Canucks, Flames meet for crucial 5th game
CP/TSN.ca
4/15/2004
While Detroit has switched to Curtis Joseph for Game 5 against Nashville tonight, Montreal coach Claude Julien is sticking with Jose Theodore against Boston. Vancouver, facing a crucial fifth game against Calgary, has yet to decide on a replacement for injured starter Dan Cloutier. Will it be veteran Johan Hedberg or rookie Alex Auld?
The Flames are not sure which goaltender they will be facing tonight in Game 5 of the Western Conference quarterfinal series against the Canucks, just that it won't be Dan Cloutier.
The Canucks revealed yesterday that Cloutier would miss the remainder of the series due to a sprained ankle he suffered in Game 3. Johan Hedberg replaced Cloutier after the injury as the Canucks went on to win 2-1. But Hedberg was unimpressive in a 4-0 Game 4 loss that evened the series at two wins apiece and head coach Marc Crawford hinted that rookie Alex Auld might get the start in Game 5.
Crawford noted, however, that his indecision should not be seen as a shot at Hedberg.
"I don't want you to misconstrue that in any way, shape or form," he said. "We've got confidence in everybody that is here.
"As a team we've got to make sure we find ways to improve. We want to focus in on our team play and what we have to do as a team."
Calgary coach Darryl Sutter expects the Canucks to come out strong in an effort to gain the upper hand in the Western Conference series.
``We're going to have to match, for sure, what they bring tomorrow night,'' Sutter said. ``They're a team that will try and really take advantage of their own building. We know that.''
Flames forward and assistant captain Craig Conroy said the players realize that this is their chance to take control of the series. If not, they'll find themselves one loss away from being eliminated from the post season.
``This is a chance to really grab the bull by the horns and say let's go here,'' Conroy said. ``They're going to come out buzzing and we've got to match their intensity off the start.''
Although players on both teams have sustained various bumps and bruises in the series, Conroy said the playoff atmosphere has everyone charged up.
``As you go along in these series you get more and more energized,'' he said. ``You don't feel tired. You're a little sore and beat up, but that goes away come game time.''
Another player who most likely won't be back in the lineup come game time in Vancouver is Flames winger Chris Simon, out with what's being called a lower-body injury.
``He's doubtful, put it that way,'' Sutter said. ``He'd have to get a lot better in a hurry to be able to play tomorrow.''
In Simon's absence, Oleg Saprykin skated alongside Conroy and Jarome Iginla on Calgary's top line.
DETROIT vs NASHVILLE - The Detroit Red Wings are turning to their most experienced goaltender to get them out of the first round of the playoffs.
Curtis Joseph will replace Manny Legace for Game 5 Thursday night in the Red Wings' series with the Nashville Predators. The Red Wings have lost two straight, letting the Predators back into the series.
``I'm putting Curtis in because we want to get a win,'' coach Dave Lewis said Wednesday. ``I want to change some things, and Curtis has tremendous experience. He knows how to deal with the pressure. It's the perfect situation for him to be in.''
Legace started the first four games of the series. He has been Detroit's No. 1 goalie for more than a month with Joseph hobbled because of an ankle injury and Dominik Hasek (groin) out.
The season started with Hasek in net after he ended his one-year retirement, and Joseph on the trading block. But Hasek got hurt and the team changed its plans to deal Joseph.
Then the injury bug hit again. Joseph, who had ankle surgery last summer, sprained his right ankle Feb. 11 and missed a month. The 14-year veteran played in five games before re-injuring his ankle during warmups March 23 at San Jose, and finished the regular season 16-10-3.
The goalie known as ``Cujo'' has a 58-62 career post-season record, including an 0-4 mark last year in his first season in Detroit.
``You always want to play. It's a fun time of the year,'' Joseph said. ``I've worked hard on the ankle with the trainers for this opportunity.''
Legace allowed just two goals to help Detroit open the series with two home wins. But in Games 3 and 4, losses on the road, he gave up six.
The career backup was replaced early in the third period Tuesday by Joseph after allowing three goals.
``You've got to make some big saves for your team and I haven't the past two games,'' Legace said.
At the other end of the ice, Tomas Vokoun has been outstanding for the Predators.
Vokoun stopped 41 shots for his first playoff shutout Tuesday night and Nashville won 3-0 to even the series.
``A hot goalie can carry a team,'' Nashville coach Barry Trotz said. ``We've seen it the last two games.''
Vokoun, who like Legace made his first playoff start in Game 1, can sense the Red Wings are frustrated.
``It's hard to play against us,'' Vokoun said.
Especially on the power play.
The Red Wings, who had the NHL's best record during the regular season, led the league in scoring and were among the top teams on the power play. Against Nashville, they are just 1-for-20 with an extra attacker.
MONTREAL vs BOSTON - The Montreal Canadiens planned a little group therapy and a team dinner Wednesday to seal any rifts opened by their double overtime loss to the Boston Bruins.
``It's a long year and sometimes you're going to have distractions,'' captain Saku Koivu said Wednesday. ``You have the clear the table and then forget the whole thing. That's what we're going to do. I don't think there will be a problem, but if there is, we'll talk about it.''
Any ill-will between teammates seemed to have dissipated the day after their bizarre 4-3 loss to Boston at the Bell Centre on Tuesday night.
The defeat, in which the Canadiens blew a 3-1 lead, left them down three games to one in the best-of-seven Eastern Conference quarter-final series and facing elimination in Game 5 Thursday night in Boston.
Both defenceman Sheldon Souray and coach Claude Julien backed off criticism of star forward Alex Kovalev for abandoning the puck after he was slashed on the hand at 9:27 of the second overtime, leaving Boston's Glen Murray free to score on a breakaway.
Still, Game 5 promises to be tough for Montreal.
Veteran defenceman Stephane Quintal, who left in the second period after jamming his right wrist or arm in a fall against the boards, had his arm in a sling. Julien said Quintal's chances of coming back in the series were ``very slim.''
That would put rookie defenceman Mike Komisarek into his first career playoff game.
Kovalev had a bandage over the knuckles of his right hand, although he insisted he will play.
``It's a little bruised,'' he said. ``The only concern is how it will feel when I grab the stick and take a shot because it's right in the place where you hold the stick.''
The Kovalev row raised questions over whether accusations of faking an injury directed at centre Mike Ribeiro after Game 3 influenced the referees not to penalize Green for slashing Kovalev, although that is unlikely.
The officials called only one penalty in two overtime periods - against Boston only six minutes before the game-winning goal - despite too many fouls to be counted.
Another concern for the Canadiens is the less-than stellar play of goaltender Jose Theodore, who has had flashes of brilliance, but who has also let in some soft goals.
Doubts about Theodore got to the point that Julien was asked if he considered starting backup Mathieu Garon.
``There's no question of changing the goalie,'' Julien said. ``Jose did a good job for us all year.
``We know he can do as well as (Boston goalie) Andrew Raycroft. This would be a good time for him to show it.''
SAN JOSE vs St. LOUIS - If the St. Louis Blues fail to regain their knack for winning in San Jose, they're headed home for the summer.
The Blues were among the San Jose Sharks' least favourite opponents over the past three seasons, largely because St. Louis had big success at the Shark Tank, winning nine of 11 games at one point.
But the Sharks won the first two games of the teams' first-round playoff series and followed up with a split in St. Louis, putting the Blues on the brink of elimination in Game 5 on Thursday night. The Sharks won Game 4 on Tuesday, holding off an inspired third-period effort by the Blues for a 4-3 victory.
Not only have the seventh-seeded Blues lost three straight in San Jose, they've scored just one goal in their last 189 minutes there. Evgeni Nabokov has posted two shutouts, including an overtime victory in Game 1 - and was headed to a third before Doug Weight scored a meaningless short-handed goal late in Game 2.
``We have no choice but to rebound,'' said Blues goalie Chris Osgood, who lost 1-0 decisions in San Jose on Feb. 29 and in Game 1. ``We're due to win a game in San Jose. Every game has been close, and we don't feel like we're getting outplayed.''
That's the most frustrating aspect of the series for the Blues, who have been outscored by just one goal in the series so far, yet find themselves teetering on the brink of an early summer.
Both teams relaxed Wednesday after playing three games in the previous four days. St. Louis didn't practice before a midday flight to the West Coast, while San Jose had just six players at its optional skate.
The Blues still haven't found a solution for San Jose's speed and forechecking, which produced most of the Sharks' scoring chances in the series so far. St. Louis tried to counter with overtly physical play in Game 2, but that simply gave the Sharks 13 power plays.
Defenceman Chris Pronger believes the Blues must put more emphasis on the first period to prevent the Sharks from setting a run-and-gun tone. St. Louis' Mike Kitchen, in his first post-season as a head coach, was much less analytical after Game 4.
``The toughest game to win is the fourth game,'' he said. ``They've got to clinch the series and we're not going to let them clinch the series, so that's the toughest game to win.''
Cheers,
Aquaman