NHL Roundup : Whalers, Canadiens Play a Rare Scoreless Tie

Back in the days when defensemen usually stayed at their end of the ice, scoreless ties were rather commonplace in the National Hockey League.

But in recent years, especially since the arrival of Wayne Gretzky and his wide-open style, it is a rare occurence.

So, it was news Wednesday night at Hartford, Conn., when the Whalers and the Montreal Canadiens battled for 65 minutes without a goal.

It was the first scoreless tie in more than a year and the first ever involving the Whalers, who are in their ninth season.

Both goaltenders, Mike Liut of the Whalers and Brian Hayward of the Canadiens, had some anxious moments before the double shutout. Hayward’s effort extended Montreal’s unbeaten string to eight games.

Liut stopped 24 shots and escaped despite facing six power-play opportunities. It was the Hartford netminder’s 18th shutout.

“This kind is a little different,” Liut said. “When you’re ahead, 3-0, or something like that, you can’t wait to get it over. But in a game like this, it’s on the line all the way. Now that we have a five-minute overtime, it’s even more difficult.”

Hayward, who stopped 23 shots in earning the third shutout of his career, had one anxious moment.

With seven minutes left in regulation, former King Dave (Tiger) Williams fired a blistering shot that took off as it neared the net.

“That was the toughest shot I faced,” Hayward said. “I just barely got a piece of it, just enough to make it hit the post. Luckily, it stayed out.”

In their last three games before Wednesday, the Whalers had gone 0-2-1, giving up 11 goals.

“We were concerned with all the goals we had been giving up,” Liut said, “so we were concentrating on defense, not offense.”

Boston 3, Toronto 2--In a meeting of two of the more inconsistent teams at Toronto, Jay Miller scored five minutes into the third period to give the Bruins the victory.

It was the third loss in a row for the Maple Leafs after they had won six in a row. The Bruins had won only once in the previous seven games.

Toronto Coach John Brophy said he couldn’t understand his club.

“I’ve got seven or eight guys who aren’t playing,” he said. “I haven’t got an answer to why they’re not.

“Obviously, we’ve got to do more than just lecture. But I’m not sure what to do. If we knew we could get some who want to play, we’d go get them.”

Pittsburgh 3, Washington 2--The injuries keep piling up, but the Penguins are hanging tough.

In this game at Pittsburgh, Randy Cunneyworth scored a goal and assisted on another as the Penguins scored all three goals in an eight-minute burst during the second period.

The Penguins, who are 2-1 since their star center, Mario Lemieux suffered back and shoulder injuries, lost defenseman Doug Bodger with a knee injury in the first period. Center Dan Quinn has missed nine games with a broken wrist.

The Penguins, 4-1 in their last five games, moved into a tie with the Capitals for third place in the Patrick Division. Washington has lost four in a row.

Chicago 6, Detroit 3--Wayne Presley had his first hat trick, and the Blackhawks converted five power-play opportunities at Chicago.

The Blackhawks, who moved into a tie for first place in the Norris Division, have scored 10 power-play goals in the last two games. Before that, they were winless in seven straight games.

Calgary 4, Minnesota 3--Hakan Loob and Joe Mullen scored goals 3 1/2 minutes apart in the third period at Bloomington, Minn., to lead the Flames to victory.

Loob’s goal broke a 2-2 tie halfway through the period. Dino Ciccarelli scored for the North Stars with less then three minutes to play.

Vancouver 4, Buffalo 4--Rich Sutter deflected a shot on a power play with less than three minutes left in regulation at Vancouver to give the Canucks a tie.

The Sabres held a 4-2 lead until Dan Hodgson picked up a rebound in the crease and tapped it into the net at 15:10 of the final period.

The tie enabled Vancouver to tie the Kings for fourth place in the Smythe Division.