NHL Playoffs : Nordiques Win the Deciding Game in Overtime

Peter Stastny scored at 2:22 of overtime Thursday night, giving the Quebec Nordiques a 3-2 victory over the Montreal Canadiens in the decisive Game 7 of their Stanley Cup quarterfinal playoff series.

“Sometimes it seems as though there’s no justice,” Stastny said. “Seven games, and one mistake and one team must lose. It’s too bad they both can’t win, but I’m glad we came up winners.

Quebec will meet the Philadelphia Flyers in the best-of-seven Wales Conference final. The Nordiques have the home-ice advantage, and Game 1 will be Sunday night at Le Colisee.

“Both sides had chances,” Montreal Coach Jacques Lemaire said. “We just didn’t take advantage of ours. But it’s just a reflection of the regular-season games between our teams. Even though we dominated them over eight games, they were close. During the season, the puck rolled for us, but in the playoffs, the puck rolled for the Nordiques.”

This is the fifth straight time in three years that Quebec has defeated Montreal in overtime in the playoffs.

Stastny compared the series in which three of the four Quebec victories were won in overtime to championship games with the Soviet Union and Czechoslovakia.

“There’s so much emotion,” he said. “Our team is so close.”

After Montreal goalie Steve Penney stopped defenseman Pat Price’s slapshot from the point, he stunted Stastny on the initial rebound. But Stastny lifted the second rebound over the sprawled goalie into the upper left corner of the net.