The Vancouver Canucks became the first team to advance to the second round of the Stanley Cup playoffs when Alex Burrows scored a last-gasp overtime winner to give the visitors a 3-2 victory and a 4-0 sweep of the St Louis Blues on Tuesday.
Burrows also had a second-period goal as the Canucks recorded the 38-year-old franchise’s first playoff sweep.
“I just wanted to get it on net, maybe get a rebound, and it went five-hole,” Burrows told reporters when asked about the winner.
PHOTO: AFP
Netminder Roberto Luongo made 47 saves as Vancouver held off St Louis.
The Canucks led 2-0 midway into the second period on Kyle Wellwood’s first-period score and Burrow’s opening goal before St Louis leveled the score.
Brad Boyes made it a 2-1 game 13:30 into the second and David Perron tied it three minutes later.
HURRICANES 4, DEVILS 3
At Raleigh, North Carolina, Jussi Jokinen deflected in Dennis Seidenberg’s slap shot with 0.2 seconds remaining for the Carolina Hurricanes to beat the New Jersey Devils 4-3 and even their playoff series 2-2.
Eric Staal, Ryan Bayda and Chad LaRose also scored for the Hurricanes, who blew a 3-0 lead but regrouped just in time to avoid a third straight overtime game.
Jokinen started the dramatic sequence when he tried to stuff a backhander past goalie Martin Brodeur with about 7 seconds remaining.
The puck circled around to Joni Pitkanen near the blue line and he passed off to Seidenberg, who unloaded a hard blast from the point that clicked off the Finn’s left skate and past Brodeur’s low left side as time expired.
After a video review, officials determined the puck crossed the goal line with 0.2 seconds left. An incensed Brodeur, who had been bumped outside the crease by Jokinen seconds before the goal, smashed his stick into the boards.
David Clarkson scored the tying goal with 11:14 left for New Jersey. Brian Gionta added a goal and an assist, Brendan Shanahan scored his 60th career playoff goal and Brodeur stopped 42 shots.
RED WINGS 4, BLUE JACKETS 1
At Columbus, Ohio, Henrik Zetterberg scored twice as Detroit dominated from start to finish to grab a 3-0 lead in their first-round series.
The first NHL playoff game at Nationwide Arena — in Columbus’ 659th game — was a mammoth letdown for a franchise-record crowd of 19,219.
Dan Cleary had a goal and two assists, Tomas Holmstrom scored 1:07 in and Johan Franzen added two assists. The Red Wings can advance to the conference semi-finals with a win on Thursday.
Chris Osgood’s shutout streak of 144 minutes, 27 seconds ended with 3:53 left when R.J. Umberger scored on a backhander off a rebound of Rick Nash’s drive.
SHARKS 4, DUCKS 3
At Anaheim, California, Patrick Marleau scored the go-ahead goal on a power play with 9:27 left as San Jose evaded a daunting playoff deficit with a victory over Anaheim in Game 3 to trim the Ducks’ series lead to 2-1.
Dan Boyle had two goals and an assist, and fellow defenseman Rob Blake had a goal and an exceptional assist on Marleau’s winner for the top-seeded Sharks, who had scored just twice while losing the first two games of their series against the eighth-seeded Ducks at home.
Desperately needing a win in Game 3, the Presidents’ Trophy winners improved their offensive efforts and eventually got the tiebreaking goal from their captain, who beat Anaheim goalie Jonas Hiller with a slick deflection of Blake’s pass. The goal was Marleau’s ninth career playoff game-winner.
PENGUINS 3, FLYERS 1
At Philadelphia, a sliding Sidney Crosby scored a goal that ricocheted off his skate, his midsection and into the back of the net to spark Pittsburgh, which can finish off Philadelphia on home ice.
Marc-Andre Fleury was sensational with 45 saves as the Penguins grabbed a 3-1 lead in the Eastern Conference first-round playoff series.
Tyler Kennedy and Maxime Talbot also scored for the Penguins, who can eliminate the Flyers in five games just like they did in last year’s Eastern Conference finals. Game 5 is today.
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