Fuhr Knows How to Save--on Shots and Words : Oiler Goalie Plays Bigger Game Than He Talks--and Stops Kings Short Again

Grant Fuhr’s goaltender’s mask, painted in a blaze of blue-and-orange stripes that connect at the bottom to form something of a scowl, is considerably more expressive than the man behind it.

It has been said that Fuhr is more visual than verbal, which means that he usually doesn’t have much to say. But Fuhr’s play in the Edmonton Oilers’ net so far in the best-of-five series against the Kings has clearly done the talking for him.

Thursday night, in Game 2 of the surprisingly tight-checking series at the Northlands Coliseum, the Kings continually took their best shots at Fuhr and could only muster two goals. They might easily have scored five, but Fuhr was always there to keep the puck out of the net by any means possible.

In stopping 33 of the 35 shots he faced en route to the 4-2 win, Fuhr kicked some shots away, squeezed some between his legs and covered others with his body after flopping on the ice like a fish on a boat.

“He even stood on his head to block shots,” said King center Terry Ruskowski, echoing the frustration of his teammates. “He blocked shots that no goaltender should have. It’s the best goaltending we’ve faced this year.”

As usual, Fuhr wasn’t overly impressed with his performance. To him, it was just another day in goal.

Yes, Fuhr said, he feels that he’s playing as well as he did in last season’s playoffs, when he helped lead the Oilers to the Stanley Cup championship. No, the shoulder injury that kept him out of the lineup for eight games in March isn’t bothering him. And yes, he feels the Kings must be frustrated by now.

“I’m just making the first save on shots,” Fuhr said with a shrug. “They (the defense) do the rest by clearing the rebounds away. As long as I stop the first shot, I’m all right.”

Anything else to add, Grant?

“I think my performance is a carryover from the playoffs last year,” he said. “You try to peak for the playoffs, and that has seemed to happen. Our team has two different styles. In the regular season, you go a little more for goals, and in the playoffs you tighten up a bit.”

The Oilers have been transformed into a tight-checking team in the first two games of what will probably be a short series. And Fuhr’s performance Thursday was essentially a replay of Game 1 Wednesday, when he stopped 31 of 33 shots in the Oilers’ 3-2 overtime win.

This much is clear, even after only two games: If the Kings hope to avoid being swept by the Oilers in three straight games, they have to find some way to beat Fuhr.

No answers were provided in the noticeably quiet King locker room. Marcel Dionne, who has yet to get a point in the series, just stared at the scoring sheet and shrugged.

“Tell me,” Dionne said. “How do we do it? When a guy’s hot, he’s hot. We just have to work harder and try to get the edge.”

The Kings obviously didn’t have the edge Thursday night, although they had numerous opportunities. At one point midway through the first period, the Kings fired 16 shots at Fuhr and came away with nothing.

In one dizzying King rush, Fuhr kicked away three shots by Jim Fox from close range and made an excellent glove save on a rebound attempt by Bernie Nicholls.

But it was in the third period that Fuhr was most effective.

His biggest save by far came three minutes into the period when King wing Steve Shutt fired a hard slap shot from the point with no Oiler close enough to deflect it. Fuhr reacted quickly, kicking out his left leg to stop the puck and then covering up to avoid a rebound attempt.

“I just got it with my leg, that’s all,” Fuhr said.

When a goaltender’s hot, which Fuhr obviously is, he also takes advantage of the breaks.

With Edmonton clinging to a 3-1 lead late in the game, Fuhr made a routine save but was knocked into the net by Dave (Tiger) Williams. The puck was jarred loose and almost crept over the goal line. Fuhr couldn’t reach behind him to cover up--”It’s hard when Tiger’s on top of you,” Fuhr said--but Oiler defenseman Charlie Huddy alertly dived on the puck.

“It was lying right on the line,” Huddy said. “I just wanted to bat it under Grant to freeze it.”

With the exception of Dave Taylor’s rebound goal in the second period, Edmonton defensemen were always around to clear the puck from in front of the net. That’s the plan, according to defenseman Randy Gregg.

“We can see that Grant’s playing aggressively now,” Gregg said. “When Grant stands up and challenges the shooters, we have to be ready to clear the rebounds. All he has to do is stop the first shot, and we worry about the rebounds.”

Fuhr was brief but appreciative of his defense.

“They’re playing great,” he said. “Making it easier for me.”