NHL PLAYOFFS : Nordiques Overpower Rangers With Rally

The Quebec Nordiques, who finished with the best record in the Eastern Conference this season, played that way--at least in the third period.

Led by Joe Sakic, the Nordiques wiped out a two-goal deficit with three consecutive goals in the final period to beat the defending Stanley Cup champion New York Rangers, 5-4, Saturday night at Quebec in the opener of their best-of-seven Eastern Conference quarterfinal series.

Sakic’s game winner came with only 38 seconds left.

“We were a little generous with the puck in our end,” Ranger Coach Colin Campbell said. “We knew turnovers would be lethal, and they were.”

The Nordiques entered the final period down 4-2, but got two goals from Sakic and one from Bob Bassen to beat the Rangers, who had been 15-0-1 in games in which they led after two periods.

Sakic and Scott Young scored in the first period for Quebec.

Adam Graves had two goals while Alexander Karpovtsev and Alexei Kovalev also scored for the Rangers.

The Rangers dominated the second period and looked ready to blow out the inexperienced Nordiques at one point.

“It was important for us because we’re a young team,” Young said. “This will give us confidence that if we fall behind by a goal or two, we can come back.”

Quebec outshot New York, 33-32, including 14-7 in the final period.

“We should be mad at ourselves,” said Ranger captain Mark Messier. “We played extremely well for two periods and then let it slip through our fingers.

“We shouldn’t be devastated--we should be angry and determined to come back and beat them next game.”

Washington 5, Pittsburgh 4--Sergei Gonchar, a defenseman who scored only twice all season, had two goals and set up another during a four-goal flurry that rallied the Capitals past the Penguins at Pittsburgh in the Eastern Conference quarterfinals.

“We had them 3-1 and it got away from us somehow,” said Coach Eddie Johnston, who has boldly predicted that Pittsburgh will win.

Trying to duplicate last season’s first-round upset of Pittsburgh, the Capitals overcame three power-play goals--two off the same Peter Bondra penalty--in beating the Penguins in Game 1 of a playoff series for the fourth time in as many series since 1991.

“We really wanted to win Game 1, but it doesn’t mean anything now,” said Capital Coach Jim Schoenfeld, looking ahead to the next game after replacing rookie goalie Jim Carey with backup Olaf Kolzig early in the second period.

“Yeah, it’s a different year--I don’t want to talk about last year,” the Penguins’ Kevin Stevens said. “Last year was last year. We lost Game 1, but they’ve still got to win three--and we’ve still got to win four. We’re comfortable we can win Game 2 and we’re comfortable playing Washington.”

Bondra, the league’s goal-scoring leader, was held without a goal and league scoring leader Jaromir Jagr of Pittsburgh was limited to a late goal.

Hunter, nicknamed “Big Game Hunter” for his ability to play well in the postseason, scored twice and assisted on Gonchar’s insurance goal as the Capitals scored four times in a span of 18:20 to turn a 3-1 deficit into a 5-3 lead.

“(Hunter) always rises up in the big games,” Schoenfeld said. “And I thought (Kolzig) was sensational. It just wasn’t (Carey’s) night.”

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NHL Notes

New Jersey Devil owner John McMullen is unhappy with the terms of his lease at Brendan Byrne Arena at the Meadowlands and might be preparing to leave, The Record of Hackensack reported. . . . Glen Taylor, the Minnesota Timberwolves’ owner whose lease agreement at the Target Center gives him the first right to buy an NHL team if it plays there, said he is interested in buying the Winnipeg Jets if the state purchases a share of the team. . . . A plan bringing together the best NHL players for the 1998 Winter Olympics in Nagano, Japan, and requiring a 10-day closure of the NHL season appears headed for final approval, said officials in Stockholm.