Avalanche, Sharks Advance in NHL Playoffs; Sabres Beat Flyers
The Colorado Avalanche advanced to the second round of the National Hockey League playoffs yesterday with a 3-2 overtime victory against the Dallas Stars.
It was the third overtime victory for the seventh-seeded Avalanche, who won the best-of-seven series four games to one. The San Jose Sharks also won their opening-round series 4-1, beating the Nashville Predators 2-1.
Buffalo and Carolina both took 3-2 leads in their series, moving within a victory of joining Colorado and San Jose in the second round. The Sabres shut out the Philadelphia Flyers 3-0 as Ryan Miller made 24 saves and the Hurricanes won their third straight, beating the Canadiens 2-1.
The Edmonton Oilers and Calgary Flames can advance with playoff victories tonight.
Edmonton, the eighth seed in the Western Conference, holds a 3-2 series lead against top-seeded Detroit and hosts Game 6. Calgary, the third seed in the West, visits the Mighty Ducks of Anaheim with a 3-2 series lead.
At the American Airlines Center in Dallas, Andrew Brunette sent a rebound of a Joe Sakic shot over goaltender Marty Turco 13:55 into overtime to lift the Avalanche to the win.
``That's probably one of the best feelings in hockey, to get a playoff overtime goal,'' Brunette said at his post-game news conference. ``We felt good going into overtime. We knew they'd feel a little pressure and tighten up a bit. We knew if we got one chance, it would be over.''
Avalanche Eliminate Stars Again
Bill Guerin of the Stars had scored 2:47 into the third period to force overtime after Colorado built a 2-1 lead on goals from Jim Dowd and Sakic.
Jose Theodore made 50 saves in the win, including 11 in the extra session. The Avalanche also eliminated the Stars in five games in the 2004 playoffs.
At HSBC Arena in Buffalo, Tim Connolly and J.P. Dumont each had power-play goals and an assist, and Daniel Briere had two assists as the fourth-seeded Sabres won on home ice for the third time in the postseason.
Maxim Afinogenov also scored for Buffalo, which can advance with a victory in Game 6 in Philadelphia tomorrow.
Miller has held the Flyers to four goals in three home games, while giving up nine goals in two games in Philadelphia.
At Gaylord Entertainment Center in Nashville, Steve Bernier and Patrick Marleau scored power-play goals as San Jose advanced to the second round for the sixth time in team history.
Marleau had seven goals and an assist in the series for the fifth-seeded Sharks.
At the RBC Center in Raleigh, North Carolina, Eric Staal and Matt Cullen scored power-play goals as the second-seeded Hurricanes won their third straight game by one goal.
The series shifts back to Montreal for Game 6 tomorrow. The Canadiens won the first two games on the road, and then lost games 3 and 4 at home.
|
