Toronto - Philadelphia 5-3 (2-1/1-2/2-0) (Playoffstand 1-0) NY Islanders - Ottawa 3-0 (2-0/1-0/0-0) (Playoffstand 1-0) Boston - New Jersey 1-2 (0-1/0-1/1-0) (Playoffstand 0-1) Edmonton - Dallas 2-1 (0-1/2-0/0-0) (Playoffstand 1-0)
Toronto - Philadelphia 5-3 (2-1/1-2/2-0) (Playoffstand 1-0)
Mikael Renberg(TOR) feiert sein Siegtor.
Mit den Toronto Maple Leafs und den Philadelphia Flyers treffen zwei Mannschaften in der ersten Playoffrunde aufeinander, die vor allem durch ihr körperbetontes Eishockeyspiel faszinieren. Und es ging auch gleich furios zu Werke. Nach 26 Sekunden musste mit Mikael Renberg der erste Leaf auf die Strafbank. Bei erneuter Unterzahl schließt Alexander Mogilny(9.sh) einen Konter über Teamkapitän Mats Sundin zum 1-0 ab. Eric Weinrich(10.) bügelt den Fehler von McAllister der zum Rückstand geführt hatte zeitgleich mit dem Ablaufen der Strafzeit aus. Furios mit zahlreichen Torchancen auf beiden Seiten ging es weiter und Alexander Mogilny(13.) gab Roman Cechmanek erneut das Nachsehen. Den besseren Start in den Mittelabschnitt hatten erneut die kanadischen Gäste Tie Domi(24.) zieht zwischen den Bullykreisen ab, schießt dabei Flyers Verteidiger Kim Johnsson an und von dessen Rücken wird die Scheibe zum 3-1 ins Netz abgefälscht. Es sollte die einzige sehenswerte Szene der Leafs im Mittelabschnitt bleiben. Die Hausherren erholten sich schnell von diesem Schock und ausgerechnet Donald Brashear(26.), ein Mann der ansonsten eher fürs Grobe zuständig ist, lässt Torontos Schlussmann Ed Belfour schlecht aussehen und verkürzt den Rückstand. Nur 62 Sekunden danach beweist Eric Desjardins(27.) seine Schusskraft und hämmert den Puck von der blauen Linie ins Gehäuse der Kanadier. In der letzten halben Stunde flachte die Partie etwas ab ohne dabei an Intensität zu verlieren. Es wurde weiter um jeden Millimeter auf dem Eis gekämpft. Gut fünf Minuten vor dem Spielende musste Donald Brashear auf die Strafbank marschieren, hatte kaum Platz genommen und Mikael Renberg(55.pp) besorgte, nachdem die Leafs in den vorherigen vier Überzahlsituationen nur wenig überzeugen konnten, das 'Game Winning Goal' für Toronto. Zum Abschluss komplettierte Alexander Mogilny(60.en) mit einem 'Empty Net Goal' zum 5-3 Endstand seinen Hattrick.
NY Islanders - Ottawa 3-0 (2-0/1-0/0-0) (Playoffstand 1-0) Einen typischen Fehlstart legten die Ottawa Senators, als punktbestes Team in die Playoffs gegangen, in ihrer Heimpartie gegen die New York Islanders hin, die bis zur vergangenen Woche noch um eine Playoffteilnahme bangen mussten. Die Ottawa Senators kamen mit ihrer Favoritenrolle nicht zurecht, agierten von der ersten Minuten an überhastet und nervös. Schnell wurde ihnen von den Mannen aus Long Island, die sich nicht beim Einsatz ihres physischen Qualitäten zurückhielten, der Schneid abgekauft. Nach einer halben Stunde und Treffern von Dave Scatchard(8.), Alexei Yashin(12.) und Shawn Bates(30.pp) war die Partie bereits zu Gunsten der Gäste entschieden. Die Hausherren konnten zwar zumindest im Schlussabschnitt noch einige Akzente in der Offensive setzen, scheiterten aber, wenn sie einmal gegen die konzentriert zu Werke gehenden Abwehrrecken der Islanders durchkamen, an deren ebenfalls gut aufgelegten Schlussmann Garth Snow, der sich mit insgesamt 25 Rettungstaten seinen Shutout verdiente.
Boston - New Jersey 1-2 (0-1/0-1/1-0) (Playoffstand 0-1)
Turner Stevenson(NJD) beim versuch Steve Shields(BOS) mit einem Bauerntrick zu bezwingen.
Die New Jersey Devils gaben sich keine Blöße und besiegten in der heimischen Continental Airlines Arena die Boston Bruins mit 2-1 Toren. In der insgesamt gesehen sehr ausgeglichenen Partie war es vor allem Devils' Schlussmann Martin Brodeur, der den kleinen aber feinen Unterschied ausmachte. Als die Bruins nach dem Anschlusstor von Bryan Berard(44.) noch einmal Hoffnung auf eine Spielwende schöpften und ihre zweite Luft bekamen, leistete sich Brodeur keinen Ausrutscher mehr und rettete den knappen Vorsprung über die Zeit. Gewohnt kompakt in der Defensive stehend erarbeiteten sich die Devils in den ersten 40 Spielminuten sehr abgeklärt mit je einem Treffer pro Drittel von Jamie Langenbrunner(16./32.) den spielentscheidenden Vorsprung.
Edmonton - Dallas 2-1 (0-1/2-0/0-0) (Playoffstand 1-0) Wer hätte das gedacht? Die Edmonton Oilers als krasser Außenseiter gegen das punktbeste Team der Western Conference, die Dallas Stars, angetreten, entschieden das erste Aufeinandertreffen mit den Texanern für sich. Ryan Smyth(24.sh) mit einem 'Shorthander' und Shawn Horcoff(28.) sorgten innerhalb von knapp vier Minuten im Mittelabschnitt für die Riesenüberraschung. Die Stars verloren daraufhin völlig den Faden und agierten in der noch reichlich verbleibenden Zeit gegen die alles gebenden Westkanadier ideenlos. Dabei war zunächst alles nach Plan für die Hausherren gelaufen. Von der Spielanlage her waren sie im Eröffnungsdrittel das bessere Team, womit auch die 1-0 Führung durch ein Tor von Mike Modano(9.) vollauf in Ordnung gegangen war. Von einem Titelaspiranten hätte man aber erwarten können, dass sie gegen die technisch weniger versierten Oilers doch noch in der Lage wären sich durchzusetzen.
-------------------------------------- Grüße Stoner National Forums League Champion 2002 ...Eishockey ? Was ist das ? Habe ich das schon mal gesehen ? ...ja, am 29.03. bei Wings at Blues 6-2
In Antwort auf:Aber was sind das überhaupt für Ergebnisse
Sehr sehr geile.... -------------------------------------- Grüße Stoner National Forums League Champion 2002 ...Eishockey ? Was ist das ? Habe ich das schon mal gesehen ? ...ja, am 29.03. bei Wings at Blues 6-2
Vor allem muss ich mir das Spiel der Leafs heute nochmal anschauen. Jürgen, soll ich es mal aufnehmen ? Dann könnte ich das Tape am Samstag mal mitbringen... -------------------------------------- Grüße Stoner National Forums League Champion 2002 ...Eishockey ? Was ist das ? Habe ich das schon mal gesehen ? ...ja, am 29.03. bei Wings at Blues 6-2
Als klarer Favorit war Vorrundenmeister Ottawa ins erste Duell der Play-offs in der nordamerikanischen Eishockey-Profiliga NHL gegangen. Doch nach 60 Spielminuten war der Auftakt völlig missglückt und die Gäste jubelten im Corel Centre: Mit dem 3:0 bei den Senators sorgten die New York Islanders für die erste dicke Überraschung in den Viertelfinals der Eastern Conference. Senators verschlafen ersten Spielabschnitt Die Fans der Senators waren beim schwachen Auftritt ihres Teams bereits nach 12 Spielminuten restlos bedient. 0:2 lagen ihre Cracks zu diesem Zeitpunkt nach Toren von Dave Scatchard (7:59) und Alexej Yashin (11:35) bereits zurück. Als nach 9:06 Minuten im Mitteldrittel Shawn Bates erneut für die Gäste zuschlug und das 3:0 erzielte, war die Auftaktpleite der Kanadier perfekt. Einer der Garanten des Auswärtserfolgs der Islanders war Goalie Garth Snow, der mit 25 Saves den ersten Shutout seiner NHL-Karriere feierte. Mit der Pleite gegen das Team vom "Big Apple" haben die Senators einmal mehr den Übergang von einer "Traumsaison" in die Play-offs verpasst. Bereits in zwei Tagen kann es der Gewinner der diesjährigen "President´s Trophy" aber besser machen. Das zweite Spiel der "best-of-seven-Serie" steigt am Samstag erneut in Ottawa. Auch "West-Primus" Dallas kassiert Niederlage Ebenfalls ausgerutscht ist in Spiel eins der Vorrundensieger der Western Conference. Die Dallas Stars unterlagen im heimischen American Airlines Center mit 1:2 gegen die in der regulären Saison achtplatzierten Edmonton Oilers. Mike Modano (8:52) hatte die Texaner im ersten Drittel zunächst mit 1:0 in Front gebracht, doch Ryan Smith (3:22) und Shawn Horcoff (7:10) sorgten noch vor der zweiten Pausensirene für den Endstand. Spiel zwei findet am Donnerstag erneut in Dallas statt. New Jersey und Toronto feiern Siege In den beiden weiteren Partien des Play-off-Viertelfinales setzten sich die New Jersey Devils mit 2:1 gegen die Boston Bruins durch, die Philadelphia Flyers unterlagen den Toronto Maple Leafs mit 3:5.
First member of the "DELete(tm) und Tripcke gehört weg"-Circle "Lernen ohne zu denken ist verlorene Arbeit. Denken ohne zu lernen ist gefährlich..." Ich kann gar nicht soviel essen wie ich kotzen kann - gegen Tempobeschränkungen auf deutschen Autobahnen! Pro ! Im Blut hat er Stickstoff und im Gehirn einen Tank voller Benzin! Staff-Member of EH.N
ARGH, diese Sackgesichter !! Ich hasse meine Spieler beim Fantasy-Hockey !! Die haben sich alle für die Playoffs geschont... Am entscheidenden Wochenende des Fantasy-Finales hat kaum einer gescored, und jetzt am ersten Playoff-Spieltag ? 5(!) Tore in 4 Spielen !!
*grrrrrr*
------------------------------------------- "Wir leben in fiktiven Zeiten. Wir leben in Zeiten mit fiktiven Wahlresultaten, die fiktive Präsidenten wählen. Wir leben in Zeiten, in denen uns ein Mann in einen fiktiv motivierten Krieg schickt.Wir sind gegen diesen Krieg Mr. Bush. Schämen Sie sich, Mr. Bush. Schande über Sie."
------------------------------------------- "Wir leben in fiktiven Zeiten. Wir leben in Zeiten mit fiktiven Wahlresultaten, die fiktive Präsidenten wählen. Wir leben in Zeiten, in denen uns ein Mann in einen fiktiv motivierten Krieg schickt.Wir sind gegen diesen Krieg Mr. Bush. Schämen Sie sich, Mr. Bush. Schande über Sie."
@Holy: Thrashtalk ist doch langweilig, Fakten herschen!
Philadelphia vs. Tornto 0:1
Mogilny, Leafs Go One Up On Flyers
PHILADELPHIA (Ticker) While Philadelphia Flyers general manager Bob Clarke is glad one former member of the "Legion of Doom" line is gone, he may wish he still had another. Mikael Renberg scored with 5:39 left and Alexander Mogilny completed his first career playoff hat trick with an empty-net tally as the Toronto Maple Leafs posted a 5-3 victory over the Flyers in the opener of their Eastern Conference quarterfinal series. Once teamed with John LeClair and Eric Lindros to form one of hockey's most dominant lines, Renberg led the Maple Leafs during the regular season with three goals against his former team.
Renberg had the sweet tip-in from Kaberle.
But none was as important as his power-play tally late in the third period that snapped a 3-3 tie. Philadelphia enforcer Donald Brashear was penalized for boarding defenseman Aki Berg with 6:09 left, giving Toronto a crucial man advantage. "I was coming off the boards and he had his back turned," Brashear said. "I just clipped his shoulder a bit. (The referee) made the call and gave me a penalty. Sometimes they let that go, it depends on the referee. It's not like I hit him in the middle of the back." Defenceman Tomas Kaberle carried into the Philadelphia zone and drifted to the top of the right faceoff circle before unleashing a shot. AAlone in the slot, Renberg deflected the puck between the pads of goaltender Roman Cechmanek for his 16th career postseason goal. "Kaberle got the puck on the right-hand side," Renberg said. "I just tried to go to the net and wait for either the pass or the shot. He played it perfectly. I just had to put the stick on the puck, and it went in." A former 70-goal scorer, Mogilny struck twice in a four-minute span midway through the first before completing the hat trick with 52 seconds remaining. "It doesn't mean anything personally if we don't get the win," Mogilny said. "There were no real keys to my scoring. We were able to take advantage of some turnovers. Some nights they go in, some nights they don't. If we didn't score those goals early, who knows what would have happened?" Ed Belfour turned aside 28 shots to post his 80th career playoff win, tying him with Leafs president Ken Dryden for fourth place on the all-time list. "It's always nice to get the win," Toronto captain Mats Sundin said. "We played a pretty solid game in the first period. They dominated us in the second period and Eddie kept us in the game. We were able to get the goals at key times, and that might have been the difference tonight." Tough guy Tie Domi also scored for Toronto, which lost center Nik Antropov and right wing Darcy Tucker to injuries. "It does appear that Nik broke that bone that (Phil) Housley broke," Leafs coach Pat Quinn said, referring to the fractured foot his defenceman suffered in February. "With Tucker, we'll do an MRI tomorrow and see how extensive the damage was there." Defencemen Eric Weinrich and Eric Desjardins and Brashear tallied for the Flyers, who scored more than one goal for the first time in their last seven postseason contests. While shorthanded, the Maple Leafs capitalized on a lucky bounce to take a 1-0 lead. Sami Kapanen failed to keep the puck in at the right point, allowing Sundin to gather it along the left boards and lead a 2-on-1. Sundin passed across the slot to Mogilny, whose shot from the right side deflected off Cechmanek at 8:10 for his 33rd playoff goal. But with one second left on defenceman Robert Svehla's holding penalty, Weinrich threw a shot from the top of the left circle over Belfour's left shoulder to tie it, 1-1. Cechmanek kept it deadlocked, making a stop on Antropov's 2-on-1 chance with 8 1/2 minutes left, before Mogilny wristed a shot from the high slot that found the top right corner of the net through a screen at 12:10. Philadelphia nearly drew even with 5:23 remaining, but defenseman Marcus Ragnarsson's left point shot hit the crossbar. The Leafs upped their lead to 3-1 at 3:12 of the second, when Domi grabbed a loose puck in the slot and banked one of Toronto's two shots of the period off defenseman Kim Johnsson and past Cechmanek. After squandering two-goal leads in five of eight games down the stretch in the regular season, Toronto continued the trend. Off a faceoff in the Leafs' zone, Brashear pushed the puck to Dmitry Yushkevich at the right point. Trying to put a shot on goal, the former Toronto defenseman had it glance off a defender and find Brashear, who spun in the high slot and slapped a shot that got by a screened Belfour at 5:54 for his first career playoff tally. Just 62 seconds later, Desjardins fired a slap shot that came back to him after hitting Antropov in the right foot. From just above the right circle, Desjardins unleashed a blast that beat Belfour with Flyers captain Keith Primeau blocking his view, knotting it at 3-3. "We were trailing by two at the time. We made it 3-2 on Brashear's goal," Desjardins said. "After that, I had a chance at the high slot to shoot and put it in high. It found its way in." "We made a couple of critical errors on what looked like simple plays," Quinn said. "We stopped doing simple things real well in the second period. The flow of the game went completely back to the Philadelphia team. We were lucky to come out of that 3-3 after two periods." With 9:15 remaining, LeClair tried a cross-slot pass from the right boards. The puck caromed off the skate of a backchecking Leaf and headed toward the net but glanced off the right goalpost and out of danger. "It was up for anybody (to win)," Flyers center Jeremy Roenick said. "The power-play goal that won it was huge for them. This game could have gone either way. They came in here and stole one, like they wanted to do. We have a long way to go in this series. We knew we were in for a battle and we give them credit." Philadelphia hosts Game Two on Friday.
DALLAS (Ticker) -- The Dallas Stars went to the well one too many times. Ryan Smyth and Shawn Horcoff scored second-period goals and Tommy Salo made 20 saves as the Edmonton Oilers rallied for a 2-1 victory over the Stars in Game One of their Western Conference quarterfinal series. Tied for second in the NHL with eight wins when trailing after two periods during the regular season, Dallas could not recapture that magic in their playoff opener. The eighth-seeded Oilers held the Stars to seven shots in the third and were aided by a five-minute penalty on Dallas captain Derian Hatcher, who was called for elbowing fellow defenseman Steve Staios with just over two minutes to go. Mike Modano gave the Stars the lead midway through the first period with a power-play tally, but Smyth tied it 3 1/2 minutes into the second with a shorthanded goal. "We got some momentum from the quick shorthanded goal by Ryan," Edmonton coach Craig MacTavish said. "I think that was a really big goal for the club." "Every second of the game is an important time," Stars coach Dave Tippett said. "That shorthanded goal, we just thought the puck was coming back and it ends up in our net." Horcoff snapped the deadlock less than four minutes later, converting a 2-on-1 for his first career postseason tally. After Modano's goal, Salo closed the door, stopping 13 shots over the final two periods for just his fourth career playoff victory. "It's a team effort and I'm just one person," Salo said. "If I can do my job and the other guys do theirs, we have a good chance to beat them." "He's underrated and rises to the occasion," Smyth added. "Tonight he didn't face a great deal of shots, but when he did, he was there." Marty Turco, who led the league with a 1.72 goals-against average during the season, turned aside 21 shots for Dallas, which has won five of the previous seven postseason meetings between the teams. Game Two is Friday in Dallas. "We don't know if we're the front-runners yet," MacTavish said. "It's a big win, obviously. Anytime you can get a win in the first game, especially if you're the underdog, it gives your team confidence." "I'd have put a lot of money on us," Modano said. "The pressure is on us, not them. But that's not new. We've been in that situation before." After edging Detroit for first place in the West on the final day of the season, Dallas grabbed the lead when Modano cashed in on his second scoring chance of the first period. The veteran center took a cross-slot feed from defenseman Sergei Zubov five minutes into the game and put a shot from the bottom of the right faceoff circle off the left goalpost. But with Edmonton defenseman Scott Ferguson serving an inteference penalty, Modano broke through for his 46th career postseason tally. Defenseman Darryl Sydor fired a shot from the left point that went wide of the left post. After hitting the end boards, the puck came to the right side of the net, where Modano stuffed it in at 8:52. "We didn't get rattled," Oilers center Todd Marchant said. "We were able to stay composed and execute like we did all season." The Oilers had a league-leading 13 shorthanded goals during the regular season and got another to draw even early in the second. Brad Isbister was assessed a roughing penalty at 3:15 and the ensuing faceoff took place in the Dallas zone. With the puck on its way to the blue line, defenseman Cory Cross flipped a backhander into the slot. In one motion, Smyth turned and whacked a shot that got between Turco's pads seven seconds after the infraction to make it 1-1. "It was fresh ice and I was a little surprised," Smyth said. "I followed it in the air and just whacked it in and saw it squeeze through his legs." "It's been a long time since I've given up a bad goal," Turco said. "The puck was up in the air and he caught me off-guard and it trickled in. He missed it more than anything else. I lifted my stick too early and it was a bad goal." Salo denied Jere Lehtinen's shot from the doorstep on the power play, keeping the contest tied, before Horcoff put Edmonton in front. Isbister took a feed from Georges Laraque in the neutral zone and led a 2-on-1 into the Dallas zone. Taking a feed across the top of the slot, Horcoff blasted a slap shot that caromed off the left post and past Turco at 7:10 for his first career playoff goal. "It's exciting, but at that point in the second, there was plenty of time left," Horcoff said. "It's only the first game, but it's definitely gratifying." "We had a bad 10 to 15 minutes in the second where we gave up two bad goals, and it cost us," Modano said. "And then when they get a lead, they play smart and conservative. That's been our trademark the last three or four months. We have an emotional letdown and I don't know why." Edmonton smothered the Stars in the third, allowing few quality chances. With time winding down, Hatcher leveled Staios at the Dallas blue line, drawing a major penalty while ending his team's comeback hopes. "Well, I guess there is a rule if you hit a guy in the face, it's a penalty, but I looked at the replay and I did everything right," Hatcher said. "They think I elbowed him and I don't think I did. It's a tough call, but it was a two-minute penalty at best." Smyth appeared to give the Oilers a two-goal cushion with six seconds remaining, but the tally immediately was waved off because he batted it in with a high stick. "It's a good feeling knowing we can beat a team like this in a close game," Smyth said. "But it's a long way from over."
Ottawa vs. Islanders 0:1
New York Islanders 3
Ottawa Senators 0
OTTAWA (Ticker) -- Fans at the Corel Centre started off booing a familiar antagonist. They ended up booing the home team. Garth Snow made 25 saves for his first career playoff shutout and Dave Scatchard and Alexei Yashin scored in the opening 12 minutes as the New York Islanders surprised the top-seeded Ottawa Senators, 3-0, in Game One of their Eastern Conference quarterfinal series. Snow turned aside six shots in each of the first two periods and 13 in the third to raise his postseason record to 9-4. He helped the Islanders kill seven power plays, during which the Senators managed just six shots. Ottawa was the prohibitive favorite in this best-of-seven series after capturing the Presidents' Trophy with a team-record 113 points, 30 more than New York. Before the series, Islanders coach Peter Laviolette made the bold statement that his was the better team, and it looked that way in the opener. "Although we struggled down the stretch, I had a comfort level, knowing we would compete tonight based on our last game here," Laviolette said. Senators' fans jeered Yashin every time he touched the puck, still remembering his season-long holdout while with Ottawa in 1999-2000. By the second period, however, they were booing during and after a power play on which the Senators mustered one harmless shot. "When it's the first game you play at home, the fans expect you to win," former Islanders defenseman Zdeno Chara said. "Sometimes you have to face that. We can't be concerned with that. We have to keep our focus for next game." The Islanders had a 3-0 lead and total control by the time the booing started. Scatchard banked a shot off the leg of goaltender Patrick Lalime at 7:59 of the first period and Yashin made it 2-0 just over 3 1/2 minutes later. Shawn Bates capped the scoring on the power play midway through the second as New York stole home-ice advantage. "We knew they would come out hard, so we wanted to get a good start and quiet their fans," Scatchard said. "We blocked shots and dove to poke pucks away. We basically played playoff hockey." Game Two is Saturday in Ottawa. "I'm not concerned about the fans. We have great fans here," Senators coach Jacques Martin said. "This is one of those games we have to put behind us. I know we can play a lot better." Both teams were down a man when Scatchard scored the only goal Snow needed. From behind the net on the right side, he tried to feed Jason Blake in front. But the puck hit Lalime and sneaked inside the right goalpost. "When I went in, I just wanted to get a shot on net," Scatchard said. "I thought it wasn't a difficult shot for Lalime, but he was leaning a bit off the post and it deflected off his glove and went in." Moments after an Islanders' power play expired, defenseman Roman Hamrlik's right point shot hit teammate Randy Robitaille in front of the net. Robitaille gathered the deflection in the low slot and slid it to Yashin, who shoved the puck into a half-empty net. "Yashin played a strong game with heart and desire, which inspired me," Laviolette said. "The whole bench was inspired by Yashin's work effort and we all played hard for the entire game," Scatchard added. One of the NHL's quickest teams, Ottawa had trouble keeping up with the Islanders and was outshot, 23-12, over the first two periods. "We definitely outskated them," Blake said. "The big thing is we were in their face, we tried to get the puck by hitting the body. We had to slow them down because they're a skilled team. We have some goal-scorers, too, but the most important thing is that on every shift, we play the body." "It seems like we didn't have any spark tonight," said Lalime, who made 31 saves. "We just have to play our game and not focus so much on the players on the other team. We have to go out there and do the things we've been doing successfully all year." Any Senators' hopes for a third-period comeback vanished when Bates tipped defenseman Adrian Aucoin's wrist shot from the blue line past Lalime with 10:54 to play. "The first two periods, I didn't see much action," Snow said. "I think it was one of our better efforts all season. ... We can still get a lot better." Chris Neil woke up the crowd with just under nine minutes remaining when he leveled Yashin along the left boards. In the final minute, Eric Godard got even with a high-stick to Neil's mouth, drawing a double-minor. "I'm sore, I took a lot of physical, tough play, but that's part of the game," Yashin said. "If they want to continue to key on me, that's fine."
New Jersey vs. Boston 1:0
Boston Bruins 1
New Jersey Devils 2
EAST RUTHERFORD, New Jersey (Ticker) -- No one is better than the New Jersey Devils at making the most of the least. Jamie Langenbrunner scored both goals and Martin Brodeur made them stand with 26 saves as the Devils held on for a 2-1 victory over the Boston Bruins in the opening game of their Eastern Conference quarterfinal series. During the regular season, New Jersey recorded a league-leading 16 wins when scoring two goals or fewer. The Atlantic Division champions did not miss a beat in their playoff opener. "We're used to playing tight games, we've been playing them all year and we've prepared for it in the playoffs," said Brodeur, who had a 2.02 goals-against average during the season. "We definitely played a solid game and we got the first goal, which is always nice." Langenbrunner gave the Devils a 1-0 lead with 4:25 left in the first period, then doubled it midway through the second. Seven of his 17 career playoff goals have been game-winners. "I was in the right place at the right time," said Langenbrunner, who had just one assist in last year's first-round loss to Carolina. "On the first goal, I was following the puck and on the second one, it happened to come to me." Brodeur lost his shutout bid 3 1/2 minutes into the third period on defenseman Bryan Berard's first postseason goal since 1999. But he stopped eight shots over the final 20 minutes, enabling New Jersey to maintain home-ice advantage in the best-of-seven series. "You work all year to get home-ice," Brodeur said. "We're not out of the woods yet because they will try to sneak out of here with a game. But momentum-wise and confidence-wise, the way the playoffs went last year, it is certainly nice to get the first one." Brodeur stopped Jozef Stumpel cutting off the left wing with 8:35 remaining and got his blocker on a blast from the top of the right faceoff circle by Glen Murray just over a minute later. "I think we had enough (chances)," Boston coach Mike O'Connell said. "Of course, you'd always like to generate more. We have to get the puck in front of the net as much as possible." Game Two is in New Jersey on Friday. The game started ominously for the Devils as center Scott Gomez collided with teammate Grant Marshall early in the first period and suffered a neck injury that limited him to three shifts. Devils coach Pat Burns said he was not concerned with Gomez's status, adding, "He'll be all right." Linemate Joe Nieuwendyk also was in the locker room with a bloody nose when Langenbrunner opened the scoring. Jeff Friesen went around defenseman Nick Boynton on the right side, cut to the net and had his stuff attempt stopped by goaltender Steve Shields, but Langenbrunner jammed in the rebound. "We all know how to play different positions and that comes in big right now," Langenbrunner said. "It's part of the game. Those things are going to happen in the playoffs." Both teams had solid scoring chances in a two-minute stretch of the second period. Shields got the tip of his skate on a point-blank backhander by John Madden with 10:52 left and Brodeur sprawled to stop Murray seconds later. With 8:47 to go, Rob Zamuner wristed a shot from low in the right circle off the right goalpost. Just 25 seconds later, Langenbrunner made it 2-0. Boston's Michal Grosek made an inexplicable clearing attempt from along the right boards that went right to Langenbrunner. He drifted to the slot and put a wrist shot over Shields' left shoulder. Brodeur made one more big save before the end of the period. Just after a Bruins' power play expired with 59 seconds left, he was caught flat-footed but managed to get a piece of Zamuner's deflection. "He played well, and we know he is going to play well," former Devil Brian Rolston said of Brodeur. Berard appeared offside when he crossed the Devils' blue line, but he surprised Brodeur with a wrister from the top of the slot near the left circle. It beat the goalie to the stick side and found room inside the left post. Shields, a game-day pick to start over Jeff Hackett, stopped 26 shots in his first postseason appearance since 2000. "If Steve also continues to play the way he did in goal, we'll be fine," Bruins captain Joe Thornton said.
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...Eishockey ? Was ist das ? Habe ich das schon mal gesehen ?
- gegen Tempobeschränkungen auf deutschen Autobahnen! Pro 
!
Vielleicht wirds ja besser!?
Edmonton Oilers 2
Dallas Stars 1
New York Islanders 3
Ottawa Senators 0
Boston Bruins 1
New Jersey Devils 2
...und nichts ist wie es scheint!!