Tuesday, April 9, 1996 | 11:59 a.m.
It's a question Chris McSorley could see coming from a hundred miles away. So he was ready to skate around it as if it were an orange pylon on the ice.
The Thunder coach isn't too concerned about who the opposition will be when the Turner Cup playoffs begin next week at the Thomas & Mack Center. Las Vegas has won the season series from both Phoenix and Peoria and has beaten Los Angeles in all six meetings this year, so any of the three would be acceptable.
McSorley's biggest concern is his own team. He has a week to get everyone healthy and skating on a finely tuned edge, and that's where his focus lies heading into tonight's game with Chicago.
"We want to keep our mental and physical banks as full as possible," he said after a short skate Monday at the Mack. "We also want to shorten what seems to be a long season."
The Thunder has four games remaining, three at home. The league record of 34 home wins set by Denver (now Utah) last season can be equalled with a sweep.
The magic number for Las Vegas to clinch home ice throughout the playoffs is three points. A Thunder win tonight or a loss by Orlando to Phoenix would give Las Vegas a virtual lock on the Fred Huber Trophy for posting the IHL's best overall record.
But the politically correct McSorley was not talking about the Huber Trophy or which team he'd rather play next week. Instead, he's going to challenge his team to continue playing winning hockey and enter the playoffs with momentum.
"We've got some people banged up and we'll rest them," he said. "But it means the others have to step up."
Defenseman Greg Hawgood will not dress tonight to give his back additional rest. Right wing Grigori Panteleyev has a strained tendon in his wrist and will also sit out against the Wolves. McSorley said he'll probably start Rick Knickle in goal and play Pokey Reddick Friday against Milwaukee.
Although there's still some unfinished business to take care of this week, McSorley knows the second season will soon be here.
"We've proven we're the best team in the league in the regular season," he said. "If you meet a team in the first round that you've beaten during the regular season, you should beat them in the playoffs."
Thunderbolts ...
* PLAYOFF DATES SET: The Thunder will open the 1996 Turner Cup playoffs at the Thomas & Mack Wednesday, April 17 at 7:05 p.m. Game 2 will be played Monday, April 22 at 7:05 p.m. because the T&M is booked for the Wizard of Oz ice show beginning April 19. Game 3 will be on the road either April 24 or 25, depending on the building availability of the yet-to-be-determined opponent. ... Ticket prices for the playoffs are the same as the regular season -- $12 and $15 -- and are on sale at the Thomas & Mack box office and all Ticketmaster outlets.
* 50 FOR SERGEI?: Can C Sergei Zholtok score 50 goals? After registering his third hat trick of the season in Saturday's 6-4 win over Peoria, Zholtok needs just three goals in his final four games to hit the half-century mark. While that goal is attainable, it's going to take some work to surpass Ken Quinney's 55 goals in 1993-94 to become the Thunder's single-season goal-scoring leader.
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