NHL Roundup : Leafs’ Goalie Bester Defeats Red Wings for 4th Time in a Row, 3-1

Toronto goaltender Allan Bester is keeping the Detroit Red Wings from taking control of the Norris Division.

A sellout crowd of 19,457 Tuesday night at Detroit saw Bester master the Red Wings for the fourth straight time this season.

With Russ Courtnall scoring twice in the third period, the Maple Leafs skated to a 3-1 victory and moved into a tie for the division lead with Detroit.

In the four games against Detroit, Bester has had two shutouts and two 3-1 victories. He is 1-4-1 against the rest of the league.

The two teams are the most improved in the NHL, and the Red Wings went into action with the league’s hottest goalie, Greg Stefan, who was unbeaten in his previous seven games (5-0-2).

He appeared to be at the top of his form again. Nearing the middle of the third period, Stefan was hanging on to a 1-0 lead that Gerrard Gallant gave him on a power play in the closing minutes of the second period.

But, eight seconds after the Wings’ Lee Norwood drew a penalty for holding, Courtnall blasted one from the top of the left faceoff circle to tie the game at 9:21. More than seven minutes later, Courtnall came around the net, took a pass from Wendel Clark and scored his 19th goal from right in front. With 12 seconds left, Miroslav Ihnacek scored into an empty net.

“Bester seems to have our number right now,” Detroit Coach Jacques Demers said. “He’s confident and sharp in controlling the puck. He’s making the big save, and his defensemen are clearing the puck.”

The Red Wings are 16-16-7, and the Maple Leafs are 17-17-5. Chicago, in last place in the Norris, is only three points out of first.

Philadelphia 4, New Jersey 0--Rookie Ron Hextall, who has been the NHL’s leading goalie all season, gained his first shutout by stopping 26 shots at Philadelphia.

While Hextall benefited by having the best defense in hockey in front of him, Craig Billington, just brought up from the minors this week, was not so fortunate.

In his first appearance of the season, Billington played extremely well. He stopped 22 of the first 23 shots the Flyers fired at him and prevented Rick Tocchet from scoring on a penalty shot. But he fell victim to the Flyers’ overwhelming superiority.

Darryl Stanley scored his first goal of the season in the first period, and that was all Hextall needed.

New York Islanders 5, Minnesota 3--Mike Bossy scored twice and assisted on two other goals at Uniondale, N.Y., as the Islanders ended a five-game winless streak.

Bossy, seeking 50 or more goals for a record 10th consecutive season, has 27 in 35 games.

Quebec 3, Vancouver 2--Paul Gillis scored the tiebreaking goal with 7:16 remaining at Quebec to give the Nordiques only their third win in the last 10 games.

The Canucks rallied from a 2-0 deficit to tie the game, only to have Gillis beat them with a 40-foot slapshot.