NHL PLAYOFF ROUNDUP : Lemieux Hurt Again, Penguins Lose

The scenario is all too familiar to the Pittsburgh Penguins: It’s the playoffs and they’re without Mario Lemieux.

Lemieux, the NHL’s regular-season scoring champion, left the ice during the first period of Game 1 of the Penguins’ second-round playoff series against the New York Islanders Sunday with back spasms and did not return. His status for the rest of the series, which resumes Tuesday, is uncertain.

Without Lemieux, the two-time defending Stanley Cup champion Penguins were flat in losing to the Islanders, 3-2, at Pittsburgh.

Last season, the Penguins were without the two-time Stanley Cup most valuable player for five playoff games, four in the Patrick Division finals against the New York Rangers and one against Boston.

“We’ve played without Mario a lot, it’s not like we’re not used to it,” Penguin Coach Scotty Bowman said. “We’ll see how he is Tuesday. I’m optimistic he’ll play the next game, but we’ll see.”

Lemieux left the Penguins’ bench 2:34 into the first period after a collision with the Islanders’ Brad Delgarno, but Bowman didn’t think the contact aggravated Lemieux’s back.

The Penguins were 49-11-5 with Lemieux this season, but 11-11-2 when he was out with Hodgkin’s disease and back pain.

His last flare-up occurred three nights later, when he played only briefly against the Rangers because of back spasms. He was pain-free after that as the Penguins ran off an NHL-record 17-game winning streak.

Lemieux missed the first half of the 1990-91 season when he developed an infection after back surgery. He later missed one playoff game that season with back pain. He also missed 16 games, and the five playoff games, in 1991-92.

Lemieux left the Penguins’ locker room before the game ended without comment.

Montreal 4, Buffalo 3--Vincent Damphousse’s goal 6:50 into the third period broke the game’s final tie at Montreal, giving the Canadiens the victory in the opening game of the Adams Division final.

Damphousse took a feed from Mike Keane, and beat goaltender Grant Fuhr. The Sabres outshot Montreal, 35-22, and erased a two-goal deficit in the second period.