NHL ROUNDUP : Tie Not Much Help for Canadiens

True enough, the Eastern Conference playoff picture cleared for Boston, got brighter for the New York Rangers and more sharply in focus for Hartford.

For Montreal, it’s one big cloud, and Mike Ricci’s power-play goal 22 seconds into the third period Wednesday, giving the Nordiques a 1-1 tie with the Canadiens at Quebec, did little to let the sun shine through.

“It would have been easier for us to stay in the race with a win, instead of a tie,” Montreal forward Vincent Damphousse said. “But we’re still in it.”

Only barely. The Canadiens fell three points behind the eighth-place Rangers. Each team has three games to play.

Montreal last missed the playoffs during the 1969-70 season, the year before Ricci was born.

“This tie certainly doesn’t eliminate us,” Montreal Coach Jacques Demers said. “We gave it everything we had, a maximum effort, and that’s what counts.”

Except in the standings.

Boston 1, Hartford 0--Mariusz Czerkawski’s ninth goal of the season with 4:09 to play at Boston put the Bruins in the playoffs and dealt a blow to Hartford’s chances.

Czerkawski lofted a wrist shot over the stick of goalie Sean Burke from the right faceoff circle for the game winner. He was assisted by Jon Rohloff and Bryan Smolinski.

New York Rangers 6, Tampa Bay 4--Mark Messier’s third assist set up Adam Graves’ game-winner in the third period at New York as the Rangers moved two points ahead of Hartford in the race for the final Eastern Conference playoff spot.

In the process, they eliminated Tampa Bay from the competition.

Buffalo 5, Florida 0--Dominik Hasek’s fourth shutout of the season and goals by Jason Dawe, Gary Galley and Dave Pearson within a 1:41 span of the second period at Buffalo kept the Sabres a point ahead of the Rangers, in the seventh spot in the Eastern Conference playoff race and a point behind sixth-place Washington.

New Jersey 3, Pittsburgh 3--With the teams behind them surging, the Devils are slumping at the wrong time, and Pittsburgh goalie Tom Barrasso, playing his first game of the season after wrist surgery in January, was a thorn in their sides at East Rutherford, N.J.

Barrasso had 31 saves and Kevin Stevens two goals for the Penguins, who kept New Jersey without a victory in its last four games (0-3-1).

Washington 6, New York Islanders 5--The Capitals got two power-play goals from Dmitri Khristich, four power-play goals overall and finished a season sweep over the Islanders at Landover, Md.

Ottawa 5, Philadelphia 2--Steve Larouche, Sylvain Turgeon and Alexei Yashin each had a goal and an assist at Philadelphia for the Senators, who have won only six games, two against the Flyers.

Toronto 5, Vancouver 2--The Maple Leafs moved into sole possession of the fourth playoff spot in the Western Conference with goals by Doug Gilmour, Dave Andreychuk, Todd Gill, Bill Berg and Benoit Hogue and 32 saves by Felix Potvin at Toronto.

*

NHL Notes

Provincial elections in Manitoba in which the Conservative Party of Premier Gary Filmon won a majority appeared to deal a setback to the chances of Minnesota’s luring the Jets from Winnipeg. The Conservatives have said they are willing to work with people who are trying to buy the Jets and build a $110-million arena for the team. . . . A strained shoulder will keep St. Louis Blues defenseman Al MacInnis out of action for about two weeks.