WESTERN QUARTER-FINALS
GAME DAY PREVIEWS
GAME 2:
#1 DALLAS STARS vs #8 EDMONTON OILERS
Dallas leads 1-0
Game time: Friday April 23rd, 1999 8:30pm at Dallas
The top-seeded Dallas Stars look to take a commanding two games to none lead tonight in their Western Conference quarterfinal series against the Edmonton Oilers.
The Stars needed third-period goals from Jere Lehtinen and Guy Carbonneau to win the series opener, 2-1 on Wednesday. Dallas won the Jennings Trophy as the NHL's top defensive team during the regular season and limited Edmonton to a postseason record-low 13 shots.
Oilers goaltender Tommy Salo has huge shoes to fill after Curtis Joseph's sparkling performance in last season's playoffs but performed well in his postseason debut. Salo stopped all 18 shots over the first two periods and finished with 29 saves.
Dallas goalie Ed Belfour needed to make just 12 stops in the opener as he improved to 9-2 lifetime against the Oilers in the postseason.
This series is going to be an uphill climb for eighth-seeded Edmonton, which will be without its two leading scorers from the regular season. Right wing Bill Guerin and center Josef Beranek are both sidelined with knee injuries.
The Stars also are missing a couple of key performers. Captain Derian Hatcher has four more games left on his suspension and right wing Pat Verbeek is out for two weeks with a sprained knee.
The series shifts to Edmonton for Games Three and Four on Sunday and Tuesday.
#2 COLORADO AVALANCHE vs #7 SAN JOSE SHARKS
Colorado leads 1-0
Game time: Monday April 26th, 1999 10:30pm at San Jose
The Colorado Avalanche hope to take a two games to none lead lead back to Denver as they battle the San Jose Sharks in Game Two of their Western Conference quarterfinals series tonight.
Patrick Roy proved once again he is a valuable commodity in the postseason on Saturday when he made 42 saves and notched his NHL-best 100th playoff win in the Avalanche's 3-1 victory in the series opener.
Joe Sakic had a hand in all three goals, scoring twice and adding an assist. Defenseman Sandis Ozolinsh had a goal and an assist while Theo Fleury also set up a pair of goals.
Jeff Friesen scored the lone goal for San Jose, which managed 31 shots on net. Joe Murphy and Jeff Norton added the assists.
Colorado defenseman Alexei Gusarov suffered a sprained knee in the third period and is out indefinitely.
Sharks goalie Mike Vernon finished with 28 saves as his postseason record fell to 75-50, but he has dropped his last five decisions dating back to the regular season. Coach Darryl Sutter may opt for Steve Shields, who was 5-1-1 in his last seven starts of the season.
Game Three is Wednesday in Denver.
#3 DETRIOT RED WINGS vs #6 ANAHIEM MIGHTY DUCKS
Detriot leads 1-0
Game time: Friday April 23rd, 1999 7:30pm at Detriot
The Detroit Red Wings try to take a two games to none lead in their Western Conference quarterfinal series against the Mighty Ducks of Anaheim.
Longtime Red Wings captain Steve Yzerman began the playoffs in vintage form, recording his fourth career playoff hat trick in Detroit's 5-3 victory on Wednesday.
Wendel Clark, one of four key acquisitions at the March 23 trade deadline, had a goal and an assist for Detroit, which registered 31 shots over the first two periods and 37 overall.
Paul Kariya scored a goal and set up the other two for the Mighty Ducks, who have lost all five playoff meetings with the Red Wings and are 1-11-3 all-time at Joe Louis Arena.
Anaheim's other star, right wing Teemu Selanne, had a goal and one assist. Anaheim was 15-0-3 during the regular season when Kariya and Selanne scored in the same game.
Ducks goaltender Guy Hebert left midway through the second period after taking a skate to the helmet and was replaced by Tom Askey. Hebert practiced Thursday and is expected to start tonight.
The series shifts to Anaheim for Games Three and Four on Sunday and Tuesday.
#4 PHOENIX COYOTES vs #5 ST. LOUIS BLUES
St. Louis leads 1-0
Game time: Saturday April 24th, 1999 3pm at Phoenix
-- The Phoenix Coyotes face what amounts to a virtual must-win situation today when they host the St. Louis Blues in Game Two of their Western Conference quarterfinal series.
The Blues stole home-ice advantage from the Coyotes with a 3-1 victory in the series opener Thursday. St. Louis goaltender Grant Fuhr proved he is still at the top of his game, coming within two minutes of a shutout while continuing his postseason mastery of the Phoenix Coyotes franchise.
The 36-year-old Fuhr spearheaded the Blues' late-season surge after coming back from his latest knee injury. He raised his career playoff record against the Phoenix-Winnipeg franchise to 16-1 with the first 15 wins coming as a member of the Edmonton Oilers. Fuhr also recorded his 87th career playoff victory, moving within one of Billy Smith for second on the all-time list.
Al MacInnis had a goal and two assists and Jamie Rivers and Scott Pellerin also scored for the Blues, who held Phoenix scoreless on six power-play opportunities. The Coyotes, who will be without leading scorer Jeremy Roenick for the entire postseason due to a broken jaw, ranked next-to-last with the man advantage during the regular season.
Nikolai Khabibulin did not play badly in net for the Coyotes but saw his career postseason record drop to 7-10.
The teams will not have a day off as the series resumes in St. Louis for Game Three on Sunday afternoon.