So Far, Bure Has Been Buried : Stanley Cup: McLean’s goaltending has kept Canucks even with Rangers going into tonight’s Game 3.

The Vancouver Canucks have yet to get a goal from high-scoring right wing Pavel Bure, known as “the Russian Rocket,” but the New York Rangers have yet to fire any rockets of their own on the power play, which was the NHL’s most potent this season.

The Canucks have gotten splendid goaltending from Kirk McLean, who has stopped 89 of the 93 shots he has faced, but the Rangers have gotten more help from the crossbar and goal posts, which repelled four Vancouver shots Thursday.

The Canucks considered themselves fortunate to steal a game Tuesday when McLean’s sharpness made up for their lackluster defensive play. The Rangers were lucky to steal a Vancouver pass Thursday that Mark Messier and Glenn Anderson turned into a short-handed goal that won the game.

So, after two games of the Stanley Cup finals, there is little to distinguish between the Rangers and the Canucks. There is also little reason to expect either team will change its strategy when the series resumes tonight before an expected sellout crowd of towel-waving fans at the Pacific Coliseum.

“We’ve just got to keep putting it on net,” Ranger defenseman Brian Leetch said. “The way both goaltenders are playing, it’s going to be tough to get it by them. It looks like they’re all going to be tight games.”

Leetch’s definition of going to the net isn’t the same as Vancouver Coach Pat Quinn’s definition.

Friday, Quinn repeated his complaints about the Rangers interfering with McLean, citing Adam Graves as the worst offender and complaining that Doug Lidster’s goal Thursday--the Rangers’ first--should have been nullified because Lidster crashed into McLean.

He also said he would have his players run into Ranger goalie Mike Richter if the Rangers continue to crowd McLean without punishment.

“In the old days, if I was still playing, what you do is you grab Graves and pound the whatever out of him,” Quinn said. “Now we can’t do that. Now we’re all nicey-nicey but the violence is still running the goaltender.”

Said McLean: “We can’t let that bother us. If you do, then you’re likely to take a penalty. . . . I’m not worried about guys in front of the net.”

Both teams have many other things to worry about.

The Rangers haven’t figured how to get a lead early or how to protect one once they get it. The Canucks tied Game 1 with a minute to play and won in overtime, and they came close to duplicating that Thursday. A shot by Bure from the point was blocked in the slot, and a frantic effort by Martin Gelinas skidded just wide of Richter with about 20 seconds left, prompting a collective gasp from the Rangers and their fans.

“You can’t believe that it would happen again,” Leetch said. “And then the puck goes into the corner, and it’s a relief.”

The Canucks haven’t figured how to get Bure, Trevor Linden and Greg Adams in high gear. They had more scoring chances Thursday than in the opener, but they were nowhere near the threat they were against the Toronto Maple Leafs in the semifinals or the Dallas Stars in the quarterfinals.

The Rangers haven’t had Esa Tikkanen shadowing Bure, instead playing Messier’s line--with Adam Graves on the left and Alexei Kovalev or Steve Larmer on the right--against Bure and his linemates.

The Rangers have won that matchup decisively, particularly the Linden-Messier confrontations. But Quinn will get some maneuvering room in Games 3 and 4 because he has the last line change at home, and he will use that to get Linden away from Messier.

“I don’t know that we have a matchup that can keep him off the scoreboard,” Quinn said. “Let’s face it, he’s one of the best playoff players that we’ve known in our time. All you hope to do there is to minimize the damage more than anything else and then try to make up for whatever offense they’re generating in some fashion.”

Hockey Notes

Pavel Bure has been bothered by a strep throat, but he practiced Friday. . . . The towel-waving dates back to the Canucks’ first trip to the finals, in 1982. Then-Coach Roger Neilson waved a towel to protest an official’s call, and fans took it up as a good-luck charm. . . . The Canucks are 6-3 at home in the playoffs, the Rangers 5-2 on the road.