NHL Roundup : Whalers’ 7-4 Victory Eliminates Canucks

Hartford is on the verge of clinching its first Adams Division title, but Coach Jack Evans is wondering if his club can rediscover the formula that has put the Whalers atop the pack.

Hartford’s 7-4 victory over Vancouver at home Sunday not only clinched a playoff spot for the Kings by eliminating the Canucks, it also left the Whalers within a point of securing the division championship over the second-place Montreal Canadiens.

“This was a good win for our team,” Evans said. “We’re playing somewhat wide-open with some breakdowns, but this team has shown it’s ability to play tight-checking when necessary.

“For us to continue what we have started this year, we have to keep the goals-against down. It’s a part of our game that has to be put back.”

The Whalers, on a 10-4-1 roll since Feb. 25, eliminated Vancouver with a four-goal blitz in the second period to take a 5-1 advantage, then held on as the Canucks closed to within one goal before John Anderson and Ron Francis scored their second goals of the game in the final seven minutes.

“We fought back after being down, 5-1, but the Anderson goal that made it 6-4 did us in,” Vancouver Coach Tom Watt said.

With his two goals, Anderson reached the 30-goal level for the sixth straight year.

Montreal 4, Pittsburgh 1--Petr Svoboda scored two goals and assisted on another at Pittsburgh as the Canadiens assured the Penguins of a fifth consecutive season out of the playoffs.

Pittsburgh’s loss clinched the final Patrick Division playoff berth for the New York Rangers. The Penguins have missed the playoffs 11 times in their 20-year history.

Montreal kept alive its slim hopes of finishing first in the Adams Division. The defending NHL champions are five points behind Hartford, and each team has three games to play.

Edmonton 3, Buffalo 2--Glenn Anderson scored a controversial goal late in the second period at Buffalo to help the Oilers clinch their sixth straight Smythe Division title.

Edmonton also remained ahead of Philadelphia for the NHL’s overall point lead with 101 to the Flyers’ 98.

The Sabres’ playoff chances were severely crippled. Buffalo stayed five points behind Quebec for the fourth and final postseason berth in the Adams Division. The Sabres have three games left and the Nordiques four.

Anderson took the puck near center ice and raced down the right side, cutting in on Sabre goalie Daren Puppa. Anderson slid the puck under Puppa’s glove and pushed the glove over the goal line, giving the Oilers a 3-1 lead at 16:53 of the second period. The goal light did not go on, but referee Denis Morel ruled it a goal.

Edmonton center Wayne Gretzky, the NHL’s leading scorer, was held scoreless for the third game in a row.

Washington 4, Minnesota 2--Alan Haworth and Dave Christian scored third-period power-play goals to lift the Capitals over the North Stars at Landover, Md., moving the Capitals into second-place in the Patrick Division.

Washington, unbeaten in its last five games, is one point ahead of the New York Islanders. Each team has four games remaining.

The Capitals, whose power play is ranked 19th in the league, scored three goals while enjoying a manpower advantage, and the fourth with the net empty.

Boston 8, Chicago 6--Bruin defenseman Ray Bourque scored on an eight-foot wrist shot midway through the final period to break a 5-5 tie, then added an empty-net goal with 18 seconds left to assure Boston the win at Chicago.

Bourque also had three assists, including one on Ken Linseman’s 35-footer which was the game-winning goal.

Toronto 6, Winnipeg 2--Wendel Clark and Steve Thomas scored two goals each as the Maple Leafs kept their playoff hopes alive with the win over the Jets at Winnipeg.

The Leafs are last in the Norris Division with 68 points, just one point behind both the Chicago Blackhawks and Minnesota North Stars for the final division playoff berth.

Toronto faces the Capitals in Washington Tuesday, then ends the season with a home-and-home series against the Blackhawks.

St. Louis 4, New Jersey 1--Gino Cavallini scored two goals in the first five minutes of the game, and the Blues went on to beat the Devils at East Rutherford, N.J.