BY HELENE ST. JAMES
FREE PRESS SPORTS WRITER

DENVER -- With his speed, his lateral movement, his strength and his puckhandling, Sergei Fedorov is an all-around threat.

Few players in the NHL can skate faster, stickhandle with more deftness or shoot harder. As the Red Wings have progressed through the playoffs -- from stomping on a young Vancouver squad, to booting a beat-up St. Louis team, to taking a 2-1 series lead in their Western Conference finals against the Avalanche, Fedorov has used his immense talent to dominate consistently at both ends of the ice.

"He is playing hard, very hard," teammate Igor Larionov said. "Offensively and defensively, he's been superb and that's nice to see.

"He's 32 years old, so he's got huge experience behind him, and his skill level is right there with his drive and determination. I think he has become more of a team player than an individual player. He is doing everything possible to help this team in every aspect of the game. Just look at how he played the other night -- he had great chances."

In addition to helping hold Avalanche star Joe Sakic to two shots and superstar Peter Forsberg to none in Game 3, Fedorov found time to unleash seven shots on Patrick Roy. Early in the third period, Fedorov fired one from the left circle that Roy stopped, but defenseman Greg de Vries batted the rebound onto Luc Robitaille's right skate and the puck slid in behind Roy. It was Fedorov's ninth assist and 11th point of the playoffs.

"From practice, I can tell you he has the hardest slap shot on the team and one of the hardest in the NHL," goaltender Dominik Hasek said. "He is a very strong player, very strong on his skates and with his stick."

Fedorov spent Game 3 centering Robitaille and Tomas Holmstrom, one of two line changes made by Scotty Bowman in an effort to get more production from the team stars. In Robitaille, Fedorov got a left winger with a knack for being in the right spot to score goals, and in Holmstrom, a right winger who thrives playing in corners and in front of the net.

"When you play with a guy like Sergei, who can hang on to the puck so well, it gives a guy like me the chance to get open a lot of times," Robitaille said. "I thought our line forechecked hard all night. We played really hard in the corners and we kept the puck in their zone, and that's a big thing against a team like that."

While the other centers on the team have moved to the wing or been injured or scratched, Fedorov has remained the team's ultimate center. He's played between Brendan Shanahan and Kris Draper, between Kirk Maltby and Darren McCarty, between Shanahan and Steve Yzerman. Ever since Larionov went down with a sprained right knee in Game 3 in the second round, the coaching staff has used Fedorov liberally to fill the void.

"He's been skating really well, and that's his strength," defenseman Nicklas Lidstrom said. "He's playing really good defensively, but he can also do that unexpected or little extra thing. He almost scored in overtime when he walked in from their left corner, and he's capable of doing that every game."

Even with Larionov's expected return today, Fedorov's minutes aren't likely to drop much. He's on the first power-play unit, a top penalty killer, and a key part of the Wings' efforts to contain Sakic and Forsberg. It is a role that Fedorov relishes.

"I like playing hard and playing a lot," he said. "I've really been feeling good, doing my duties defensively, offensively. Hockey is a very complicated game, it's not only shoot or skate. The way I learned this game, coaches in Russia asked us to do pretty much everything, and playing this way is something that always for me is good."

As the Wings edge closer to their goal, as they attempt to close a series against the defending Stanley Cup champions, Fedorov's supreme skills in all areas of the game make him their most dangerous, most needed weapon.