Stanley Cup Playoffs : Quebec Rallies to Beat Montreal, 3-2, and Stay Alive

The Quebec Nordiques, trailing by two goals going into the third period and facing elimination in the Adams Division final, rallied for three scores, including the game-winner with 4:37 to play, to beat the Montreal Canadiens, 3-2, Thursday night at Quebec City, Canada, and force a deciding seventh game.

The final game will be played Saturday night at Montreal.

Michel Goulet and John Ogrodnick tied the game with goals in the final 20 minutes and Normand Rochefort capped the comeback with a 20-foot wrist shot that went between the legs of Montreal goalie Brian Hayward.

A few fans, still miffed over the call by referee Kerry Fraser that denied the Nordiques the go-ahead goal in the final minutes of Game 5, sat in their seats dressed in a referee’s uniform, complete with zebra-striped bags over their heads.

NY Islanders 4, Philadelphia 2--Bryan Trottier scored twice and linemate Mike Bossy had a goal and an assist at Uniondale, N.Y., as the Islanders, for the second straight game and fifth time in this year’s Stanley Cup playoffs, held off elimination.

With the win in the Patrick Division final, New York moved into position to become only the fourth team--and the third Islanders squad--in NHL history to rally from a 3-1 deficit. The current group already accomplished that feat in the first round against the Washington Capitals, joining the 1942 Toronto Maple Leafs and 1975 Islanders. Game 7 will be Saturday night in Philadelphia.

The victory also raised the franchise’s record in games in which they’ve faced elimination to 22-8 and turned the tide on a 1-7-1 record in the last nine games at Nassau Coliseum. The only win in that span came in Game 6 of the Washington series.

Tim Kerr, the Philadelphia scoring star, missed the third period and was reported to have sustained a left shoulder injury. His status for the Saturday’s game was not known.