NHL PLAYOFFS : This Time, Detroit Avoids First-Round Knockout

The Detroit Red Wings, the NHL’s best team during the abbreviated season, have finally found some playoff swagger.

The Red Wings, knocked out after one round in the past two years, advanced to the Western Conference semifinals with a 3-1 victory over the Dallas Stars on Monday night at Detroit in Game 5 of their first-round series.

“We’re pleased to win, but we expected to win,” said Detroit captain Steve Yzerman, who assisted on the first two goals. “We’re trying to win a Stanley Cup. We intend to go farther.”

The Red Wings had lost in the first round of the NHL playoffs to San Jose in seven games last year and in seven to Toronto in 1993.

“Psychologically, it’s probably big for them,” Dallas forward Todd Harvey said. “They are certainly a different club this year. They play so much better on defense. And they’ve got Mike Vernon in goal.

“They’re committed to playing Scotty Bowman’s style, and it’s working for them.”

The Red Wings will face the lowest seeded team among the other first-round survivors in the conference semifinals beginning Sunday at Detroit.

Calgary 5, San Jose 0--Theoren Fleury had two goals and Trevor Kidd notched his first playoff shutout as the Flames beat the Sharks at Calgary to move within a game of clinching this series.

The Flames won for the third time in a row after losing the first two games at home. The Flames can win their first playoff series since their 1989 Stanley Cup championship in Game 6 Wednesday at San Jose.

Kidd stopped 25 shots for the Flames, who outshot San Jose, 18-6, in the first period. Fleury had six of those.

Calgary tied an NHL playoff record with five short-handed goals in the series.

Dave King coached the Flames one day after his father suffered a heart attack. Robert King, 69, is in hospital in Saskatoon.

In an ugly scene near the game’s end, Shark goaltender Arturs Irbe ran into Calgary’s Sheldon Kennedy. Kennedy was cut and left a trail of blood on the ice. Irbe was thrown out of the game.

Calgary had lost its previous four home playoff games dating back to last year.

Vancouver 6, St. Louis 5--Cliff Ronning scored his second goal at 1:48 of overtime at St. Louis and the Canucks, who like the Flames tied the league record for short-handed goals, moved within one game of clinching the series.

Vancouver can wrap up the series and send Mike Keenan to an early vacation in Game 6 Wednesday night, with Game 7, if needed, on Friday night in St. Louis. Keenan coached the New York Rangers to the Stanley Cup last season, beating the Canucks in seven games in the finals.

The Canucks scored two short-handed goals in a 17-second span of the second period--their fourth and fifth of the series--to tie the mark for short-handed goals in a series.

They also blew leads of 1-0, 3-1, 4-3 and 5-4 before finally finishing off the Blues.

St. Louis has allowed as many short-handed goals as it has scored on the power play in the series.

Chicago 4, Toronto 2--Joe Murphy scored on a goal-mouth pass from Bernie Nicholls with 14 1/2 minutes to play at Chicago as the Blackhawks moved within one win of their first playoff series victory over the Maple Leafs in 57 years.

In posting its third consecutive victory, Chicago became the first team in the series to win a game on its home ice. The Blackhawks can finish the series Wednesday at Maple Leaf Gardens. Game 7, if necessary, would be in Chicago on Friday.

Murray Craven scored twice and Ed Belfour made 23 saves for the Blackhawks, who are 0 for 5 in postseason series against Toronto since last winning in 1938. The Leafs beat Chicago in last year’s first round.