NHL Roundup : Evans’ 200th Win Puts Whalers Back on Top

Just a year ago, things were going so badly for his Whalers that the mere mention of Jack Evans in Hartford, Conn., brought a chorus of boos.

They were in a 2-13-1 skid, and Evans was being branded the poorest excuse for a coach in the National Hockey League.

Now, he is the toast of Hartford, a coaching genius the fans will tell you.

Sylvain Turgeon, slowly rounding into the form that made him one of the league’s most feared shooters, scored twice in less than three minutes in the third period at Landover, Md., to lead the Whalers to a 5-2 victory over the Washington Capitals.

It was a significant win, the 200th as a coach for Evans. It put the Whalers back on top in the hotly contested Adams Division race. The Whalers’ 28-21-6 record gave them a one-point lead over Montreal, and the Canadiens have played two more games.

Turgeon scored 45 goals in 76 games last season. He missed 40 games this season with groin problem that required surgery. The two goals give him eight in 16 games.

The first of John Anderson’s two goals gave Hartford a 2-1 lead going into the final period. Turgeon then broke it open. At 2:34, his blistering slapshot from the left point deflected off Washington defenseman Greg Smith and past goalie Bob Mason into the net.

Then, at 5:23, he snapped up a rebound and beat Mason with the goal that made it 4-1. It also sent Mason out of the game. Pete Peeters replaced him.

“It’s nice to win 200 games,” Evans said, “but it’s even nicer that we aren’t going into a tailspin the way we did a year ago.”

Detroit 6, Minnesota 4--The Red Wings spotted the North Stars a 2-0 lead in the first period at Detroit, then stormed back.

With Steve Yzerman getting a goal and three assists to pace the attack, the Red Wings pulled within a point of the Norris Division-leading North Stars. A win tonight at Bloomington, Minn., would give the Wings first place.

Dino Ciccarelli scored his 41st goal just 71 seconds after the opening face-off to get the North Stars off to a fast start.

It was the 22nd win for the Red Wings, who won only 17 all last season.

St. Louis 2, Vancouver 2--A fluke goal in the third period by rookie Jocelyn Lemieux allowed the Blues to tie the Canucks at Vancouver.

Lemieux’s goal at 7:41 of the third came on a power play. The left wing managed to jar the puck loose from the glove of Vancouver goaltender Frank Caprice and it dribbled into the net.

New York Islanders 3, Edmonton 3--After defenseman Ken Leiter’s goal with less than seven minutes left in regulation at Edmonton tied the game, the Islanders did everything but win in overtime.

While holding Wayne Gretzky and the Oilers without a shot in the five-minute extra period, the Islanders had six shots on goal but couldn’t get one past goalie Grant Fuhr.