Theodore Turns Away 50 Shots As Avalanche Eliminate Stars
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DALLAS – Jose Theodore played only five games for Colorado in the regular season. Now, after five postseason games he’s already won over his new teammates.
Theodore stopped 11 shots in overtime before Andrew Brunette scooped a rebound over sprawling goaltender Marty Turco to give Colorado a 3-2 victory over the Dallas Stars – and wrap up the first-round series in five games for the seventh-seeded Avalanche.
“He’s the reason we’re standing here with smiles on our face, really. He was unbelievable today,”said Colorado captain Joe Sakic, who scored his 81st career playoff goal and had the shot that led to the winner. “I mean, they could’ve ended it so many times – not only in overtime, but in the third.”
The Stars outshot Colorado 11-4 in the extra period, including seven shots during the frame’s only power play. But Dallas couldn’t solve Theodore. Two days after the Stars avoided a sweep with a 4-1 victory,Theodore stopped 50 shots to end the series.
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SABRES 3, FLYERS 0 In Buffalo, rookie goaltender Ryan Miller shook off his doubters, and the Buffalo Sabres regained the edge in their first-round se ries against the Philadelphia Flyers.
Miller stopped 24 shots to record his first playoff shutout, and Tim Connolly and J.P. Dumont scored power-play goals and had an assist each in Buffalo’s 3-0 win yesterday. Maxim Afinogenov also scored, helping the Sabres bounce back from two road losses and take a 3-2 lead in the Eastern Conference series.
The Flyers looked nothing like the confident group that rallied from a 2-0 series deficit. Peter Forsberg, who had four goals and four assists in four games, was held without a point for the first time. He and linemates Simon Gagne and Mike Knuble were blanked on a combined seven shots on net.
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hurricanes 2, canadiens 1 Rookie goalie Cam Ward stopped 30 shots to win his third straight start, Eric Staal and Matt Cullen had power-play goals, and the Hurricanes beat the Montreal Canadiens 2-1 last night to take a 3-2 advantage in the series.
In each of the first four games, the visiting team came out on top,with three going beyond regulation. Carolina became the first host to take a two-goal lead before the Canadiens rallied. Now the teams head back to Montreal for Game 6.
