NHL & Minor Leagues

Phoenix vs. San Jose 1:3

Ricci, power play lift Sharks over Coyotes

PHOENIX (AP) -- In the playoffs, Mike Rathje takes a step up on special teams.
With one blast from the blue line Wednesday night, Rathje revived the Sharks' wilting power play and pointed them toward a 2-1 victory over Phoenix. That pushed the Coyotes to the brink of their 10th consecutive first-round playoff exit since 1987.
The Sharks had other heroes: Mike Ricci scored for the second straight game, and Evgeni Nabokov made 29 saves for his third win.
"We battled hard," said Ricci, whose game-winner sent the Sharks into a 2-0 lead. "They came at us for three periods, and Navvy stood on his head and won us that hockey game, so we dodged a bullet. We realize we've got to be better in two nights."
The Sharks, who reached the Western Conference semifinals in 2000 but were beaten in the first round by St. Louis last year, take a 3-1 lead back to San Jose for Game 5 Friday night.
Radoslav Suchy scored the only goal on Nabokov, who won for the third time in the series.
The Sharks gave the young goalie all the room he needed with a quick burst in the first period.
Rathje's goal ended a string of 20 straight power-play failures for the Sharks since they scored on their first opportunity in Game 1. It also made him San Jose's leading scorer on playoff power plays (seven), moving past a tie with Ulf Dahlen.
Rathje's goal was a classic, a low slap shot that goalie Sean Burke couldn't track because of Ricci banging around in front.
"It was kind of a picture-perfect type goal on the power play when we needed it," Rathje said. "Sometimes those things are just so simple, and when they work out it seems so easy."
Just 2:16 later, Ricci got his second goal of the playoffs with a catlike move across the slot, picking up a rebound and firing back at a slight angle over Burke, who had fallen while stopping Adam Graves' shot.
Nabokov, the 2000-01 rookie of the year, had 35 saves in Game 3. He stopped 29 this time, frustrating the Coyotes almost as much as the speed of San Jose's forwards.
He was sharp early, rejecting a 1-2 combination by Ladislav Nagy and Michael Johnson midway through the first period.
"It's my job to be focused from the first second to the last second," Nabokov said. "That's what I'm trying to do all game. Phoenix did a pretty good job trying to front the net and screen me. But when I made the save, my defense was there and they really cleared the puck."
In the second, Nabokov missed one, but Shane Doan's shot hit the crossbar and bounced away. Later in the period, the Coyotes got two short-handed attempts during San Jose's fourth power play, but Nabokov rejected them, and he had four saves in the first four minutes of the third.
"Goaltending is what wins playoffs, and it's frustrating right now to not be able to bury one," Doan said. "I think we've only scored six goals in four games, and that's not going to cut it."
Suchy got Phoenix within 2-1 midway into the second period. But that was the best the Coyotes could do as the Sharks turned defensive, allowing only four shots in the final nine minutes.
Burke had 22 saves.
"We had our chances, but we just didn't capitalize," Burke said. "This one hurts a little bit."

Game notes
Late in the first, the Coyotes' Drake Berehowsky knocked Marco Sturm backward into Burke, who piled on Sturm. Both skaters got penalties. ... The Coyotes scratched forwards Landon Wilson and Andrei Nazarov, allowing rookies Krystofer Kolanos and Branko Radivojevic to make their first starts. Kolanos centered for Brian Savage and Claude Lemieux, and Radivojevic played with Doan and center Daniel Briere. ... Before the game, Phoenix signed C Jeff Taffe, who helped Minnesota to the NCAA championship. ... The Sharks are 3-3 in previous first rounds, 0-3 in second-round series. ... The Sharks are 35-2-4 when leading after two periods.

NY Islanders vs Toronto 2:2

Islanders rally to defeat Maple Leafs with late goal

UNIONDALE, N.Y. (AP) -- Shawn Bates was facing his first NHL penalty shot and most of his teammates stayed far away.
"You want to leave a guy with his mind," Alexei Yashin said.
But captain Michael Peca wasn't shy. He grabbed Bates and told him exactly what to look for against Toronto goalie Curtis Joseph.
It worked, as Bates scored with 2:30 left in regulation Wednesday night, giving New York a 4-3 victory over Toronto and tying the Islanders' first playoff series in eight years.
"I got good advice," Bates said with a smile.
The Islanders came from behind in the third period to send the series back to Toronto on Friday night tied 2-2.
Game 6 is back in Nassau Coliseum on Sunday.
"Hopefully, we can sneak one out Friday and close it out at home," Bates said.
The Maple Leafs played without Mats Sundin, their captain and leading scorer. The team would not divulge Sundin's injury, though coach Pat Quinn said it was to the "upper body."
Bryan McCabe, a former Islander, dragged down Bates from behind to give New York the penalty shot. After the whistle, Peca put himself eye-to-eye with Bates and told him that Joseph is not fooled by dekes.
"I had experience," Peca said. "I told him I didn't want to tell him what to do, I just wanted to tell him what to look for."
Regardless, Bates felt sick to his stomach -- "nerves," he said.
But after racing down ice, Bates quickly lifted the puck high past Joseph's blocker. When the lamp was lit, the building's foundation shook.
"I can't explain how I felt with words," said Bates, who got on one knee and pumped his fist after scoring. "I'm pretty wired right now."
Not surprisingly, the Maple Leafs were furious Bates was awarded the penalty shot.
"It should not have been a penalty, I know," Joseph said. "I've never seen that call before ... Usually you have to commit murder to get a penalty."
Added Quinn: "I've had some pretty disappointing results from officiating, but never one like this."
Bates' goal capped a wild final seven minutes that saw New York tie the game, take the lead, lose the lead and win it.
Kip Miller tied it at 2 with 6:44 left on a power play. Just 1:40 later, defenseman Roman Hamrlik gave the Isles the 3-2 lead with a hard slap shot from the blue line that caromed underneath the pads of Joseph.
But Toronto's Shayne Corson scored on a wraparound with 3:26 left, silencing the wild crowd momentarily.
"There was too much emotion," Miller said. "Too many ups and downs. You age real quickly in something like that. I think the fans did, too."
Sundin participated in warmups, but did not sit on the bench. The team was not traveling with an extra player, so Toronto suited up 19, one under the maximum.
"That was my fault," Quinn said. "In hindsight, I should have at least brought in a backup ... but I felt confident enough in my players, I never thought I'd have to sit anyone out."
Tomas Kaberle and Alexander Mogilny seemed to provide just enough offense, giving Toronto a 2-1 lead through two periods.
"I think we took them for granted a little bit without Sundin," Peca said. "But they have a lot of guys who work hard."
Yashin scored the Islanders' first goal. He now has five points in the series on a goal and four assists.
Peca thinks Joseph, a free agent this summer, might play tight after letting in the penalty shot and allowing all six goals in New York's 6-1 victory in Game 3.
"Cujo might be putting pressure on himself," Peca said. "He wasn't exceptionally sharp in the last two games. He might also be thinking this is his last game as a Maple Leaf in Toronto."
But Toronto's players are steamed -- and motivated -- after feeling they turned in a good effort, but had the win taken away by the officials.
"The rulebook says you have to have a clear path to the net, and he was cutting wide. Next thing you know, they're dancing in the streets of Long Island," Darcy Tucker said. "We had the game in hand, but we weren't able to dictate our own fate. ... The only thing we should be concerned about is that we're going home tied 2-2."

Game notes
New York's Brad Isbister, who had a goal and an assist in Game 3, sat out with a sprained wrist. ... Isbister was replaced on the roster by 21-year-old rookie Trent Hunter, a right wing who made his NHL debut. The Islanders called up Hunter from the team's Bridgeport AHL team just before the game. Hunter leads the Sound Tigers in postseason play with one goal and seven assists in four games. He led Bridgeport in scoring during the regular season with 30 goals and 35 assists.

von ESPN.com

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