NHL & Minor Leagues » 08.05.2002

San Jose vs. Colorado 2:2

Colorado posts no-frills win to tie series

SAN JOSE, Calif. (AP) -- After a week of topsy-turvy, high-octane hockey, the Colorado Avalanche got back to basics: punishing defense, superstar scoring and workmanlike victories.
Captain Joe Sakic scored two goals, and Patrick Roy stopped 19 shots as the Avalanche beat the San Jose Sharks 4-1 on Wednesday night, evening their Western Conference semifinal series at two games apiece.
The defending Stanley Cup champions always seem to fix their problems just in time to avoid trouble, both in the regular season and the playoffs. Entering Game 4, the series had been an offensive circus, with 29 combined goals and far too much end-to-end play for either team's comfort.
So the Avalanche buckled down, holding a players' meeting on Tuesday in which they emphasized their commitment to their defense, which was the NHL's best during the regular season.
It showed in a victory that was never in much doubt.
"We had a lot more responsibility and toughness in our end in this one," Sakic said. "These two teams are pretty even. Whichever team has got the jump and the little edges is going to win."
The Avalanche's defensemen, who provided so little support for Roy in Game 3, were rock-solid, while their offensive stars got the big points expected of them.
Rob Blake opened the scoring with his fifth goal in three games. Peter Forsberg, the playoffs' leading scorer, and Alex Tanguay had two assists apiece as Colorado won at the Shark Tank for the sixth time in seven games since January 2000.
"We saw Avalanche hockey tonight," Colorado coach Bob Hartley said. "I thought it was a great effort from Patrick down to basically everyone in the lineup."
Colorado got this victory with a defensive tenacity lacking during San Jose's two wins in the series. Roy was rarely tested in winning his 143rd career playoff game.
"They're not the best defensive team in hockey for nine months and then all of a sudden lose it," Sharks coach Darryl Sutter said. "We have to be a little more determined in that area, and we have to make sure that we're as good as they are."
Game 5 of the best-of-seven series is Saturday night in Denver, with Game 6 Monday in San Jose.
A sellout crowd at the Shark Tank never had much opportunity to get excited during the Avalanche's methodical win, which ended with 38{ scoreless minutes before Milan Hejduk's empty-net goal.
Teemu Selanne scored his fourth goal in four games for the Sharks. A breakaway goal in the first period by Patrick Marleau was disallowed, and Colorado ended Marleau's eight-game points streak.
"I think we knew it was going to be a more low-scoring game, but they got their goals, and we didn't," Selanne said. "This was a good lesson for us. We have to be ready right away."
Roy improved to 8-0 in playoff games after allowing six goals or more with the Avalanche. His counterpart, Evgeni Nabokov, stopped 21 shots but was left helpless by San Jose's defensive mistakes on Colorado's first two goals.
For the second straight game, Blake gave the Avalanche an early lead, this time on a breakaway goal 5:26 in. Blake sat out Game 1 of the series with an injury, but scored two goals in each of the next two games.
"When you're getting a lot of chances like I am, you've got to bury them," Blake said. "I'm not going to get all the great opportunities, so I don't want to waste the ones that come my way."
The Sharks thought they had evened the score on Marleau's breakaway less than nine minutes in. In fact, the whistle had blown for a Colorado penalty several seconds earlier, but wasn't heard by Marleau or Roy above the crowd noise.
Colorado quickly added another score on Sakic's fifth goal of the playoffs. San Jose defenseman Scott Hannan made critical errors on both goals, with Blake streaking behind him and Sakic muscling past him for a quick shot between Nabokov's pads.
"That's not the way you want to start a game, that's for sure," Hannan said. "Any goal is going to cost you in the playoffs. Any mistake you make is going to be magnified."
Selanne scored by redirecting captain Owen Nolan's shot during a power play in the opening minute of the second period, but Sakic put it out of reach early in the third period when Nabokov allowed Sakic's fairly innocent shot to slide under him.

Game notes
Forsberg's three-game goal-scoring streak ended, but he extended his points streak to five games. ... Colorado has won nine of its last 15 road playoff games dating back to last season. ... Late in the first period, Nolan checked Darius Kasparaitis so hard at center ice that Nolan's stick broke in two. In the third, Nolan plastered Kasparaitis again, this time behind Colorado's net. ... Roy got his second assist of the playoffs on Blake's goal.

Ottawa vs. Toronto 2:2

Senators' rally falls short vs. Leafs

OTTAWA (AP) -- Here's a switch: The Toronto Maple Leafs actually had good things to say about NHL officials.
After spending most of the playoffs complaining about calls that went against them, the Maple Leafs got a critical one in their favor, allowing them to hang on for a 2-1 victory over the Ottawa Senators on Wednesday night.
A video review with 25.4 seconds remaining disallowed what had initially been ruled a Senators goal, and the Leafs managed to tie their Eastern Conference semifinal series at 2.
"That's the only call they could've made," Toronto's Shayne Corson said. "The puck didn't go into the net. Obviously, we're happy with that call."
The play began when Ottawa's Chris Phillips checked Bryan McCabe off the puck behind the Toronto net. Leafs goaltender Curtis Joseph stopped Phillips' wraparound attempt, but couldn't find the puck, which lay under him. Ottawa's Marian Hossa dove headfirst into the crease and pushed Joseph into the net.
Referee Kevin Pollock, standing behind the net, ruled it a goal. A video review showed the puck did not cross the line, and what Pollock saw was the black nob of a stick.
"I was standing right there and I thought there was no way the puck went in," said McCabe. "I really didn't have a doubt in my mind. He pointed, but there was no puck in the net. I really wasn't too worried."
The Senators refused to make the ruling an issue.
"There's not much that we can do now," Senators captain Daniel Alfredsson said.
Alyn McCauley scored twice, both times converting rebounds of Gary Roberts shots, as the Maple Leafs won their first road game of the postseason after four losses.
Wade Redden scored for the Senators, who squandered a lead for the first time this postseason (5-1), while also posting their first home loss (3-1).
Game 5 of the best-of-seven series is at Toronto on Friday.
Wednesday's finish was a curious turn of events after the Maple Leafs had spent the past two days complaining about the officiating in Monday's 3-2 loss. They had been particularly incensed that Ottawa's Benoit Brunet interfered with Joseph on Alfredsson's eventual game-winner.
Much went Toronto's way in Game 4, including a goaltender interference penalty when Ottawa's Shane Hnidy lost his balance and crashed into Joseph.
The Leafs rallied back after Redden opened the scoring with a power-play goal 2:15 into the second period.
After tying the game four minutes later, McCauley's game-winner came with 2:43 left in the second. Roberts was stopped on a wraparound attempt, but McCauley chipped the loose puck over prone Ottawa goalie Patrick Lalime.
The goal came on a power play -- Toronto's first of the series -- and was only the second power-play goal Ottawa has allowed in nine playoff games.
McCauley, who played his junior hockey in Ottawa, was pleased to hear boos from the sold-out Corel Center following his second goal.
"I think for most of the time I was here I got cheered," McCauley said. "It was nice to come back and have a game like this. The most important time of the year."
The Senators managed just three shots in the first 20 minutes, tying a franchise playoff low, set twice, most recently in a 2000 first-round game against Toronto.
That start -- not how the game ended -- is what discouraged the Senators most.
"We didn't do a good enough job getting good dump-ins, where we could forecheck hard," said Alfredsson. "We made it a lot easy for their defensemen tonight."
The Senators lost defenseman Sami Salo to an undisclosed upper body injury, after he crashed heavily into the boards going after a loose puck two minutes into the second period.
Toronto defenseman Karel Pilar did not return after taking a shot off the thumb early in the third period.

Game notes
Ottawa's playoff record dropped to 16-25, having lost 11 of those games by one goal, including seven in overtime. ... The Maple Leafs' penchant for criticizing officials drew criticism from the Toronto media. Wrote The Toronto Star hockey columnist Damien Cox: "Under the guidance of Pat Quinn, the Leafs have gained the reputation as hockey's most unrelenting whiners, a group that starts bellyaching as soon as they get to the rink if their cafe lattes aren't quite hot enough." ... Toronto RW Mikael Renberg (hamstring) doesn't think he'll return to action this series. Renberg said he experienced much pain in returning to play 10 minutes in Game 3, after missing seven games. D Jyrki Lumme (upper body) was also scratched.

von: ESPN.com

Mats

Ich werde keinerlei Prognosen, den Ausgang der nächsten Saison betreffend, abgeben!

AC/DC rules!