Gretzky Puts On a Great Show

Back on Lord Stanley’s stage, Wayne Gretzky again showed why he’s the Great One.

Playing his first playoff game in three years, Gretzky assisted on all three St. Louis goals to lead the Blues to a 3-1 victory over the Maple Leafs on Tuesday night at Toronto.

Gretzky, acquired by the Blues earlier this season in a trade with the Kings, set up goals by Brett Hull, Shayne Corson and Steve Leach as the Blues took a 1-0 lead in the best-of-seven series.

“Wayne has done it so many times,” St. Louis Coach Mike Keenan said. “He can really lift a club, and he did it again tonight.”

Game 2 of the Western Conference series is Thursday night in Toronto. Games 3 and 4 will shift to St. Louis.

With the score 1-1 in the third period, Gretzky sent a pass from behind Toronto’s net through the legs of defenseman Mathieu Schneider. The puck deflected into the middle of the Leafs’ zone to Hull, who put a wrist shot past goalie Felix Potvin at 11:13.

Leach then beat Potvin from the faceoff circle at 12:32 to give the Blues a 3-1 lead.

St. Louis goalie Grant Fuhr made 33 saves, including several spectacular stops during the second period.

“We weathered the storm,” Fuhr said. “We wanted to keep things close and somewhere down the line we’d get our chances.’

Mats Sundin scored Toronto’s only goal.

Montreal 3, New York Rangers 2--Vincent Damphousse’s goal at 5:04 of overtime, his second of the game, gave the Canadiens a come-from-behind victory at New York.

Damphousse took a drop pass from Benoit Brunet at the blue line, skated down the right side and beat Mike Richter from the right circle with the Canadiens’ only shot of overtime.

The shot broke up a goaltending duel between Richter and the Canadiens’ Joceyln Thibault, who made 43 saves. Richter made 29, many from close range.

The Rangers, who finished third to the Canadiens’ sixth in the Eastern Conference, continued their losing ways. They finished the season with five consecutive losses.

Mark Messier, playing for the first time in seven games because of injured ribs, assisted on the Rangers’ first goal.

“It certainly helps having him on the ice,” Ranger defenseman Brian Leetch said of Messier. “The crowd really got into it and that gave us a little jolt.”

Messier, who said he was not 100%, was not enough for the Rangers.

“We didn’t think we were outplayed,” Messier said. “I think we controlled the game, but if you get 45 shots in the playoffs, you have to capitalize.”

Philadelphia 7, Tampa Bay 3--Eric Lindros and Pat Falloon each had a goal and two assists as the Flyers wrecked the Lightning’s playoff debut at Philadelphia.

The Flyers’ first line of Lindros, John LeClair and Dale Hawerchuk each scored, but Philadelphia also picked up goals from Joel Otto, Rod Brind’Amour and Trent Klatt while outshooting the Lightning, 32-17.

“It makes everybody feel good that not just one line or one guy is getting all the scoring,” Brind’Amour said. “Everyone chips in, and in playoff hockey, you need everybody chipping in if you’re going to win.”

The Flyers chased Tampa Bay goalie Daren Puppa after assuming a 4-0 lead on 14 shots early in the second period.

“It’s their first time,” Lindros said of Tampa Bay. “They’ve got some young players there. They’re definitely going to improve.”

Trailing, 6-0, with eight minutes left in the second period, the Lightning, playing the first playoff game in their four-year history, made it respectable with goals by Jason Wiemer, Mikael Andersson and John Cullen.

“We were real tentative, as you could see,” Cullen said. “We let them take the game to us. We were afraid to make plays.”

Colorado 5, Vancouver 2--Joe Sakic and Valeri Kamensky scored goals 25 seconds apart in the second period, and Peter Forsberg added two goals and two assists to lead the Avalanche to a series-opening victory at Denver.

The Avalanche scored four goals in the second period en route to winning the first NHL playoff game in Denver since 1978.

Claude Lemieux had three assists, and Patrick Roy had 29 saves to win his 71st playoff game.

Russ Courtnall and Esa Tikkanen scored for the Canucks.

Kirk McLean, the Canucks’ starting goalie, was replaced after Kamensky’s goal by Corey Hirsch.

The teams exchanged first-period goals, with Courtnall giving the Canucks a 1-0 lead with his 36th career playoff goal at 11:30. Trevor Linden picked up a loose puck inside the Canucks’ zone and passed it to Courtnall, who skated into the Colorado zone and flipped the puck over Roy’s left shoulder.

Colorado tied the game at 16:52 on Forsberg’s first goal. He picked up the puck behind the Vancouver net and sent a wrist shot over McLean’s right shoulder. Referee Kerry Fraser awarded the goal after the play was reviewed by the replay official.