clarinews@clarinet.com (United Press International) (01/12/90)
Philadelphia took a hat trick right in the mouth Thursday night for
refusing to protect Al Secord in the NHL waiver draft last year.
The Flyers refused to promise Secord they would protect him in the
NHL waiver draft, so he signed with the Chicago Blackhawks as a free
agent before the season.
He might have made Philadelphia regret that decision when he scored
three goals, two in the third period, to give Chicago a 5-4 victory over
the Flyers, who lost their third straight home game.
``Every game is a big game for me,'' said Secord, who played in 34
games with the Flyers last season after he was acquired in a trade from
Toronto. ``I sat out quite a bit early in the season. Lately, I've
gotten an opportunity to play more and get (Coach) Mike Keenan's
confidence. It's nice to know I have his confidence.''
The feeling is mutual.
``He was hungry for the win,'' Keenan said. ``He was shooting the
puck hard and shooting it well. He's found the mark and he's regained
some of the confidence he once had.''
Secord broke a 3-3 tie at 6:07 of the third period with his 10th
goal of the season, with a little help from Philadelphia goaltender Ken
Wregget.
Secord launched a slap shot from just outside the blue line.
Wregget gloved the puck but could not hold it, allowing it to fall to
the ice behind him and trickle into the net.
``It was just one of those things,'' Wregget said. ``I went up to
glove it and it tipped off of my glove. He got a heck of a shot off.''
The Blackhawks, who held a 2-1 lead entering the third period,
improved their record to 19-0-2 when they lead after two periods.
``That's the kind of stat we had with the Flyers,'' said Keenan,
who coached in Philadelphia for four seasons. ``It takes intensive
effort, concentration and a lot of confidence. And a team has to be fit
to play hard to be successful in the latter stages of any game.''
Philadelphia, meanwhile, dropped to 0-13-1 when it trailed going
into the third period and lost for the sixth time in its last eight home
games.
``We need to start winning at home to have something to build on,''
defenseman Jeff Chychrun said. ``Everyone seems to be getting the last
goal on us. We keep trying and trying and frustration can set in pretty
easily.''
Chicago took a 5-3 lead on an empty-net goal by Jeremy Roenick, his
11th goal of the season, at 19:01 of the third period. Philadelphia
closed within 5-4 on Kerry Huffman's first goal of the year at 19:23.
Chicago tied the score 3-3 on Secord's ninth goal of the season at
4:08 of the third period.
``I just thought it was a nice time to come to the Hawks,'' said
Secord, who also played in Chicago from 1980 until 1987. ``(Flyers
General Manager) Bobby Clarke couldn't guarantee that I would be
protected. I didn't want to end up in the waiver draft and play
somewhere I didn't want to go. I wanted to have control over my
destiny.''
Elsewhere, Boston whipped Quebec 3-1, the New York Islanders
hammered Minnesota 8-4, Calgary overcame Buffalo 5-3 and Los Angeles
rallied for a 3-3 tie with Edmonton.
_B_r_u_i_n_s_ _3_,_ _N_o_r_d_i_q_u_e_s_ _1
At Boston, Cam Neely scored his 31st goal of the season and goalie
Andy Moog kicked out 19 shots to lead the Bruins to their fifth straight
victory. Randy Burridge scored a power-play goal in the first period and
Ken Linseman added an empty-net goal with 19 seconds remaining. Tony
McKegney spoiled Moog's bid for a shutout with 8:23 to play. Moog is
15-1-4 in his career against Quebec.
_I_s_l_a_n_d_e_r_s_ _8_,_ _N_o_r_t_h_ _S_t_a_r_s_ _4
At Bloomington, Minn., Pat LaFontaine had a goal and had five
assists to lead New York. LaFontaine leads the NHL with 39 goals and has
at least one goal in 11 straight games. The win was the Islanders' fifth
straight and 10th in 11 games and moved them into a tie with
Philadelphia for second place in the Patrick Division.
_F_l_a_m_e_s_ _5_,_ _S_a_b_r_e_s_ _3
At Calgary, Alberta, rookie Paul Ranheim scored his 11th goal of
the season at 9:14 of the final period to cap a four-goal Flames rally
that gave Buffalo its sixth loss in a row. The Flames, who entered the
final period trailing 3-1, took a 4-3 lead on a 25-foot slapshot by
Ranheim.
_K_i_n_g_s_ _3_,_ _O_i_l_e_r_s_ _3_,_ _t_i_e
At Inglewood, Calif., Luc Robitaille netted his 32nd goal of the
season and assisted on Wayne Gretzky's tying score for the only goals of
the third period, enabling Los Angeles to salvage a tie. Gretzky's 24th
goal of the year came with 5:04 left in regulation after a Robitaille
pass from behind the net.clarinews@clarinet.com (United Press International) (01/13/90)
The Pittsburgh Penguins planned to put early pressure on the
Washington Capitals Friday night, but they did not expect results to
come as quickly as they did.
``We knew they were struggling, so we wanted to get ahead right
away,'' said right winger Phil Bourque, who notched two goals and an
assist in the Penguins' 6-4 victory.
The loss was the seventh straight for Washington, the club's
longest stretch without a point since 1983-84. Pittsburgh has won four
of its last five and is 10-7-1 under interim coach Craig Patrick.
Bourque scored 1:14 after the opening faceoff on just the kind of
play Washington set up its game plan to avoid -- a man-short situation
with Bourque and Brian Cullen charging down ice on Bob Rouse.
Then Tony Tanti and Mario Lamieux connected to give the Penguins an
unsurmountable lead over the tentative Capitals. Lemieux's assist on
Tanti's goal stretched his scoring streak to 33 games.
Bourque and Paul Coffey scored in the second period for the
Penguins. Coffey's goal was the 270th of his career, tying him with
Bobby Orr for second place on the all-time list for defensemen. Mark
Recchi scored into the empty net with 9 seconds to play to end the
scoring.
Mike Ridley scored twice in the third period for Washington, and
Michal Pivonka and Steven Leach had single goals, both in the second
period.
``We were very tentative in the first period,'' admitted Capitals'
Coach Bryan Murray. ``We seemed to pick up the pace after we got behind,
but since we've been losing, everybody's trying to do too much and we're
making mistakes.
``The encouraging thing is that everybody is working hard and we're
getting chances. Certainly we're getting plenty of shots -- 38 tonight.''
Bourque, who admitted he had the three-goal hat trick in mind but
said he never got a real chance after he second goal, was very positive
about the Penguins under Patrick.
``The whole team is playing better,'' he said. ``We're making
things happen better than we were earlied, but that's because we've
gotten Mario Lemieux going. But we're all working harder and it shows.''
Elsewhere, Montreal clipped New Jersey 5-2, Winnipeg outscored
Detroit 7-5 and St. Louis zipped past Vancouver 5-2.
_C_a_n_a_d_i_e_n_s_ _5_,_ _D_e_v_i_l_s_ _2
At East Rutherford, N.J., Stephane Richer scored two goals,
including the tie breaker at 11:40 of the second period, to lift
Montreal. The win broke a five game road winless streak for Montreal
(0-4-1). Richer snapped a 2-2 tie with a shot from 20 feet out through
the legs of New Jersey goaltender Chris Terreri.
_J_e_t_s_ _7_,_ _R_e_d_ _W_i_n_g_s_ _5
At Winnipeg, Manitoba, Mark Kumpel and Paul Macdermid scored goals
2:05 apart in the second period to snap a 4-4 and lead the Jets to their
seventh win in nine games. Macdermid had a goal and two assists and Dave
McLlwain assisted on three goals for the Jets. Jimmy Carson had two
gaols and an assist for the Red Wings. Laurie Boschman scored his 500th
career point for Winnipeg.
_B_l_u_e_s_ _5_,_ _C_a_n_u_c_k_s_ _2
At Vancouver, British Columbia, Brett Hull scored the game-winner
at 18:12 of the second period to highlight a four-goal St. Louis rally.
The Blues tied the score 2-2 at 17:15 of the second period on Paul
MacLean's 18th goal of the year. Hull then made it 3-2 with his 38th
goal off his own rebound.clarinews@clarinet.com (United Press International) (01/16/90)
The Boston Bruins convinced their coach Mike Milbury to stick
around this time.
Ray Bourque scored twice and Andy Moog stopped 33 shots Monday
night, leading the Bruins to a 4-1 victory over the Hartford Whalers.
``I loved it,'' said Milbury, who left the bench Saturday to watch
the third period of Boston's 3-2 loss to the New York Rangers from the
radio booth. ``I haven't enjoyed a win more than this at home this
season.
``Hartford came in here and beat us two times and they haven't
showed us any respect. We wanted to establish some respect. I thoroughly
enjoyed the hockey game.''
The victory was Boston's 10th in 12 games and improved the Bruins'
point total to 57, best in the NHL. Hartford, which entered with the
league's best road record, lost its first game in Boston after winning
the first two matches between the teams this season.
``We had to pick it up a little bit tonight, especially after
Saturday's game,'' said Boston's Neely, who scored the tie-breaking goal
6:58 into the second period.
Craig Janney collected a loose puck at the left side of the
Hartford net and slipped a perfect pass out front to Neely, who
redirected a shot by goalie Peter Sidorkiewicz for his team-leading 32nd
goal of the season.
The Bruins, who posted their seventh victory in their last eight
home contests, increased their lead to 3-1 on Randy Burridge's
power-play goal 6:02 into the final period.
Bourque, who scored the Bruins' first goal, added an empty-net
score on a 170-foot shot with seven seconds left.
``We played solid checking hockey,'' Bourque said. ``Teams were
coming in here and trying to take advantage of us. It was the type of
hockey we need to play in here to win.''
The Whalers's only score came on a goal by Ray Ferraro 9:37 into
the opening period.
``It was a tight-checking game and you have to capitalize on the
few chances you get,'' Hartford's Kevin Dineen said. ``That's the
difference in the games against Boston. You only get a few chances and
you have to make them count.''
Elsewhere in the NHL, Montreal nipped Minnesota 4-3 and Toronto
outgunned Chicago 7-6.
_C_a_n_a_d_i_e_n_s_ _4_,_ _N_o_r_t_h_ _S_t_a_r_s_ _3
At Montreal, Todd Ewen scored his first goal of the season to lift
the Canadiens. Ewen, aquired Dec. 12 from St. Louis, knocked in a
rolling puck after Brian Skrudland's shot bounced off Minnesota
defenseman Larry Murphy. Minnesota, 0-6-1 in its last seven road games,
has not won away from home since a victory at Toronto Dec. 16.
_M_a_p_l_e_ _L_e_a_f_s_ _7_,_ _B_l_a_c_k_h_a_w_k_s_ _6
At Toronto, Wendel Clark broke a tie with a goal at 13:45 of the
third period to launch the Maple Leafs. Vince Damphousse's slap shot was
stopped by goaltender Jacques Cloutier but Clark, positioned next to the
net, jarred the puck loose and poked it past Cloutier for the winning
score.clarinews@clarinet.com (JOHN SWENSON, UPI Sports Writer) (01/17/90)
New Washington Capitals Coach Terry Murray was not pleased with his
team's performance Tuesday night, but he accepted the outcome.
``That's certainly not the way I want my team to play,'' said
Murray of his first NHL victory, a 9-6 shootout triumph over the New
Jersey Devils. ``We won't be doing that every night.''
The victory over the division-leading Devils ended the Capitals'
eight-game winless streak and the nine goals were a season high for a
team not noted for firepower.
``During the anthem, I just wanted to get it started,'' said
Murray, who took over Monday after his brother Bryan was fired. ``Coming
off the ice, I wanted to turn a couple of somersaults.''
But Murray was cringing early in the game when New Jersey took a
3-0 lead in the first 9:15 of the game when Ken Daneyko scored two goals
and Janne Ojanen added one against goalie Don Beaupre, who was jeered by
the hometown fans.
``I wasn't having much fun out there,'' Beaupre admitted. ``It's my
job to keep us in it, and I wasn't doing it. I can't blame the fans, but
Terry (Murray) never made any sign of pulling me.''
``I hesitated to make a lot of changes tonight, especially with
Beaupre,'' Murray said. ``I have to show confidence in the players, but
we made some mistakes, and we have to correct these things. This is a
good starting point.''
Dino Ciccarelli broke the ice for Washington at 13:12 of the first,
but John MacLean made it 4-1. Geoff Courtnall and John Tucker scored to
close the gap to 4-3.
Steve Leach tied it for Washington at 1:47 of the second, then
Michal Pivonka scored two second-period goals to put Washington ahead
6-4. After Kevin Hatcher made it 7-4, the teams traded goals, with Rob
Browne and David Maley scoring for New Jersey and Bob Rouse and
Courtnall for the Capitals.
``I hate shootouts,'' Devils Coach John Cunniff said. ``They made
some errors, and we got ahead, but they came right at us and once it
worked, they just kept on coming. We couldn't stop anything.''
Elsewhere in the NHL, the New York Islanders blanked Vancouver 3-0,
Pittsburgh edged Philadelphia 4-3, Calgary beat St. Louis 5-2, Quebec
outscored Winnipeg 8-6, Detroit beat Edmonton 6-4, and Buffalo topped
Los Angeles 4-2.
_I_s_l_a_n_d_e_r_s_ _3_,_ _C_a_n_u_c_k_s_ _0
At Uniondale, N.Y., Glenn Healy stopped 51 Vancouver shots to lead
the Islanders to their seventh victory in a row. The Canucks have lost
five straight games. The resurgent Islanders moved ahead of the idle New
York Rangers into second place in the Patrick Division, two points
behind New Jersey.
_P_e_n_g_u_i_n_s_ _4_,_ _F_l_y_e_r_s_ _3
At Pittsburgh, Rob Brown scored two goals, Mario Lemieux extended
his scoring streak to 34 games and Paul Coffey became the 37th player in
NHL history to record 900 or more career points. The Penguins have won 5
of 6 and Philadelphiafell to 0-4-3 in its last seven games and 2-9-3 in
its last 14.
_F_l_a_m_e_s_ _5_,_ _B_l_u_e_s_ _2
At St. Louis, Doug Gilmour snapped a tie with his 14th goal of the
season, then added two assists and Calgary scored three goals in a span
of 2:38 early in the second period to break open a close game.
_N_o_r_d_i_q_u_e_s_ _8_,_ _J_e_t_s_ _6
At Winnipeg, Manitoba, Claude Loiselle had a goal and three
assists, including an assist that set up the game-winning goal by Darin
Kimble at 15:00 of the third period. Quebec snapped a ten-game road
winless streak (0-9-1). Guy Lafleur scored his 12th goal of the season
and added an assist for Quebec.
_R_e_d_ _W_i_n_g_s_ _6_,_ _O_i_l_e_r_s_ _4
At Edmonton, Alberta, Steve Yzerman's 31st and 32nd goals of the
season paced Detroit to a come-from-behind victory. The Red Wings
sharpshooter scored the winning goal at 39 seconds of the third period
on an unassisted play after the Oilers turned the puck over behind their
own net.
_S_a_b_r_e_s_ _4_,_ _K_i_n_g_s_ _2
At Inglewood, Calif., Phil Housley struck for a goal and two
assists to spark Buffalo's three-goal outburst in the second period. Los
Angeles is winless in seven games since New Year's Day, going 0-6-1 in
that span.clarinews@clarinet.com (United Press International) (01/18/90)
The Hartford Whalers haven't exactly been world beaters on home ice
this season, so coach Rick Ley was happy to see his team come from
behind to earn a tie with the Boston Bruins.
It took a dramatic goal by Kevin Dineen with 17 seconds remaining
in the third period Wednesday night to lift the Whalers to a 5-5 tie
with the Bruins.
``It takes a lot of guts to come back like we did,'' said Dineen.
The Whalers erased a 3-0 deficit with four straight second-period
goals, but Ray Bourque and Randy Burridge scored 1:53 apart early in the
third period. The Whalers pulled Kay Whitmore and forced overtime when
Dineen redirected a Ray Ferraro shot past Andy Moog with 17 seconds left
in regulation.
``That's the first time that play worked for us,'' said Ley. ``We
were 17 seconds away from a loss and it took a big effort to salvage a
tie.''
Neither team had a shot in overtime.
The Whalers, who own the NHL's best road record (13-8-2), are
8-13-2 at home. Hartford is now 3-2-1 against Boston this season and is
the only team to beat the Bruins more than twice.
``Coming back like we did was a morale-booster,'' said Ley. ``It
will build our confidence.''
Bourque had two goals and Craig Janney added three assists for
Boston. Janney, who was born in Hartford and raised in nearby Enfield,
set up goals by Garry Galley, Bobby Carpenter and Bourque.
``This is a game we should have had,'' said Janney. ``Thank God we
salvaged something out of it.''
Mikael Andersson, Randy Ladouceur, Scott Young, Pat Verbeek and
Dineen had the goals for Hartford.
``Give Hartford credit for playing with a lot of intensity to get
back in the game,'' said Boston coach Mike Milbury. ``It's a
hard-working team.''
Galley gave Boston a 1-0 lead 2:45 into the game with a power-play
goal. Janney dug the puck out of the right corner and centered to
Galley, who unleased a slap shot from the point that eluded a screened
Whitmore.
The Bruins moved to a 2-0 advantage midway through the first period
when Janney backhanded a pass to the slot for Carpenter, who avoided a
check from Brad Shaw and backhanded a shot past Whitmore's left skate.
Bourque rushed up from his defensive position, took a pass from Janney
and beat Whitmore to make it 3-0 at of the second period.
``We were lucky to be up 3-0,'' said Milbury.
The Whalers responded with unanswered goals by Andersson,
Ladouceur, Young and Verbeek to move to a 4-3 lead.
``We sat back and tried to protect the lead,'' said Janney. ``If I
could figure out why we did that, I'd be a coach - and a pretty good
one.''
After a Dave Babych shot hit Jim Wiemer, Andersson collected the
loose puck and beat Moog to the glove side from the slot at 6:55 to
slice the margin to 3-1. Ladouceur made it 3-2 midway through the period
after Ron Francis made a rink length dash.
Young knotted the score at 3-3 at 15:20 when he connected on a low
slap shot. Verbeek gave the Whalers a 4-3 lead with 1:18 remaining in
the period when he converted a feed from Dave Tippett.
``This team hasn't quit all year,'' said Ley. ``But we learned that
it's not fun to dig out of a hole like that.''
Bourque scored on a powerplay at 3:41 of the third period to knot
the score at 4-4. Burridge broke loose on a breakaway and beat Whitmore
between the pads at 5:44 to boost Boston to a 5-4 edge.
The Bruins were without newly acquired center Dave Poulin, who was
traded to Boston by Philadelphia on Tuesday for Ken Linseman. General
Manager Harry Sinden said he doesn't expect Poulin to report until after
the all-star break.
Elsewhere in the NHL, NY Islanders beat Montreal 6-3, Chicago
topped Minnesota 3-1, and Edmonton iced Winnipeg 6-3.
_I_s_l_a_n_d_e_r_s_ _6_,_ _C_a_n_a_d_i_e_n_s_ _3
At Montreal, David Volek scored twice and Pat Lafontaine added his
40th goal of the season to carry New York to its eighth straight
victory. The Islanders have lost only once in their last 14 games. The
victory carried the Islanders into a first-place tie with the New Jersey
Devils in the Patrick Division.
_B_l_a_c_k_h_a_w_k_s_ _3_,_ _N_o_r_t_h_ _S_t_a_r_s_ _1
At Chicago, Jacques Cloutier turned aside 25 shots in his first
start since Dec. 22 to lead Chicago. Steve Larmer, Dirk Graham and Steve
Thomas each tallied once for the Blackhawks, who snapped a two-game
losing skid. Rookie Jeremy Roenick, celebrating his 20th birthday, had
two assists.
_O_i_l_e_r_s_ _6_,_ _J_e_t_s_ _3
At Edmonton, Alberta, Mark Messier scored his second hat trick of
the season and 12th of his career. Messier scored twice in the second
period and rapped in a loose rebound at 18:21 of the third period to run
his goal output to 27 this year. Linemate Glenn Anderson assisted on all
of Messier's goals and one other for a four-point night.
--
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to reward@clarinet.com. clarinews@clarinet.com (JOHN SWENSON, UPI Sports Writer) (02/01/90)
``We needed our leader to take charge and Steve Yzerman took charge
tonight,'' Detroit Red Wings Coach Jacques Demers said after Yzerman's
four goals Wednesday led Detroit to a come-from-behind 7-5 victory over
the Edmonton Oilers.
Yzerman admitted there isn't much time for the Red Wings, who are
nine points behind fourth-place Minnesota in the Norris Division, to
earn a playoff berth.
``We have to get going now,'' he said. ``There's only 60 days left
and you're done. It's kind of a miserable position to be in.''
Yzerman said he was encouraged at the way the Red Wings overcame a
4-2 deficit with 5:13 remaining in the second period.
``I don't think one game can turn it around, but our whole team
played with more excitement tonight,'' said Yzerman, who boosted his
goal production to 39 with the first four-goal game of his career.
``I thought we played with a sense of urgency,'' Yzerman added.
Craig Simpson scored twice for the Oilers, who entered the game
with a 22-0-1 record when leading after two periods.
The victory was the second straight for Detroit, while Edmonton
lost for the first time in four games.
``Anytime you lead going into the third period you should protect
it,'' said Edmonton's Adam Graves.
``We got caught in a lot of 2-on-1 and 3-on-2 situations and they
took advantage,'' Simpson offered.
Joe Kocur triggered Detroit's third period outburst when he
deflected Lee Norwood's shot from the point during a power play at 6:05
to tie the score at 4-4.
The Red Wings took the lead 45 seconds later on Bernie Federko's
deflection of John Chabot's shot from the top of the faceoff circle.
Yzerman gave the Red Wings a 6-4 lead at 10:29 when he beat goalie
Bill Ranford on the short side with a shot from the bottom of the
faceoff circle while Detroit had a two-man advantage.
Edmonton had a two-man advantage when Yzerman and Rick Zombo drew
penalties with 6:30 left in the game, but the Red Wings killed off the
penalties, allowing only two shots on goal.
``That was so important,'' Demers said. ``When you kill off a
5-on-3, you're going to win 75 percent of the time.''
Edmonton cut Detroit's lead back to one goal at 16:18 on defenseman
Steve Smith's shot from just inside the blue line after a faceoff in the
Detroit end, but Yzerman sealed the victory with his empty net goal with
50 seconds remaining.
Yzerman's second goal of the game, a wrist shot from between the
faceoff circles with 1:10 left in the second period, cut Edmonton's lead
to 4-3.
Simpson tied the score at 2-2 at 1:41 of the second period when he
took a centering pass from Randy Gregg and beat goalie Glen Hanlon.
Craig MacTavish scored on a rebound at 6:02 after linemates Adam
Graves and Joe Murphy had applied pressure on the Detroit net.
The Oilers took a 4-2 lead at 14:47 on Vladimir Ruzicka's fourth
goal in six games. Ruzicka broke in alone on Hanlon, pulled the goalie
and lifted a backhand shot into the far corner.
Yzerman gave Detroit a 1-0 lead at 2:31 of the first period when he
knocked his own rebound out of the air and into the net.
Simpson converted a pass from Petr Klima on a 3-on-2 break at 4:48
to tie the score at 1-1, but Gerard Gallant put the Red Wings back in
front at 5:28. Yzerman maintained control of the puck in the slot area,
then threaded a pass to Gallant at the edge of the crease.
Elsewhere in the NHL, St. Louis and the NY Rangers skated to a 2-2,
tie, Washington nipped Minnesota 4-3, Toronto knotted Winnipeg, 5-5, and
Buffalo beat Quebec 6-3.
_R_a_n_g_e_r_s_ _2_,_ _B_l_u_e_s_ _2_,_ _t_i_e
At New York, Dave Lowry scored a short-handed goal to lift the St.
Louis Blues into the tie, and Blues' rookie goalkeeper Curtis Joseph,
subbing for injured Vincent Riendieu midway through the first period,
combined with Riendieu to stop 31 shots.
_W_a_s_h_i_n_g_t_o_n_ _4_,_ _M_i_n_n_e_s_o_t_a_ _3
At Bloomington, Minn., John Tucker's goal 35 seconds into overtime
gave the Washington Capitals the victory. Tucker knocked in a rebound by
Geoff Courtnall as the Capitals came from behind to win their 13th game
on the road this season. The Capitals are 13-15-2 on the road but only
10-11-2 at home.
_M_a_p_l_e_ _L_e_a_f_s_ _5_,_ _J_e_t_s_ _5
At Winnipeg, Manitoba , Daniel Marois assisted on three goals,
including the final two of the game by Tom Kurvers and Vincent
Damphouse, to pull Toronto into the tie.
_S_a_b_r_e_s_ _6_,_ _N_o_r_d_i_q_u_e_s_ _3
At Buffalo, N.Y., Doug Bodger scored a goal and added two assists
to lead the Sabres in a sweep of the teams' home-and-home series.clarinews@clarinet.com (JOHN SWENSON, UPI Sports Writer) (02/03/90)
Mario Lemieux has been hearing the criticism around the NHL that
his quest to top Wayne Gretzky's consecutive-game point-scoring record
has been costing the Penguins in the standings. Lemieux went out and did
something about it Friday night, scoring a hat trick to lead the
Penguins to a 6-3 victory over the Edmonton Oilers.
The points upped Lemieux's current streak to 41 straight games with
at least one goal or assist, the second-longest in NHL history behind
Gretzky's 51. More importantly, Lemieux's goals helped pull the Penguins
into a three-way tie for the fourth and last playoff spot in the
contentious Patrick Division.
``I think I'm a little too nervous before the game and early in the
game and maybe think too much about the streak and not concentrate on
what I have to do on the ice,'' said Lemieux.
``Sometimes early in the game I don't skate like I should and
that's part of having a streak going for you.''
The Penguins took a 1-0 lead on Troy Loney's fourth goal of the
season at 9:01 of the first period. Loney took a cross-ice pass from
Mark Recchi and flipped a wrist shot past Oiler goalie Randy Exelby.
Edmonton knotted the score 1-1 at 6:20 of the second period when
Mark Lamb got the puck in front from Adam Graves and flipped it over
Pittsburgh goaltender Wendell Young. The Oilers took a 2-1 lead 1:31
later when Geoff Smith scored his fourth of the season, an unassisted
power-play goal, at 8:51.
Pittsburgh tied it 2-2 at 11:18 of the second when Lemieux, the
NHL's leading scorer with 106 points, wristed a shot over Exelby's
shoulder from the left face-off circle for his 37th goal of the year.
``It's going to be Mario's record if and when he gets it,'' said
Penguins defenseman Paul Coffey. ``We're all trying to get it to him
early and get him his point, then we can just play hockey. We've got to
have him scoring points to win hockey games.''
At 17:05, Peter Klima, scoring his 15th of the season, picked up a
rebound from Craig MacTavish and put the puck past Young.
Less than a minute later Lemieux scored his second power-play goal,
tying the score 3-3 at 18:04 of the second period. The Penguins regained
the lead, 4-3, with 0:27 left in the period when Mark Recchi took a pass
from Lemieux in front and slid the puck into the net.
The Penguins extended the lead to 5-3 at the 3:19 mark of the third
period. Tony Tanti deflected in a shot by Zarley Zalapski for his 20th
of the year. Lemieux's third goal, into an empty net with :33 to play,
completed the hat trick and gave Pittsburgh a 6-3 lead.
_I_s_l_a_n_d_e_r_s_ _5_,_ _C_a_p_i_t_a_l_s_ _3
At Uniondale, N.Y., Doug Crossman scored two goals and Hubie
McDonough had a goal and an assist to push the New York Islanders,
18-6-2 in their last 26 games, into sole possession of first place in
the Patrick Division ahead of the idle New Jersey Devils. The loss broke
the Capitals' three-game winning streak, and left them with a 5-3 record
under new coach Terry Murray.
_R_e_d_ _W_i_n_g_s_ _5_,_ _M_a_p_l_e_ _L_e_a_f_s_ _2
At Detroit, Joe Kocur scored a goal and assisted on two others, and
Doug Houda had a goal and assist to help the Red Wings to a 5-2 victory
over the Toronto Maple Leafs. The victory was Detroit's third straight
and pulled the Red Wings, 19-27-6, to within seven points of
fourth-place Minnesota in the Norris Division. The Maple Leafs, 27-24-2,
lost for only the second time in their last eight games.
_J_e_t_s_ _8_,_ _C_a_n_u_c_k_s_ _1
At Winnipeg, Manitoba, Dale Hawerchuk scored his 21st goal and
added a pair of assists to hand Vancouver its fifth straight loss.
Winnipeg snapped a four-game winless streak (0-2-2), stretched its
unbeaten streak against the Canucks to five (3-0-2) games and moved 18
points ahead of the last place Canucks in the Smythe Division. The
Canucks are winless in seven games (0-5-2).