Vancouver Hopes Bure Can Stick to Scoring : Hockey: Keeping star winger’s temper in check could be key to Stanley Cup for Canucks.

Pavel Bure, whose fair coloring and angelic look make him resemble actor Macaulay Culkin, wore an un-angelic pout Monday.

The Vancouver Canuck right wing didn’t like being asked whether he has been frustrated during the Stanley Cup finals, and whether that frustration led to the high-sticking penalty that got him ejected early from Game 3.

“What would you expect from me?” he asked. “To do highlights every game?”

Well, yes.

Bure became a human highlight film in the first three rounds of the playoffs, igniting a comeback from a 3-1 deficit against Calgary and leading the Canucks to the finals for the first time since 1982. Shut out in the first two games against the New York Rangers, he broke through for a spectacular goal 1:03 into Saturday’s game, only to get thrown out at 18:21 for high-sticking defenseman Jay Wells, cutting Wells and breaking his nose.

So far, that is Bure’s main impact on this series. And if he continues to use his stick as a rake instead of the magic wand that produced a league-leading 60 goals, he might become the Marty McSorley of this year’s finals.

Last June, McSorley’s illegally curved stick cost the Kings a power play and a lead in Game 2 against Montreal. They had won the opener and might have gone home ahead, 2-0, if McSorley’s penalty hadn’t set up a Canadien rally.

Bure’s folly Saturday might also be a turning point for the Canucks. Unless they rebound in Game 4 tonight at the Pacific Coliseum, they will go to New York for Thursday’s game trailing, 3-1. That’s a tightrope they don’t want to walk again.

“It’s very important to get the first goal (tonight). What we did in the last game was very good, getting an early goal,” said Bure, who leads playoff scorers with 13 goals. “We felt very well as a team. But then I took a stupid penalty and they scored a stupid goal. We’re going to try and come out hard again.”

He sees no reason to be more cautious, insisting his hit was unintentional.

“I’m just going to do what I did before, play hockey and help my team win,” he said. “I’m not going to do something special.”

Vancouver Coach Pat Quinn angrily rejected suggestions that Bure might want to tread carefully, perhaps forgetting Bure has a long list of questionable incidents. Before his elbow to the face of Dallas’ Shane Churla in the quarterfinals earned him a $500 fine, he rammed into Calgary’s Gary Roberts and drew a five-minute penalty for boarding.

“He shouldn’t be changing his game at all,” said Quinn, who contended that the Rangers’ Mark Messier wouldn’t have been ejected for the same offense. “It was accidental. It’s not going to change his game or our game. We’ve got to go out and pound them even harder.”

Said Bure’s center, Trevor Linden, “Any criticism toward Pavel is unfair. This series is a long way from over. We’ve played three games. Three games into the Calgary series, it could be said Pavel didn’t do a lot.”

Bure had no goals in the first four games against Calgary, but came to life in the fifth. He scored three goals in the last three games, including the double-overtime series winner in Game 7.

He was nearly unstoppable against the Stars, scoring six goals in Vancouver’s five-game romp. Toronto’s dogged checking didn’t stop him, either, and he scored four times in five semifinal games.

“He’s a complete player,” Ranger goaltender Mike Richter said. “He’s very, very strong. He’s got a fantastic shot. He gets it off quickly and he places it well. He has all the physical skills.

“He’s not only fast but quick off the go. He gets a lot of scoring opportunities because of his speed and he’s a finisher.”

Bure also presents a challenge because he’s a left-handed shooter.

The Rangers tamed him in the first two games by picking him up in the neutral zone, where he likes to gather speed for rushes.

“Unfortunately (in Game 3) we got caught on a line change and that’s how he got a break,” Ranger Coach Mike Keenan said. “That was his first break in the series, but that’s the type of player he is. You give him one break and it’s in your net.”

The Canucks hope Bure creates breaks offensively, not on Ranger noses.

“He’s one of our offensive leaders, if not the leader, and he enthused the crowd and the hockey club Saturday when he scored,” forward Murray Craven said. “We fed off that and we need that to happen again. We need big plays from our big players.”

There’s no bigger game for the Canucks than tonight’s. But Bure’s expression remained impassive when asked if he owes the team a big game to compensate for sitting out most of Game 3.

“I don’t want to put pressure on myself,” he said. “I just want to go on the ice and do the best that I can. If I can do something well enough and do something that helps the team defensively, or get (to) open ice for my teammates, I will do the best that I can do.”

Hockey Notes

Vancouver defenseman Dana Murzyn, who suffered a knee injury in the first round, might replace Brian Glynn tonight. . . . Believing the line of Shawn Antoski, John McIntyre and Tim Hunter neutralized Mark Messier’s line Saturday, Vancouver Coach Pat Quinn will try for that matchup again. “We want to hit Mark Messier as often as we can,” he said.

Ranger defenseman Sergei Zubov, who sat out Game 3 because of a bruised chest, will be re-evaluated today. . . . Ranger Coach Mike Keenan said he’s not worried about overconfidence tonight. “We know the Canucks will be a very desperate team and it’s going to be an intense game,” he said.