Colorado, Roy Sharp on the Road
Special teams and goaltending. That was the proven formula that the Colorado Avalanche used to perfection Saturday night in Vancouver as it defeated the Canucks, 4-0.
The Avalanche scored on three of five manpower advantages and Patrick Roy kicked out 28 shots for his sixth career playoff shutout.
“We were more physical than last game,” Roy said. “We have to play with the same kind of intensity as we did tonight.”
Colorado buried the Canucks with their special-teams play. Peter Forsberg scored with a two-man advantage in the first period and the Avalanche added power-play goals in the second by Valeri Kamensky and Claude Lemieux.
Meantime, the steady Roy twice turned back the Canucks when they enjoyed a two-man advantage.
“I talked to my dad yesterday and he had a few little tips,” said the former Montreal Canadiens goaltender. “I concentrated well and was very sharp.”
The near-perfect game gave the Avalanche a 2-1 lead in the best of-seven Western Conference series which resumes Monday in Vancouver.
Scott Young scored the only even-strength goal to clinch the victory.
Go beyond the scoreboard
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