NHL Playoff Capsules: Avalanche beat Sharks 1-0 in OT

DENVER — The San Jose Sharks couldn’t score on Craig Anderson all night. Moments into overtime, they somehow managed to put the puck past their own goalie.

Ryan O’Reilly was credited with a bizarre goal 51 seconds into overtime following an errant pass by defenseman Dan Boyle, giving the Colorado Avalanche a 1-0 victory over San Jose on Sunday night and a 2-1 lead in the Western Conference series.

Anderson was simply splendid in net all night, stopping 51 shots. Anderson and San Jose’s Evgeni Nabokov were locked in after allowing a combined 11 goals in Game 2 in the Sharks’ overtime victory.

Nabokov didn’t have much a chance on the winner. He was hugging the post when Boyle tried to send the puck around the boards as O’Reilly pursued him. The puck wound up sneaking in between Nabokov and the post.

"We didn’t beat their goalie," Sharks coach Todd McLellan said. "We found a way to beat ours."

Game 4 is Tuesday night in Denver.

Anderson is used to seeing a large volume of pucks, leading the NHL in shots faced and saves this season. He never blinked, even when San Jose outshot Colorado 42-7 in the final two periods. He was sprawling and diving all over the ice the entire game.

"When you work hard and you stay positive, good results happen and you get the lucky bounces," Anderson said. "It’s remarkable."

The Sharks are a team with heavy expectations, especially after a string of early postseason exits. The weight just became a little heavier. As Devin Setoguchi skated off the ice, he swatted in frustration at an object that had been tossed onto the ice.

It was a sentiment shared by the Sharks after a game that ended on such a quirky play. Nabokov thought the puck nicked O’Reilly’s stick as Boyle went to pass it behind the net. O’Reilly felt as if he may have ticked it, too.

"I think so," the Avalanche rookie said. "Some days you get breaks like that."

The Avalanche have certainly received their fair share of beneficial bounces in this series. In Game 1, a puck deflected into the net off the skate of Rob Blake with 50 seconds left to propel Colorado to a 2-1 win.

"Overall, they outplayed us today," O’Reilly said. "Andy kept us in it. Andy deserved this one."

"Andy" is the nickname of Anderson, the name the crowd kept chanting.

"He’s been great all season long for us," Avs coach Joe Sacco said.

The Sharks were missing a big piece of their offense as Dany Heatley sat out with an unspecified injury. Heatley has been on the same line with Patrick Marleau and Joe Thornton, a pairing that scored 40 percent of San Jose’s goals in the regular season. So far this series, they’ve been stymied, failing to find the net.

Taking Heatley’s place on the line was Manny Malhotra. The Sharks are hoping Heatley can return on Tuesday.

The Avalanche lost a valuable offensive contributor early in the game as well when Milan Hejduk went out with an injury to his upper body. He was hurt in a collision with teammate Paul Stastny as they drifted into the Sharks’ zone. Hejduk was helped off the ice and straight into the locker room.

San Jose pounced all over the Avalanche in the second period, outshooting them 21-3. Try as they might, the Sharks couldn’t sneak anything past Anderson. Setoguchi, who scored the overtime winner in Game 2, tried to ram in a puck on the doorstep of the goal, only to have Anderson quickly close the opening with his right skate.

It was just one of many highlight-reel worthy saves the two netminders turned in during the period. Although Nabokov didn’t face many shots in the second period, he had a sensational save on a breakaway by T.J. Galiardi. Nabokov held his ground with Galiardi bearing down, waiting for the Avalanche rookie to make his move.

When Galiardi did, Nabokov was in proper position, sending the shot — and Galiardi — careening off to the side of the net. As for the one that got past him, he tried to shrug it off.

"We can’t change what happened," Nabokov said. "We should be proud of ourselves, the way we played. Sometimes, you have to tip your hat to Anderson. He played really well and he kept them in there."

In the locker room after the game, Marc-Edouard Vlasic had some words of support for Boyle: "Forget about it."

"It’s unfortunate. It happens," Vlasic said. "It’s not his fault and nobody blames him."

NOTES: Once a fan favorite, San Jose’s Rob Blake was heavily booed each time he touched the puck. Blake knew he’d be viewed as the villain by Avalanche faithful. "They’re very loyal fans," said Blake, who helped Colorado hoist the Stanley Cup trophy in 2001. ... Colorado forward Ryan Stoa was in the lineup as he filled in for Kevin Porter, who suffered an upper-body injury in Game 2. Stoa left in the second period with a lower-body injury.

Crosby, Malkin lead Penguins past Senators

OTTAWA — Even faced with the constant attention of the Ottawa Senators’ top pair of defensemen, Sidney Crosby keeps finding ways to lead the Pittsburgh Penguins.

Crosby had a goal and an assist, Evgeni Malkin scored his third playoff goal, and Pittsburgh beat Ottawa 4-2 on Sunday night to take a 2-1 lead in the Eastern Conference series.

Marc-Andre Fleury made 20 saves and Alexei Ponikarovsky and Bill Guerin also scored for the defending Stanley Cup champion Penguins, who won their second in a row following a 5-4 loss to the Senators in the series opener.

Crosby raised his playoff total to seven points in three games despite being consistently covered by Ottawa defensemen Anton Volchenkov and Chris Phillips.

"It’s a challenge every night in the playoffs," Crosby said. "There’s not a lot of space and I think it’s important that you come ready to compete, especially for me individually. I know that playing against those two guys on defense it’s going to be difficult so I’ve got to be prepared to compete and find ways. It’s not always going to happen but I’ve got to be ready to compete, so that’s all I’ve been trying to do."

Mike Fisher and Matt Cullen scored power-play goals for Ottawa. Brian Elliott stopped 20 shots.

"We’re still in it," said Fisher, who tied it at 1 early in the second. "I mean, we’ve got another game at home here to even the series. We’ve got to focus on that game and nothing beyond and nothing about the past two games, just do what we’ve got to do to be successful."

Game 4 is Tuesday night in Ottawa.

Malkin restored Pittsburgh’s one-goal lead at 2-1 in the second not long after Fisher drew the Senators even with a power-play goal 1:53 into the period.

The 2009 Conn Smythe Trophy winner as the playoff MVP, Malkin jumped on a loose puck beside Elliott and fired into an open net at 5:57 after the Ottawa goalie failed to poke it away.

Maxim Talbot drew an assist on the play, pushing the puck away from rookie Senators defenseman Erik Karlsson as the two raced toward the goal to recover the puck after it got away from Malkin on a rush into the Senators’ zone.

"With Geno you know he’s never going to make the easy play," Talbot said. "He’s always going to create something out of nothing and that’s why I drove the net. I knew he could put the puck there and I hustled down and got to the puck first and put it on net, and Malkin did a great job with the rebound."

Crosby, who had five points in the first two games in Pittsburgh, made it a 3-1 with 44.4 seconds left in the second. The Penguins’ 22-year-old captain carried the puck across the goalmouth from the right corner, holding onto it before putting a shot over a sprawled Elliott for his first power-play goal of the playoffs.

"I just tried to take it across the net and was able to hold on to it for a little bit and find an opening there," Crosby said.

Crosby added his seventh point, his fifth assist, when Guerin’s breakaway goal increased the lead to three 4:27 into the third.

Ottawa coach Cory Clouston didn’t question his players’ effort.

"I don’t think there were lazy plays," Clouston said. "There were a couple of mistakes, for sure. It’s a game of mistakes. We only gave up nine or 10 scoring chances and just over 20 shots. We had our opportunities. They made their mistakes, they made good of their opportunities — to me, that was the biggest difference."

Fisher gave the Senators’ fans some hope when he converted Ottawa’s first power-play opportunity early in the second to tie it at 1. Cullen’s goal at 12:58 of the third also came with the man advantage, though it only drew the Senators within two.

Ponikarovsky quieted the Scotiabank Place crowd with his first goal 1:17 in. The former Toronto Maple Leafs left wing carried the puck along the right side before stopping in the faceoff circle, holding off for a moment while Karlsson past him along the ice before firing a wrist shot past Elliott.

The Senators thought they had scored the tying goal with 40.8 seconds remaining in the first. After a video review, referee Eric Furlatt waved his arms and announced, "the puck was kicked in - no goal" to the dismay of the crowd. Repeated replays had already shown Regin kicking the puck with his right skate between Fleury’s pads after Jason Spezza’s centering pass from behind the net landed at his feet.

NOTES: Brad Thiessen backed up Fleury for the second game in a row. ... Penguins D Jordan Leopold did not travel to Ottawa. Leopold is day-to-day after he was knocked out of Friday night’s game on a hit by Senators D Andy Sutton. Veteran D Jay McKee replaced Leopold in the lineup.

-- Alan Robinson

Coyotes beat Red Wings 4-2 for 2-1 lead in series

DETROIT — The Phoenix Coyotes have thrived in the face of adversity all season.

They did it again Sunday in Game 3 against the Detroit Red Wings.

Overcoming the loss of captain Shane Doan and another key player, Petr Prucha and Radim Vrbata scored midway through the third period to lift the Coyotes to a 4-2 victory and a 2-1 series lead.

"From where we’ve come from, a couple injuries are not going to deter us," Phoenix coach Dave Tippett said. "Shane is a great player, he’s our leader, but we recognized we had a game to play."

Phoenix scratched forward Vernon Fiddler, who got hit in the lip by a stick in Game 2, and lost Doan on his first shift of the second period when he appeared to have an upper-body injury after running into the endboards.

"They just got better," Detroit coach Mike Babcock said. "With no Fiddler and no Doan, they had the puck more than we did."

The Coyotes have overcome a series of off-the-ice setbacks, starting with their previous owner taking the franchise into bankruptcy last year leading to the NHL buying the team in November. Wayne Gretzky resigned as coach nine days before the opener and was replaced by Tippett on the bench.

"If you look back from the start of the year, it was part of our identity that you can overcome anything," Tippett said.

Detroit overcame the loss of players who combined to score 88 goals last season — when it was a win away from repeating as Stanley Cup champions — and a slew of injuries to extend the longest playoff streak in sports with a 19th straight appearance in the postseason.

The fifth-seeded Red Wings were the hottest team in the NHL entering the playoffs, but they’re having trouble with the fourth-seeded Coyotes, who were almost as successful after the Olympic break.

"It’s interesting how the perception from you people is we’re supposed to just crush them," Babcock bristled to reporters. "They’re a good team, too."

Detroit will host Game 4 on Tuesday night, needing a win to avoid being on the brink of elimination.

The Red Wings will have to start and finish much better than they did Sunday.

Phoenix defenseman Sami Lepisto scored 29 seconds into the game, the fastest playoff goal in franchise history, and Prucha and Vrbata scored 3:22 apart in the middle of the third period.

Ilya Bryzgalov made 29 saves for the Coyotes, whose confidence is building by the day against a team that was picked by some as a Stanley Cup contender a week ago.

"We believe in ourselves," Bryzgalov said. "I’m not worried about opinions from outside."

Detroit’s Valtteri Filppula made it 1-all late in the first period and Johan Franzen also scored for the Red Wings, who got average goaltending from Jimmy Howard, who made 29 saves.

"I just have to refocus and get out there and have a good practice," Howard said.

The Coyotes quickly quieted a fired-up crowd at Joe Louis Arena and might’ve rattled Howard when Lepisto got the third shot of the game past Howard.

Filppula’s power-play goal got the fans back into it at the 14:42 mark of the first period, but the Red Wings failed to score in the second period and they allowed Wojtek Wolski to score with 32 seconds left in the second.

Phoenix looked faster than Detroit at times, beating veterans such as defenseman Nicklas Lidstrom to the front of the net and getting to pucks in the corners quicker.

"When you turn over pucks, you look like you have no energy," Babcock said.

The Red Wings had what appeared to be two goals waved off, including one with 3:02 by Todd Bertuzzi, who was puzzled by an official’s explanation.

"He just said you can’t push the goaltender," Bertuzzi recalled. "It was news to me."

It didn’t give Babcock an excuse.

"That had nothing to do with the game," he said. "They beat us."

NOTES: Doan, whose status will be updated publicly Monday after an evaluation, had a goal and an assist during the first two games and led the Coyotes with 55 points during the regular season. ... Two octopi were thrown on the ice during the national anthem, a playoff tradition in Detroit. Building manager Al Sobotka let one of them slip out of his hand as he twirled it in what was perhaps a bad omen. ... Wolski has scored in each game against Detroit. ... Detroit F Tomas Holmstrom played in his 155th game, moving past Gordie Howe for seventh place on the postseason games list for the Red Wings. ... Lepisto’s goal beat the previous franchise record for the fastest goal in a playoff game. Randy Carlyle scored 53 seconds into a game for Winnipeg against Edmonton on April 25, 1985. ... The Coyotes played on NBC for the first time and the Red Wings were on the network for the fifth time this season alone.

-- Larry Lage

Flyers beat Devils 3-2 in OT

PHILADELPHIA — He usually hears cheers from Flyers fans after another fight has riled them up.

Buried under a pile of his teammates with nothing to see but a blur orange jerseys, Daniel Carcillo never heard noise like what vibrated throughout the arena. Carcillo, a fighter with squatters rights on the penalty box, morphed from puncher to postseason star with the biggest goal of his career.

Carcillo scored 3:35 into overtime to give the Philadelphia Flyers a 3-2 victory over the New Jersey Devils on Sunday night and a 2-1 advantage in the Eastern Conference series.

He looked left, right, then all he saw was a face-full of flying Flyers. A week after earning a playoff spot in a shootout against the New York Rangers in the regular-season finale, it was time for another wild Philly pileup.

"I’m still kind of shaking," Carcillo said. "It was huge. It was awesome. Everybody dreams of a goal like that."

Mike Richards set up the goal off a pair of shots against the sensational Martin Brodeur. Richards’ first shot bounced off Brodeur. Richards then slid the second one past Brodeur to Carcillo — who put it behind Brodeur.

"Richards was banging away and they seemed occupied with him," Carcillo said. "It was a pretty easy tap in for a game winner."

The Flyers pounded Brodeur all game and outshot the Devils 6-1 in the brief overtime. Carcillo, who scored only 12 goals all season, added an assist in 7:11 of total ice time.

Claude Giroux and Richards scored in regulation for the Flyers. Brian Rolston had two power-play goals for the Devils.

Game 4 is Tuesday night in Philadelphia.

Brodeur did just about all he could for the Devils to keep them in the game on hostile ice with 31 saves. But Carcillo, known more for his punches and suspensions than scoring, found just enough of a hole to knock in the winner.

"The third period was probably the only period in the playoffs we were outplayed," Brodeur said.

The Flyers already had home-ice advantage. They can take control of the series with another win in front of their orange-clad fans Tuesday.

Brodeur was sensational in the third, stopping every kind of shot from the Flyers. Philly dominated the puck and made Brodeur work hard for all 12 saves in the period. His nicest may have been a sprawling kick save on Danny Briere with 6:30 left in regulation. All it really did was delay defeat.

Brian Boucher — who heard the sounds of "Boooosh!" echo throughout the soldout arena — was solid as well. Ten years after leading the Flyers to the Eastern Conference finals, Boucher’s improbable second act is off to a flying start.

While goals were nearly even, whistles were decidedly lopsided in New Jersey’s favor. The Flyers were called for eight penalties to New Jersey’s three through the first three periods. It was 9-5 at the end of regulation.

Rolston capitalized on two of those chances. With defenseman Kimmo Timonen in the box for hooking, Rolston put the Devils ahead 1-0 on a nice fake-and-fire from the point in the first period.

Rolston, who scored 20 goals this season, again came through with the man-advantage and this time he had some help. Dainius Zubrus set a perfect screen in front of Boucher — shades of Chris Pronger’s plant for the Flyers in Game 2 — and the Philadelphia goalie never saw the long shot whiz past him to make it 2-all.

"I still think we can get more action in on Boucher," Rolston said. "He’s been playing really well for them, but we gotta be better at trying to get more opportunities."

Giroux and Richards gave the Flyers a 2-1 lead. Timonen made a sort of slap-pass from the circle to Giroux that made it 1-1 in the first. Richards gave the Flyers a short-lived 2-1 when Carcillo punched a loose puck out from behind the net to Richards for the goal. Turned out, that was just the start of clutch plays out of Carcillo.

Boucher was bailed out early in the game when Braydon Coburn cleared a puck in the crease that was trickling past the red line for a sure goal.

Carcillo has been suspended four times in the last two seasons — even serving one last year in the playoffs. He was docked two games in late March, and was fourth in the NHL in penalty minutes (207) a year after leading the league with 254. He was in the box only once for 2 minutes in Game 3 — and found it’s more fun leaving a mark with a winning goal than with his fists.

"We were all going crazy," Flyers forward Scott Hartnell said. "Obviously, that big pileup afterward just shows the emotion of the game."

NOTES: NHL commissioner Gary Bettman was at the game. ... Brodeur was going for his 100th career playoff win ... Pronger played in his 150th playoff game. ... Members of the Phillies attended to root on the Flyers.

-- Dan Gelston

Previews

Kings return home with playoff momentum

LOS ANGELES — If any playoff hockey fans deserve a little more for their money, it’s the long-suffering Staples Center denizens who haven’t witnessed a postseason game since 2002.

The Los Angeles Kings already have played two overtime games against the Vancouver Canucks, and nobody will be surprised if it takes more than 60 minutes to decide who takes control of this first-round series in Game 3.

The Kings will be back in black — their all-black third jerseys — when the Stanley Cup chase finally runs back through Hollywood on Monday night. The clubs split two gut-wrenching games in Vancouver, with Los Angeles losing the opener before overcoming an early two-goal deficit to take Game 2 and claim home-ice advantage.

"It’s huge we had a split in the other team’s city," said 21-year-old forward Wayne Simmonds, who looked right at home on the Kings’ top line in Game 2. "(Now) we get to go home to our fans who haven’t seen a playoff game in eight years. We are rewarding them."

The Kings’ youth and inexperience were expected to be liabilities against veteran Vancouver, yet they’ve twice risen to the challenge of sudden-death playoff hockey. If the clubs keep up this overtime binge, Los Angeles’ younger legs could even prove to be an asset.

The Canucks canceled their practice Sunday before flying down the Pacific coast, while the Kings held a late-afternoon skate at their El Segundo training complex. Coach Terry Murray wanted to keep his club’s focus on work after an exhilarating overtime victory.

"When you have a win to tie a series, it’s important to celebrate, enjoy, and then get back to work," said Murray, coaching in the postseason for the first time since 2000 with Florida. "You’re going to fall behind, you’re going to have adversity staring you in the face, and you’ve got to be able to get up and keep going."

Vancouver doesn’t seem worried by its 19-20-2 road record during the regular season or its embarrassing 8-3 loss in its last trip to Los Angeles on April 1. The Canucks are more worried about avoiding penalties and amping up their penalty killing after the Kings scored four of their five goals in the first two games with a man advantage.

"We have to be a little more responsible out there," defenseman Sami Salo said Sunday before the Canucks’ flight to Los Angeles. "We’re taking too many penalties, and that’s what is giving us trouble. You want to be intensive and finish your checks, but you have to be more disciplined.

"We’re just giving them a little too much room and space and time, so we just have to try to take that away. Other than that, we did a fairly good job. They just got a couple of bounces, and that’s how it is with hockey games."

Both teams claim to know exactly what they’ve got to do to shut down their opponents’ best offensive weapon. NHL scoring champion Henrik Sedin has just two assists, suggesting the Kings have done well in their goal of forcing the Sedin twins and linemate Alex Burrows to play defense.

With the last change on home ice, Los Angeles plans to match Michal Handzus’ line and defensemen Drew Doughty and Rob Scuderi against the Sedins and Burrows whenever possible.

Scuderi, who won the Stanley Cup last season with Pittsburgh, made a heady play during overtime in Game 2 by flipping the puck toward Vancouver’s bench during a change. The puck hit a Canucks player and created a penalty for too many men on the ice, leading to the power play that resulted in the winning goal.

"I think we caught a break," said Scuderi, who had unsuccessfully tried that play several times earlier in his career. "For sure, there’s not a whole lot of ice out there. There were only a few limited offensive opportunities, so you’ve got to try anything to create something for us."

The Kings also thrived after Murray made a high-risk change to his lineup for Game 2, scratching veteran forward Justin Williams and replacing him on the Kings’ top line with Simmonds, the hardworking youngster whose energy boosted Los Angeles countless times during the season. Simmonds did it again in Vancouver, scoring the tying goal midway through the second period and generally agitating the Canucks.

Murray said he’ll stick with the same line combinations in Game 3, relegating Williams — who won the Stanley Cup with Carolina in 2006 — to the press box for another game. Williams missed 28 games down the regular-season stretch with a broken leg, only returning last month.

"I can’t make a change," Murray said. "I like what I saw. ... I want Justin Williams there. That line in the first half of the season was probably the best line in hockey, (but) it hasn’t always been happening for Justin coming back from his injury."

Yet Vancouver also seems confident it can cause trouble for Kings goalie Jonathan Quick, whose shakiness popped up again on a 35-foot goal in Game 2 by Mikael Samuelsson, who has three of the Canucks’ five goals in the series. Quick settled down after that goal and shut out the Canucks for the final 57½ minutes.

"He seems to be down quite a bit, and if we can get it up, we can get it by him," Vancouver defenseman Shane O’Brien said. "We’ve just got to put everything on net and get a few greasy ones and some garbage goals. We’re in a series now. We’ve got to play with a little more desperation."

-- Greg Beacham

Niemi shuts out Predators, Chicago gets even

CHICAGO — Antti Niemi’s mind was clear and his game was sharp. It was just what the Chicago Blackhawks needed to even up their first-round series with the Nashville Predators

"I just wanted to get ready like every other game. I didn’t want to think about too much," Niemi said after making 23 saves in his second career playoff game to help the Blackhawks beat the Predators 2-0 on Sunday night.

Niemi, a rookie, didn’t dwell on his first playoff game two nights earlier when he gave up two goals, one on a bouncing puck in a 4-1 loss in the series opener. That loss put Sunday night’s game into the must-win category for the Blackhawks with Games 3 and 4 in the Western Conference series slated for Nashville on Tuesday and Thursday.

"You don’t want to focus on, ‘This is a big game.’ You want it to be like every other," Niemi said.

Chicago got a power play goal from Dave Bolland and a score from Patrick Kane on a 3-on-1 break in the final period against Pekka Rinne, who had 31 saves.

But it was Chicago’s defense that led the way. The Blackhawks had 13 blocked shots against the Predators, who were without leading scorer Patric Hornqvist, a scratch with an upper-body injury. The 30-goal scorer, who played 13 minutes in Game 1, is expected to return for Game 3. He had taken a slap shot off the body on April 7.

"Nobody really filled his role," Nashville coach Barry Trotz said. "I thought their goaltender saw way too many pucks. We made it easy on him. ... You’ve got to fight for inches. We didn’t fight for those inches. We need to be in his face a little more and make him fight through and find pucks."

The Predators’ offense was lacking a bit without Hornqvist

"We missed him," teammate Steve Sullivan said. "He’s a big presence there. He’s a talent. He’s got great hands in traffic."

On the power play, Jonathan Toews took a pass in traffic in front of the net from Kane and then in turn found Bolland in the left circle and his backhander gave the Blackhawks a 1-0 lead at 8:44 of the second.

It was the fifth career playoff goal for Bolland, who scored six goals and played only 39 games this season after back surgery.

"It’s a relief. It’s big to be tied and not down two going into their barn," Bolland said.

Rinne made a sprawling save minutes later on another power play, stopping a shot by Marian Hossa to keep the Blackhawks’ lead at that point to a single goal.

The Predators, who had the fewest penalty minutes per game of any team in the NHL this season, were called for three straight in the second period.

Kane came down on the 3-on-1 break — one of the few breaks the Blackhawks have had in the first two games against Nashville’s tough defense — held the puck on his stick as if he might pass and then rifled it past Rinne on the stick side for a 2-0 lead with more 4 minutes elapsed in the final period.

"I figured the goalie was expecting a pass, so I just took a look at the net and fired," Kane said.

Niemi made two quick saves on good chances by against Dustin Boyd — one with his right pad — early in the second period to keep it scoreless. And then he stopped a hard slapper from Marcel Goc early in the third before Kane increased the lead to two.

"Antti came off a game where we were all disappointed. It was a nice response by him," Chicago Joel Quenneville said.

"We were more tenacious in the puck area, we had more traffic at the net, better board play and better in the scrum areas. ... There was more energy in our game."

Chicago’s best first-period scoring chance came when Marian Hossa made a nice pass across the crease to Toews. But with Rinne leaning to one side and the net partially open, Toews hit the crossbar with his shot.

Bolland knocked the puck in the net 42 seconds later, but it was disallowed because it came after the whistle when Rinne went to his knees to cover it up. That prompted a loud profane cheer from the crowd at the United Center.

The Blackhawks had a 13-5 shots edge in the first period but couldn’t convert. The Predators went on two power plays but couldn’t solve Niemi.

NOTES: The Predators won the first game of their 2006 series with San Jose and then lost four straight. ... The Blackhawks have a 16-39 series record when losing the first game.

-- Rick Gano

Sabres hope to regain home ice after Vanek injury

BOSTON — The Buffalo Sabres hoped to get a better playoff start than splitting the first two games at home and losing their top goal scorer. Now they have to play Monday night in Boston where the Bruins may be shaking their struggles at home. They may even treat their fans to a newfound scoring touch after a 5-3 victory Saturday.

"I think it gives us confidence," Boston’s Milan Lucic said Sunday. "We have to realize that we were relentless and we played like a determined hockey club and we’ve got to keep that up."

The Bruins, the NHL’s second-lowest scoring team in the regular season, beat the Sabres after dropping the opener 2-1 two days earlier. What made Game 2 more damaging for Buffalo was the loss of Thomas Vanek with an apparent left foot injury.

Buffalo coach Lindy Ruff said Sunday it’s doubtful Vanek will play Monday night, but Vanek was confident he’d return at some point in the opening round.

Sabres defenseman Steve Montador expects the team to stick with the same system without Vanek.

"Thomas is hard to replace, but one player doesn’t make a team, and you can say that about any one guy in our lineup," Montador said. "We want to continue to play hard, play our system and we’ll get the chances that we need if we continue to work."

The Bruins know what it’s like to lose a key offensive player. Marc Savard, their top playmaker, was limited by injuries to 41 games and is still sidelined with a concussion after taking a blindside hit from Pittsburgh’s Matt Cooke on March 7.

Boston scored just 206 goals, two more than Calgary. But the Bruins also allowed the second-fewest goals, 200. New Jersey was the NHL’s stingiest team with 191.

In Vanek’s absence, first-line center Tim Connolly becomes more important to the Sabres. Buffalo’s second leading scorer, Connolly missed the last nine games of the regular season with a foot injury but played in both postseason games.

"I definitely can play better," he said. "The first couple of games I didn’t get a lot accomplished out there, especially offensively.

"It’s good sometimes to get on the road during the playoffs. You can really just go there and focus on playing the game. There’s nothing else going on. I personally like playing on the road, especially in the playoffs."

After beating Philadelphia 2-1 in the Winter Classic at Fenway Park on New Year’s Day, the Bruins lost 10 straight games at TD Garden, their regular home. But in their last three home games, they played well in a 1-0 loss to Florida then beat Buffalo 3-1 and Carolina 4-2.

"We won the last couple games, but the other games before, too, that some of them that we lost, we were dominant," Bruins coach Claude Julien said. "So it’s not that we’ve played terrible here. We weren’t getting results there for a while. But I think our team feels pretty confident in our home building."

Ruff expects a loud crowd.

"Our execution has to be good," he said. If "we win some faceoffs and battle hard in the circles it’ll give us the opportunity to negate some of that early energy in that building. But I’d expect there’s going to be a lot of energy. I’ve seen it in all the buildings we’ve visited in the playoffs."

The first game was tied 1-1 before Buffalo won. In Game 2, the Bruins fell behind 2-0 then put five goals past star goalie Ryan Miller, including two each by Zdeno Chara and Michael Ryder.

The loss was Buffalo’s first in 32 games this season in which it led after two periods.

"Knowing that we were able to put a couple in and get a win in a building that they’re good playing in, it was good for us confidence-wise," Boston defenseman Andrew Ference said.

Now Buffalo gets a chance to regain home ice advantage after coming close to sweeping the first two games before squandering a lead. It would help if their power play, scoreless in nine chances in the series, improved.

"We’ve had some good opportunities that we’ve missed on," Ruff said. "We need more attack. We’ve gotten a little bit passive."

The Bruins have gotten just what they want.

"Anytime you start off on the road, you want to come back with at least a split," Julien said. "We’ve done that."

-- Howard Ulman

Ovechkin, Capitals put pressure back on Canadiens

MONTREAL — Alexander Ovechkin and the Washington Capitals gave their fans reason to "Rock the Red" after salvaging a split at home to open their first Stanley Cup playoff matchup against Montreal.

Now they’re eager to put a dent in the "bleu, blanc et rouge" enthusiasm of the Canadiens’ passionate and demanding fans.

Powered by Ovechkin’s four-point effort and Nicklas Backstrom’s overtime winner to complete a hat trick, the top-seeded Capitals avoided falling into an 0-2 series hole with a 6-5 comeback victory in Game 2 on Saturday night.

Ovechkin thinks Washington has a great opportunity to ride its momentum as the series shifts to Bell Centre for the Capitals’ Montreal playoff debut Monday night.

"It’s the first time I’m playing against a Canadian team," Ovechkin said after practice Sunday in Arlington, Va. "Canada is crazy about hockey. The atmosphere is going to be unbelievable and the pressure is going to be on them, not on us."

That pressure shifted several times throughout Game 2. Washington first overcame a 4-1 deficit to tie it on Backstrom’s second goal of the game midway through the third. After falling behind once again, the Capitals evened it at 5 on rookie defenseman John Carlson’s first playoff goal with 1:21 left in regulation.

The Canadiens ultimately blew a chance to return home with a 2-0 lead when Backstrom completed his hat trick with a wrister past Jaroslav Halak 31 seconds into overtime.

"If I’m Montreal, I’m angry because I could have won two games," Capitals coach Bruce Boudreau said. "They’re thinking they’re the better team. We’re trying as hard as we can, believe me. They’re playing really good."

The Canadiens’ penalty killing has excelled in the first two games. Washington, the NHL’s top-ranked power play, has failed to score in seven opportunities.

In the wake of the split, Boudreau was able to concentrate on the silver lining in evaluating the Capitals’ inability to convert with the man advantage — so far.

"Even though we didn’t score and our entries weren’t what we wanted, I thought we had some great looks and we just missed chances," Boudreau said. "So it’s not as if I’m dismally disappointed in our power play because they’re working at it and they’re trying to get stuff done and they’re having the modicum of success, meaning that they’re getting a couple of chances during the power play. It’s not like Montreal’s got it in our zone the whole time."

Held without a goal, an assist, or a shot on goal for the first time in his NHL career Thursday night in the Capitals’ series-opening 3-2 overtime loss, Ovechkin had a goal and three assists after Eric Fehr scored Washington’s first goal midway through the opening period.

The Canadiens had already scored twice prior to that, prompting Boudreau to replace starter Jose Theodore with Semyon Varlamov. Boudreau had not yet made a decision on who would start Game 3 before the Capitals flew to Montreal on Sunday. After making 45 saves in Game 1, Halak was beaten six times on 37 shots Saturday.

"You just have to make some traffic in front of him and find the rebounds," Ovechkin said. "He gave up lots of rebounds. I watched the replay when (Fehr) scored the goal and his arm was shaking when he was drinking water so he’s nervous. He knows all the pressure is on him and that’s a good sign for us."

Playoff News & Notes

Caps coach Boudreau undecided on Game 3 goalie

ARLINGTON, Va. — The morning after a thrilling comeback victory and a goaltender switch, Washington Capitals coach Bruce Boudreau was still undecided on his goalie for Game 3 of the first-round playoff series in Montreal on Monday.

In Saturday’s 6-5 overtime win over the Canadiens, Boudreau pulled Jose Theodore just 7:58 into the game after he allowed the first two Montreal shots to go in.

Semyon Varmalov relieved Theodore, and after the Capitals fell behind 4-1 in the second period, they rallied to tie the game before Nicklas Backstrom won it 31 seconds into overtime.

"I’m sure we’re still going to use both goalies," Boudreau said. "Whether (Varlamov) plays Monday or (Theodore) plays Monday I think they’re both going to play again."

Boudreau had selected Theodore to be his playoff goalie, but after an overtime loss in Thursday’s Game 1 and two quick goals Saturday, he was replaced.

"That’s a pretty deflating goal when you’re coming out and you’re all excited about playing and then the first shot goes in. And then the next shot they get goes in. So that’s why I made the change," Boudreau said.

Theodore ended the regular season on a club-record 23-game streak without a regulation loss (20-0-3), but Boudreau has been known to change goalies.

A year ago, he benched former league MVP Theodore after just one game in the playoffs and replaced him with playoff neophyte Varlamov, who anchored the Capitals until a Game 7 loss in the second round.

"I think it’s the first time I do get pulled after two goals," Theodore said on Sunday. "It’s in the playoffs. Sometimes you want to do things to change the momentum."

After Varmalov skated on to replace him, Theodore slammed his stick when he reached the Capitals’ bench.

"I don’t think I played long enough to say I played bad. I was there for 10 minutes."

Actually, Theodore didn’t even play eight minutes.

"One thing about Theo is last year and this year, he can put that stuff behind him and come out and play great, and we’re going to ask him to play great again," Boudreau said.

Varmalov, who speaks limited English, wasn’t available for comment on Sunday.

After the game on Saturday, he spoke through a translator.

"I was surprised. It’s not often you see a goalie pulled after two goals. Obviously, I wasn’t going to argue with it. They told me to go play — and I went and played," Varmalov said. "I don’t want to make any predictions for the next game."

Coyotes’ Doan hurt in Game 3 against Red Wings

DETROIT — Phoenix Coyotes center Shane Doan had what appeared to be an upper-body injury in the second period and didn’t return in Game 3 against the Detroit Red Wings.

"The doctors will be looking at him," Phoenix coach Dave Tippett said Sunday after a 4-2 win that gave his team a 2-1 series lead. "We’ll see where he’s at (Monday)."

Doan collided with Detroit goaltender Jimmy Howard on his first shift of the second period, lost his balance and ran into the endboards. He later walked toward the dressing room and didn’t come back.

The Coyotes did not disclosed what he injured. Doan had a goal and an assist during the first two games, which were split in Phoenix. He led the Coyotes with 55 points during the regular season.

Sabres LW Vanek doubtful for Game 3 against Bruins

BUFFALO, N.Y. — Injured Sabres left wing Thomas Vanek will likely miss Game 3 of Buffalo’s Eastern Conference playoff series against the Boston Bruins.

Vanek, however, didn’t rule himself out of the series tied at a game apiece.

Buffalo’s top goal scorer was injured after he was hooked and slashed by Boston’s Johnny Boychuk during a partial breakaway with under 7 minutes left in the opening period of the Bruins’ Game 2 win Saturday.

Vanek slid hard into the end boards and had difficulty putting weight on his left foot.

Right wing Drew Stafford, meanwhile, will undergo tests Sunday to determine whether he can return for Game 3 on Monday. He has been sidelined with a concussion sustained in the second-to-last game of the regular season against Ottawa.

Blackhawks sign Boston College’s Ben Smith

CHICAGO — The Chicago Blackhawks have signed right wing Ben Smith to a two-year contract that begins at the start of the 2010-11 season. The team announced the deal in a news release Sunday. Terms were not disclosed.

The 21-year-old Smith helped Boston College win the NCAA championship this season and was named the tournament’s most outstanding player. He had 16 goals and 37 points in 42 games during his senior year.

He played in all 165 of Boston College’s games during his four years, racking up 122 points, with 57 goals and 65 assists, and 36 penalty minutes. Smith was the Blackhawks fifth choice and 169th overall in the 2008 draft. His is from Winston-Salem, N.C.

Avs’ Hejduk leaves game with injury

DENVER — Avalanche center Ryan Stoa joined teammate Milan Hejduk on the sideline after sustaining a lower-body injury during the second period of Game 3 in Colorado’s NHL playoff series with San Jose on Sunday night.

Hejduk left 2:06 into the contest after sustaining an upper-body injury.

Hejduk, who had one goal for the Avalanche in the first two playoff games, was injured after colliding with teammate Paul Stastny while the two skated into the Sharks’ zone. It wasn’t immediately clear how Stoa was injured.

Sharks’ Heatley sidelined for Game 3

DENVER — San Jose star Dany Heatley missed Game 3 of the Sharks’ playoff series against Colorado on Sunday night because of an unspecified injury. A team spokesman declined to elaborate on the nature of Heatley’s injury. The Sharks recalled Dwight Helminen from Worcester of the American Hockey League.

Heatley assisted on the tying goal with 31.3 seconds remaining in regulation in Game 2 on Friday night in San Jose. The Sharks won 6-5 in overtime to even the series 1-1. During the season, Heatley led the league with nine game-winning goals.

Elsewhere

Modano not sure if he will retire or keep playing

FORT WORTH — Mike Modano woke up many mornings this season feeling good and wondering why he would think about retiring. Other days, the highest-scoring U.S.-born player in NHL history was sure he was done.

A week after the end of his 20th full NHL season, and with his contract with the Dallas Stars expiring, Modano said he plans to take some time before deciding whether to retire or play another season. He is also part of a group seeking ownership of the Stars, who are being sold by Tom Hicks’ financially strapped Hicks Sports Group.

"It’s really hard, I’m really kind of on the fence right now," Modano said Sunday about his playing future. "It’s tough. And then you watch some of the playoffs, watch some of those games and it’s like those are the things that you miss."

The Stars missed the playoffs for the second season in a row, the first time that has happened since relocating from Minnesota 17 years ago.

"That’s the hard part. You leave on a real bad taste in your mouth about how we played," Modano said. "That too is a real motivating factor because you hate to end on that type of note. You like to go in the playoffs, make a good run and have some excitement. ... But then you have a type of run like that and you’re like, ‘Hey, let’s do it again next year.’ "

Modano was at Texas Motor Speedway on Sunday, where he was scheduled to drive the pace car before the start of the rain-delayed NASCAR Sprint Cup race.

While pondering his playing future, Modano can relate to the yearly drama surrounding what decision NFL superstar quarterback Brett Favre will make.

"He still feels he can throw and obviously he can," Modano said. "So I can see why we at this time get real wishy-washy about what we’re going to do."

Modano needed only a month last summer to decide he was coming back to play another season. But he had a guaranteed contract then.

This time, Modano doesn’t have a contract for the following season and has yet to discuss one with general manager and former teammate Joe Nieuwendyk.

"That will be something that’s down the road as well. There’s no rush to decide on that," Modano said. "I think Joe’s kind of given me the leeway to kind of take my time and make a good decision and come back and talk to him a few times, see how they feel. ... I’ve known Joe for years and he’s been really honest and open about the whole scenario, so that’s been nice."

The No. 1 overall pick by the Minnesota North Stars in 1988, Modano was the last player remaining on the Stars from when the team moved south.

In 1,459 career games, Modano has 557 points and 802 assists for 1,359 points, all team records. He had 14 goals and 16 assists this season.

But Modano isn’t expected to be the team’s primary scorer any more. Brad Richards was seventh in the NHL with 91 points, and players like Loui Eriksson and Mike Riberio are capable of scoring as well.

"The pressure to kind of be the main guy ... is far gone," Modano said. "So you just try to be a competitive guy, a little piece of the puzzle now and help contribute in any way you can."

-- Stephen Hawkins