more focused on Fedorov.

"I ran into him three or four times on our first shift," Matvichuk said. "He's trying to play for his spot on the ice, and I'm playing for my defensive spot. I'm sure it won't be the last time we bump into each other.

"Everyone knows how he can skate. If I can keep him at close quarters, it's to my advantage. If he starts skating up and down the ice, I' m going to go stand in front of my net because he has to come there eventually."

© 1998 The Dallas Morning News All Rights Reserved

Tim Cowlishaw / Staff Writer of The Dallas Morning News, Stars keep the hits coming against

Motown's best., The Dallas Morning News, 05-28-1998, pp 4B.