Season on line for Thunder tonight

Tim Graham

Friday, April 24, 1998 | 8:26 a.m.

The Las Vegas Thunder is in desperation mode. But Clint Malarchuk is not resorting to desperate measures.

The Thunder head coach named Manny Legace his starting goaltender for win-or-else Game 3 of the Western Conference quarterfinals against the Long Beach Ice Dogs, set for 7:05 tonight at the Thomas & Mack Center. The Ice Dogs won the first two games in the best-of-5 series.

Earlier in the week, Malarchuk considered benching his No. 1 goalie, who has allowed 11 goals on 77 shots in the first two games. But Malarchuk eventually decided Legace provided the best chance to stay alive.

"Manny's been here all year," Malarchuk said. "He's been the guy. I have a whole lot of confidence in him.

"When you're in a desperate situation, down two games, you look at every angle, and sometimes we tend to overanalyze."

Malarchuk pondered starting rookie Konstantin Simchuk, who dressed for Sunday's 5-2 loss in Long Beach. But Simchuk was returned to Tacoma, where he is playing in the West Coast Hockey League playoffs.

Tim Cheveldae, previously thought to be out of the goaltending equation, will be Legace's backup.

In spite of settling its goalie quandary, the Thunder is approaching the game with the knowledge it could be its last.

"Lots of guys here don't want to go to the golf course yet," defenseman Sam Helenius said.

The mammoth Finn was asked if some of his teammates were anxious to hit the links earlier in the series.

"In the first game," Helenius said. "We were pretty bad. We were outshot, outworked."

Most Thunder players say Sunday's 5-2 loss woke them up. They claim the score was not indicative of how well they performed.

"We went at them pretty good," Malarchuk said. "We just have to do it with more consistency.

"Desperate is a good way for a team to play. You have to make every shift a big shift, every save a huge save, every shot a key shot."

The Thunder's 185-foot rink will cater more to its physical style. Helenius said the Thunder has to punish the Long Beach skill players at every opportunity.

"We have to make them feel miserable," he said, "but we have to do it smart."

One Ice Dog the Thunder will pay particular attention to is Patrik Augusta. Malarchuk intends to shadow the elusive left wing, who scored two goals in each of the first two games.

Malarchuk hopes the Ice Dogs are assuming similar success tonight.

"They're very confident, cocky," he said. "Maybe that can work to our advantage. They probably feel they have at least two games to put us out. They don't feel any pressure to win the next game."

Augusta, however, said otherwise.

"We don't want to give them the slightest idea they can beat us," Augusta said. "If we think about our success, it will catch you asleep. We have to be awake against this team."

Thunderbolts

* BELANGER BLAHS: Las Vegas Thunder center Jesse Belanger was given Wednesday and Thursday off after complaining of fatigue. He took a blood test as a precaution, but no ailments were detected. He has been cleared to play tonight. ... Right wing Trent McCleary, who was scratched from Game 2, also will play tonight.

* CURRAN GOES HOME: Defenseman Brian Curran left the Thunder at its most crucial time to be with his wife, who is undergoing back surgery, "Bad timing," head coach Clint Malarchuk said. Rodrigo Lavinsh was recalled from Tacoma of the West Coast Hockey League to fill the void. "Rod Lavinsh has been the best player in Tacoma," Malarchuk said, "and we've counted on him all year."