Montreal’s Michael Cammalleri snapped Philadelphia’s shutout streak with a first period goal en route to a 5-1 win over the Flyers in Game 3 of their NHL semi-final playoff series.
Flyers goaltender Michael Leighton entered the game with a 165 minute, 50 second shutout streak, but it took Cammalleri just over seven minutes to end the Canadiens two game goal-scoring drought.
“We need contributions throughout our lineup to get where we want to go,” said Cammalleri, who has 13 playoff goals. “Big goals tonight, they helped a lot.”
Tom Pyatt and Dominic Moore had a goal and assist apiece for Montreal, which collected its first win in the series. Brian Gionta and Marc-Andre Bergeron also scored.
“We are a much better team with our backs to the wall,” Gionta said. “The guys stepped up all season and it is no difference in the playoffs.”
The Canadiens outshot Philadelphia 28-13 in the game, taking a 3-0 lead on Moore’s goal midway through the second period. It was Montreal’s first home game in 10 days.
“Our pressure on the forecheck really helped,” Gionta said.
The best-of-seven Eastern Conference series resumes today in Montreal.
“I don’t think you want to forget it. I think you need to use it and feed off it,” Pronger said. “They answered the bell, and now it’s our turn to get back at it in game four.”
Leighton, considered a journeyman NHL goalie throughout most of his career, had won four consecutive games since taking over the starting job from starter Brian Boucher, who got hurt in the quarter-finals against Boston. Leighton was claimed off waivers by the Flyers in December.
Simon Gagne ended Montreal goalie Jaroslav Halak’s bid for a shutout with the lone goal for the Flyers who had won six consecutive games. Halak finished with 25 saves.
The eighth seeded Canadiens have a knack this season for rebounding from difficult spots.
Montreal rallied from a 3-1 series deficit to oust top-seeded Washington in the first round. Montreal never led in its second-round series against Sidney Crosby’s Penguins before winning the decisive game seven.
■BLACKHAWKS VS SHARKS
REUTERS, CHICAGO
Chicago Blackhawks supporters may not have endured as much heartbreak as Cubs fans, but after 49 years without a Stanley Cup, Windy City hockey addicts are eager to toast an end to the NHL’s longest title drought.
After years of decline and neglect, the Blackhawks are once again the pride of Chicago, charging to a 2-0 lead in the Western Conference final against the San Jose Sharks.
The Blackhawks last hoisted the Stanley Cup in 1961 and while that may seem an eternity to some it is a walk in the park compared to Chicago’s “Lovable Losers,” the Cubs, who have not celebrated a World Series title since 1908.
“It’s exciting, I think the town is really behind our team,” Blackhawks forward Patrick Kane told reporters. “You could see that over the last couple years as far as how many sell-outs we’ve had, the support you get, and how recognizable you are around town.”
It was not long ago that Blackhawks players could walk the streets without attracting a second glance.
Once one of the NHL’s most proudest clubs with rosters that included some of the NHL’s greatest names, including Hall of Famers Bobby Hull and Stan Mikita, the Blackhawks became one of the league’s most troubled franchises under owner Bill Wirtz, known as “Dollar Bill” for his frugal operation of the team.
However, the franchise has enjoyed a renaissance under Rocky Wirtz, who assumed control of the club following his father’s death in 2007.
Wirtz hired Chicago Cubs executive John McDonough to run the franchise, and the two men remodeled the team around dynamic young talents like Kane and Jonathan Toews.
The Blackhawks buzz has been building since last season when Chicago lost in the conference finals to the Detroit Red Wings. Now, the team is expected to take the next step.
“There’s been a lot of pressure on us all year,” said Toews, the leading scorer in the leads the playoffs with 23 points (7 goals, 16 assists). “Everyone talks about our team and how special we are, what we’re capable of doing. We understand that. We know there’s pressure, but we’re focused on the right things, that’s what we need to do as a team to be successful.”
Kane was thrilled to be returning to Chicago, although home ice has not been an advantage this post-season. The Blackhawks are 3-3 at the United Center and a sparkling 7-1 on the road.
“You can really feel it now,” Kane said. “We haven’t accomplished anything yet obviously but we put ourselves in good shape with two big wins.”
“Right now we’re feeling pretty good but you can’t get too high because San Jose is a great team, you never know what can happen,” he said. “It really gets exciting this time of year knowing you have a couple more wins to get to the Cup final and six more wins to actually win the golden prize.”
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Taiwanese gymnast Lee Chih-kai failed to secure an Olympic berth in the pommel horse following a second-place finish at the last qualifier in Doha on Friday, a performance that Lee and his coach called “unconvincing.” The Tokyo Olympics silver medalist finished runner-up in the final after scoring 6.6 for degree of difficulty and 8.800 for execution for a combined score of 15.400. That was just 0.100 short of Jordan’s Ahmad Abu Al Soud, who had qualified for the event in Paris before the Apparatus World Cup series in Qatar’s capital. After missing the final rounds in the first two of four qualifier