NHL PLAYOFF ROUNDUP : Selanne Scores Three Goals to Lift Jets, 5-4

Teemu Selanne, who scored 76 goals during the regular season, scored his first three of the playoffs Friday night to lead the Winnipeg Jets to a 5-4 victory over the Vancouver Canucks at Winnipeg, Canada.

“They call me the Finnish Flash but sometimes when I don’t play so well I’m the Finnish Crash,” said Selanne, who tied with Alexander Mogilny of the Buffalo Sabres for the goal-scoring lead during the regular season. “It was nice to prove tonight I was the Finnish Flash.”

The Canucks, whose tight checking kept Selanne scoreless in the first two games, hold a 2-1 lead in the best-of-seven Smythe Division semifinal series.

Luciano Borsato, with a shorthanded goal, and Keith Tkachuk had the other Winnipeg goals.

Trevor Linden and Pavel Bure each scored twice for the Canucks, who remained confident.

“They’re going to get a little more life, but we’re up two games to one,” Canuck defenseman Dave Babych said. “Those two games are ours--they can’t take them away from us.”

A fired-up Selanne threw some bone-crunching checks, but his efforts were almost not enough as the error-prone Jets seemed intent on self-destructing.

Selanne scored twice during the first period and gave the Canucks a 5-3 lead with his third goal at 9:35 of the third.

“He certainly had more jump and energy,” Winnipeg Coach John Paddock said.

St. Louis 3, Chicago 0--Goaltender Curtis Joseph stopped 34 shots against the Blackhawks at St. Louis as the Blues took a 3-0 lead in the Norris Division semifinal series.

The Norris Division champion Blackhawks had 106 points in the regular season, 21 more than the fourth-place Blues, but to advance in the playoffs they face extremely long odds. Only two teams in NHL history, the 1942 Toronto Maple Leafs and the 1975 New York Islanders, have rallied from 3-0 deficits to win in the playoffs.

The Blackhawks were shut out only three times during the regular season, but they have not scored since Brian Noonan scored his third goal for a 3-1 lead at 8:51 of the second period in Game 1 on Sunday. The Blues rallied to win that game, 4-3, and Joseph made 47 saves during the Blues’ 2-0 victory in Game 2 on Wednesday night.

Joseph did not have to work as hard in Game 3, facing few tough chances. He has not given up a goal in 151 minutes 9 seconds, and is the second goalie in club history to record consecutive playoff shutouts. Jacques Plante blanked the Philadelphia Flyers twice during the 1969 quarterfinals.

The Blues’ penalty-killers also have played a major role, holding the Blackhawks to one goal in 17 power-play chances during the series. Chicago had the manpower advantage four times Friday.

Toronto 4, Detroit 2--Dave Andreychuk scored two goals at Toronto, helping the Maple Leafs win Game 3 of a Norris Division semifinal series.

Wendel Clark and Rob Pearson also scored for the Maple Leafs, who trail in the series, 2-1. Sergei Fedorov and Steve Chiasson scored for Detroit.

The Red Wings had killed the Leafs with special-teams goals in winning twice at Detroit, 6-3 and 6-2. Toronto Coach Pat Burns pleaded for smarter hockey from his players, and they delivered during Game 3, avoiding the penalties that got them into trouble at Detroit.