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‘95 Champ Devils Miss Postseason

From Wire Reports

NHL

The New Jersey Devils become the first team in 26 years to fail to make the playoffs the year after winning the Stanley Cup when they lost 5-2 Saturday to the Ottawa Senators, the NHL’s worst team.

The loss by the Devils assured the Tampa Bay Lightning of their first playoff berth in their four-year history.

The top-to-bottom trip for the Stanley Cup champions was the sixth in NHL history and the first since the 1969-70 Montreal Canadiens, a team which included current Devils coach Jacques Lemaire.

Senators 5, Devils 4

Ottawa 1 0 4 - 5

New Jersey 1 1 0 - 2

First period-1, New Jersey, Thomas 26 (Guerin), 12:42. 2, Ottawa, Bonk 15 (Alfredsson, Duchesne), 17:09.

Second period-3, New Jersey, Andreychuk 28 (Thomas, Niedermayer), 17:16 (pp).

Third period-4, Ottawa, Chorske 14 (Pitlick), 2:29. 5, Ottawa, Alfredsson 26 (Cunneyworth, Bonk), 11:39. 6, Ottawa, Chorske 15 (Picard, Yashin), 17:19. 7, Ottawa, Bonk 16 (Rhodes), 19:39.

Shots on goal-Ottawa 12-8-12-32. New Jersey 9-17-12-38.Power-play opp.-Ottawa 1 of 3; New Jersey 0 of 3.Goalies-Ottawa, Rhodes 10-22-4 (38 shots-36 saves). New Jersey, Brodeur 34-30-12 (32-27).A-19,040 (19,040).

Whalers 2, Bruins 0

Hartford, Conn.

Sean Burke made 34 saves and Nelson Emerson had a goal and an assist as Hartford shut out Boston.

Both teams wrap up their regular seasons today. The Bruins had already secured a playoff spot for the 29th straight year when they beat Hartford on Thursday. The Whalers will miss the playoffs a fourth straight year.

Boston 0 0 0 - 0

Hartford 1 0 1 - 2

First period-1, Hartford, Sanderson 34 (Shanahan, Emerson), 19:35 (pp). Second period-No scoring. Third period-2, Hartford, Emerson 29 (Shanahan, Nikolishin), 3:50.

Shots on goal-Boston 8-15-11-34. Hartford 9-5-6-20.Power-play opp.-Boston 0 of 5; Hartford 1 of 5.Goalies-Boston, Ranford 33-30-9 (20 shots-18 saves). Hartford, Burke 28-28-6 (34-34).A-15,635 (15,635).

Islanders 5, Canadiens 5 (OT)

Montreal

Stephane Quintal’s goal with 50 seconds remaining in regulation capped Montreal’s three-goal, third-period flurry that pulled it into a tie with New York.

The tie kept alive the Canadiens’ chance for home-ice advantage in the opening round of the playoffs.

N.Y. Islanders 1 3 1 0 - 5

Montreal 1 1 3 0 - 5

First Period-1, Montreal, Bure 21 (Damphousse, Popovic), 5:37. 2, New York, Green 24 (Johansson, Palffy), 7:30.

Second Period-3, Montreal, Bure 22 (Damphousse, Turgeon), 11:31 (pp). 4, New York, Bertuzzi 18, 13:13. 5, New York, Green 25 (Lachance), 14:01. 6, New York, Luongo 3 (McInnis, Hendrickson), 15:27.

Third Period-7, Montreal, Recchi 28 (Damphousse, Bure), 9:53 (pp). 8, Montreal, Odelein 3 (Stevenson, Petrov), 10:19. 9, New York, Conacher 6 (Luongo, Armstrong), 14:57. 10, Montreal, Quintal 2 (Bure, Damphousse), 19:10.

Overtime-None.

Shots on goal-New York 4-19-14-1-38. Montreal 10-10-11-7-38.Power-play opp.-New York 0 of 6; Montreal 2 of 6.Goalies-New York, Fichaud 7-12-2 (38 shots-33 saves). Montreal, Thibault 26-17-5 (38-33).A-21,273 (21,221).

Sabres 3, Capitals 2

Landover, Md.

Pat LaFontaine scored the go-ahead goal with 4:33 left, capping a three-goal third period that lifted Buffalo past Washington.

The Capitals are already headed to the playoffs, but the loss ended their bid to gain the home-ice advantage in the opening round.

Buffalo 0 0 3 - 3

Washington 1 0 1 - 2

First period-1, Washington, Bondra 52 (Pivonka, Brunette), 12:24. Second period-None. Third period-2, Buffalo, Burridge 25 (Dawe, LaFontaine), :57. 3, Buffalo, Hughes 5 (Peca, Jackson), 8:32. 4, Washington, Miller 7 (Eagles), 14:26 (sh). 5, Buffalo, LaFontaine 39 (Galley, Burridge), 15:27 (pp).

Shots on goal-Buffalo 12-7-8-27. Washington 6-12-5-23.Power-play opp.-Buffalo 1 of 3; Washington 0 of 5.Goalies-Buffalo, Trefilov, 7-8-1 (23 shots-21 saves). Washington, Carey, 35-24-9 (27-24).A-18,130 (18,130).

Maple Leafs 6, Oilers 3

Toronto

Needing a win or a tie in its last game to qualify for the playoffs, Toronto came out strong and never let up in a win over Edmonton. Toronto can finish anywhere from fourth to seventh in the topsy-turvy Western Conference.

Edmonton 0 2 1 - 3

Toronto 0 3 3 - 6

First period-None. Second period-1, Toronto, Clark 32 (Gilmour), 1:07. 2, Toronto, Garnter 35, 3:54. 3, Edmonton, Arnott 27 (Mironov, Ciger), 5:57. 4, Edmonton, Mironov 8 (Weight, Ciger), 10:16 (pp). 5, Toronto, Gilmour 32 (Sundin), 10:50 (pp). Third period-6, Toronto, Convery 5 (Warner, Gartner), 7:04. 7, Toronto, Sundin 33 (Gagner, Murphy), 12:56. 8, Edmonton, Arnott 28 (Oliver, Thornton), 19:03. 9, Toronto, Gagner 21 (Gartner, Muller), 19:51 (en) Shots on goal-Edmonton 8-12-7-27. Toronto 16-16-16-48.Power-play opp.-Edmonton 1 of 3; Toronto 1 of 8.Goalies-Edmonton, Joseph 15-16-2 (26 shots-21 saves). Toronto, Potvin 30-26-11 (48-45).A-15,746 (15,746).

Canucks 5, Flames 0

Vancouver, British Columbia

Kirk McLean had 33 saves and Vancouver beat Calgary to gain a playoff position in the Western Conference.

The Vancouver victory eliminated Anaheim from the playoff race. The Mighty Ducks can finish no higher than ninth.

Calgary 0 0 0 - 0

Vancouver 2 2 1 - 5

First period-1, Vancouver, Naslund 20 (Silinger), 11:47. 2, Vancouver, Naslund 21 (Ridley, Silinger), 14:45. Second period-3, Vancouver, Lumme 17 (Mogilny, Tikkanen), 9:51 (pp). 4, Vancouver, Courtnall 26 (Lumme, Linden), 17:10. Third period-5, Vancouver Naslund 22 (Linden, Lumme), 9:16 (pp).

Shots on goal-Calgary 9-12-12-33. Vancouver 12-9-5-26.Power-play opp.-Calgary 0 of 4; Vancouver 2 of 5.Goalies-Calgary, Tabaracci 19-16-3 (26 shots-21 saves). Vancouver, McLean 15-21-9 (33-33).A-18,422 (18,422).

Setting the tone

More than 20,000 people went to Memorial Auditorium Thursday to see the Buffalo Sabres’ new black, red and silver uniforms. Rather than have a player or two stand at a podium and slip the jerseys over their shirts and ties at a typical “photo opportunity,” the Sabres got full sets of the new garb, dressed half the team in the home outfits and the other half in the road black, and coach Ted Nolan ran a practice.

Here’s hoping the Sabres have better luck with their new uniforms than the New York Islanders had with theirs.

Next season, when they play at the new Crossroads Arena, the Sabres will wear the new uniforms that feature the head of a red-eyed Buffalo and a scarlet “B” lanced by a sword.

The old blue and gold crest of a stampeding buffalo above crossed sabres has been ditched.

The Islanders, who unveiled a fisherman as their logo this season, will be going back to their traditional map of Long Island after the angler drew heavy criticism from fans.

Of course you can plan on the usual assertions that the angry new buffalo will find his way into gang “colors,” but Sabres president Doug Moss makes a valid point when he explains the change.

“I wanted to produce a good-looking uniform that sets the tone for the identity our team is taking. The team is starting to become more strong and powerful, and that’s what this look exudes.”

Kamloops’ Iginla has bright future

Negotiations continue between Calgary GM Al Coates and Don Meehan, who represents standout prospect Jarome Iginla, who could be eligible to join the Flames once his junior season (Kamloops) concludes.

If he becomes available, Iginla, a power wing strong along the boards, would be a huge asset, considering the continued loss of LW Gary Roberts to renewed neck woes.