Tuesday, April 25, 2000
The University Daily Kansan
NHL Plavoffs
Section B · Page 5
Maple Leafs beat Senators, 4-2
Toronto wins series, will face New Jersey
The Associated Press
KANATA, Ontario — Steve Thomas started a four-goal spurt in the second period, lifting the Toronto Maple Leafs into the second round of the NHL playoffs last night with a 4-2 victory against the Ottawa Senators.
nomas, Mats Sundin, Sergel Berezin and Wendel Clark scored as the Leafs erased a 2-0 Ottawa lead built on goals by Joe Juneau and Igor Kravych.
Toronto won the best-of-seven series 4-2 and will open the Eastern Conference semifinals Thursday night at home against the New Jersey Devils.
The Senators outshot Toronto 38-24, but their failure to hold the lead resulted in an opening-round elimination for the second
The team that held the shots advantage lost all six games of the series.
"We played real gritty," said Toronto goalie Curtis Joseph. "We played tough along the boards."
A capacity crowd of 18,500 watched in dismay as the Senators became the first team to lose at home in the series.
"I think the last game was key for us," Joseph said. "Getting up 3-2 in dramatic fashion [with a come-from-behind, overtime victory]. I think that spilled over into tonight's game."
Ottawa got the early lead on a rush when Shawn McEachern's shot was kicked out to the high slot where Juneau swept the puck inside the near post 3:45 into the game.
After failing to score during an abbreviated two-man advantage, Ottawa went ahead 2-0 when Kravchuk's point shot through traffic beat Joseph 3:59 into the second period.
But just 12 seconds later, Ottawa defenseman Sami Salo passed the puck right onto Thomas's stick in the slot, and he unleashed a quick shot for his sixth goal of the series.
"We never quit in here." Joseph said. "We played hard and we knew we could come back."
"We never quit in here. We played hard and we knew we could come back."
Curtis Joseph
Toronto goalie
A Thomas pass then went off Kravchuk's skate onto the stick of Sundin, breaking in on the left side. Sundin scored into an open side of the net, tying it at 7:16.
Berezin was allowed to sneak in front of goalie Tom Barrasso and whack a shot in to put Toronto ahead 3-2 at 10:40.
A Cory Cross pass went off a series of sticks and skated to Clark, who was parked alone at the side of the Ottawa net. He easily swept the puck in with 1:13 left in the period.
Ottawa's top line of Radek Bonk, Marian Hossa and Magnus Arvedson did not score in the series, the first between Canadian teams since Vancouver beat Calgary and Toronto en route to the 1994 Stanley Cup finals.
Blues, Sharks brace for series finale
The Associated Press
ST. LOUIS — One more victory and the St. Louis Blues can salvage their reputation.
Trailing 3-1 in their best-of-seven first-round Western Conference series against the San Jose Sharks, the NHL's regular season champions have won two straight to force a game seven.
"The pressure was on them for Game 6 and now I think it probably shifts to us," said Blues' right wing Scott Young, coming off his first career playoff hat trick. "Of course, they're not supposed to give up a 3-1 lead, but now that we're home for Game 7, this is what we played for all year."
St. Louis drew even against the No. 8 seed Sharks with a 8-2 victory on Sunday. Now the Blues are once again a confident team, resembling their franchise-
record 114-point regular-season
form, heading into the finale.
"We just feel like, hey, we did what we needed to do to battle back," center Craig Conroy said. "They had us in a pretty good
spot.
Only 15
teams in NHL
history have
come back
from 3-1
deficit. That
includes the Blues, who did it last year in the first round against Phoenix when they finished off the Coyotes on the road.
They like their chances this season that much more at home.
"That makes a big difference, once we get the Kiel [Center] rocking," Conroy said. "Just like in Game 5 it was a huge motivational factor."
The Sharks were as optimistic
as possible after missing their first two chances to eliminate the Blues, who appear to have recovered from their first three-game losing streak of the season. Win or lose, they've taken the Blues to the limit after finishing 27 points behind them in the regular season.
"It's a one-game series against the best team," Tony Granato said. "We get a one-game shot and we just have to throw everything at them."
"Game 7." defenseman Jeff Norton added, "always brings out the best in everyone."
"I've already gotten this game out of my system," said Shields. who was pulled after two periods Sunday. "I'm going to have to play relaxed and enjoy the challenge, be ready."
The Blues hope to rattle Sharks goalie Steve Shields early, just as they did in Game 6 when they scored six goals on their first 13 shots. Shields also was shaky in Game 1, a 5-3 Blues victory, but has been solid in between those games.
Blues rookie left wing Jochen Hecht had a goal and three assists in Game 6 and was tied with Pittsburgh's Jaromir Jagr for the playoff scoring lead at 10 points. Hecht, who has four goals and six assists, had 13 goals and 34 points in 63 regular-season games.
Young and the Sharks' Owen Nolan each had five goals to tie for lead with Toronto's Steve Thomas, and the Blues' Pierre Turgeon was tied for the assists lead with seven.
"If you want to win in the playoffs, your best players have to be your best players," said Blues coach Joel Quenneville. "You need everybody."
Denver teams, arenas sold to Wal-Mart heir
The Associated Press
DENVER — No late comeback for John Elway this time.
The Colorado Avalanche, the Denver Nuggets and their arena will be sold to a Wal-Mart heir who owns part of the St. Louis Rams for $450 million, outbidding a group led by the former Broncos great.
The agreement yesterday to sell to Stan Kroenke ended a year of indecision for the two teams during which two offers fell through three lawsuits
Kroenke, who prides himself on being named after St. Louis Cardinals great Stan Musial, owns 40 percent of the Rams. He had clear he would not be an absentee owner.
"The guys around me will tell you I stay involved," he said.
you I stay involved," he said. Kroenke's bid was strengthened because he was a sole owner and not dependent on other individuals, said Gary Howard, chief operating officer of Liberty Media Group, which is selling the sports assets.
"We weren't depending on a bank group to provide a loan," he said.
The agreement must be approved by the NHL, the NBA, Liberty Media Group shareholders and the city of Denver. But neither Kroenke nor Liberty Media anticipates problems, Howard said. The sale was scheduled to close June 30.
NHL officials plan to review the sale as soon as possible. The NFL said the agreement presented no conflict of cross-
ownership because Kroenke did not own a majority stake of the Rams.
Kroenke had been interested in buying a majority ownership in the Denver teams since negotiations with another prospective buyer collapsed last fall.
"I think your responsibility as an owner to your team and to your community is to support the team ... to make the right decision to bring you these winning teams," he said. "We look forward to having the opportunity to do that in Denver."
Hovard said considerable time was spent ensuring Kroenke was committed to Denver. Asked if he would keep the teams in Denver for at least 25 years, Kroenke said yes.
Mayor Wellington Webb had said he would accept no deal without a guarantee that the teams stayed in Denver.
"I've been coming to Colorado for over 30 years regularly, and I have a home in Steamboat," Kroenke said. "Denver is a great city, they are great teams and it is a great arena."
A year ago, Ascent Entertainment Group executives thought they had the teams and arena sold to Bill and Nancy Laurie, another Wal-Mart heir, who offered $400 million. That bid collapsed after shareholders sued. Then-CEO Charlie Lyons resigned after shareholders questioned his role in brokering the deal.
Ascent then offered the sports assets in an auction, which was won by Denver billionaire Donald Sturm's $461 million bid, but that agreement fell through when Sturm would not agree to guarantee the teams would remain in Denver for 25 years.