Joe Nieuwendyk, the 1999 Conn Smythe Trophy winner, will seek the go-ahead to practice today and play tomorrow in Game 5 of the Stanley Cup Finals.

“I’ve always wanted to play,” Nieuwendyk said last night. “I’ll see the guys, and [trainer] Bill Murray. Then we’ll decide.

“I haven’t been on skates yet, and I can’t tell anything until then.”

Nieuwendyk is suffering what is believed to be a hip-side injury that knocked him out of Game 7 against Ottawa on May 23.