Stanley Cup Playoffs : Canadiens Unaffected by Power Outage in 5-2 Victory

The lights went out shortly after 8 p.m. in Montreal, a bit later than they did for the Boston Bruins.

The Montreal Canadiens already had a two-goal lead when an electrical failure hit the province of Quebec, and they went on to a 5-2 victory over the Bruins in the opening game of their second-round Stanley Cup playoff series.

“What can you say?” Boston Coach Terry O’Reilly asked. “I can’t imagine Montreal playing a better game and us playing a worse one. We’re gonna have to write it off for the next one.”

Kjell Dahlin and Mike McPhee scored goals for the Canadiens in the opening period, and Claude Lemieux later added a pair to keep Montreal in command.

The Bruins, who have not defeated the Canadiens in a playoff series since 1943--a string of 18 Stanley Cup rounds--have won only twice in their past 23 playoff games against the Canadiens.

The crowd of 17,513 was oblivious to the power blackout. Lights powered by emergency generators illuminated the playing surface and little else.

The only difficulty came when fans headed to the concession stands between periods. But they were able to find their way with the help of attendants carrying flashlights.

Washington 3, New Jersey 1--Larry Murphy had a goal and an assist, and Pete Peeters stopped 33 shots as the Capitals beat the Devils in the opener of their second-round Patrick Division series at Landover, Md.

Peeters, who played in all four of the Capitals’ victories against Philadelphia in the opening round, lowered his playoff goals-against average to 2.82 with the victory. New Jersey’s Tom Kurvers broke up his shutout with 10:11 left.

New Jersey has a record of 1-20-1 against Washington in the Capital Centre. The Devils broke a 20-game Capital Centre winless streak with a 4-2 victory over the Capitals on March 20.