WESTERN FINALS
GAME DAY PREVIEWS
GAME 5:
#1 DALLAS STARS vs #2 COLORADO AVALANCHE
Series tied 2-2
Game time: Sunday May 30th, 1999 2pm at Dallas
The Colorado Avalanche take their 7-1 road playoff mark and the momentum of Friday's dramatic victory into Game Five of their Western Conference final against the Dallas Stars.
Rookie Chris Drury scored on a one-timer 19:29 into overtime giving Colorado a 3-2 win to even the best-of-seven series at two games apiece. It was Drury's fourth playoff goal and third game-winner.
It also was a loss for the Avalanche as Milan Hejduk suffered a broken collarbone and will be lost for the remainder of the season. He is second on Colorado with six goals and fifth with 12 points.
Colorado was unbeaten away from Denver in the playoffs until Monday when Dallas won Game Four, 4-2, to tie the series at one all.
Avalanche goaltender Patrick Roy once again made his presence felt. The two-time Conn Smythe Trophy winner stopped 43 shots and improved to 33-10 in playoff overtime contests. He is 10-6 in the playoffs with a .930 save percentage this season.
Ed Belfour was almost as sharp in net for Dallas making 42 saves, but fell to 10-4 with a .934 save percentage.
Another player for Dallas that has been on fire is Joe Nieuwendyk, who had two assists on Friday. He has two goals and four assists during a three-game points streak.
Both teams have struggled on the power play. Dallas is 2-for-18 in the series and a paltry 7-for-70 in the playoffs. Colorado is 1-for-15 in the series and 13-of-87 in the postseason overall.
Game Six is Tuesday in Denver.