Old Boys’ Club in Washington Dismisses the Junior Senators

By the time the game was over, the Washington Capitals’ veteran trio of Adam Oates, Peter Bondra and Brian Bellows had combined for 101 career playoff goals.

That’s 43 more playoff goals than the entire Ottawa Senators team.

In a battle of youth vs. experience, the youngsters took more shots but the veterans made the difference Thursday night. Oates, Bondra and Bellows--with a combined 98 years among them--each scored in the Capitals’ 4-2 victory over the Senators in Game 1 of the Eastern Conference semifinals in Washington.

With another outstanding game from Olaf Kolzig--36 saves--and veteran Esa Tikkanen’s effective shadowing of Ottawa’s top scoring threat, Alexei Yashin, the Capitals are a step closer to their second appearance in the conference finals.

The Capitals also got a goal from their rookie star, Richard Zednik.

Daniel Alfredsson and Andreas Dackell scored for the Senators, who are coming off an emotional playoff series victory over New Jersey, their first since the franchise was resurrected in 1992.

Dallas 3, Edmonton 1--Defenseman Sergei Zubov scored on two long-distance slap shots and Ed Belfour sparkled in goal as the revenge-minded Dallas Stars beat the Edmonton Oilers in the first game of their Western Conference semifinal series at Dallas.

Last year, the Stars lost to the Oilers in the first round on a Game 7 overtime goal by Todd Marchant, but Dallas had a 3-1 edge over Edmonton this season.

Zubov powered two long shots past Curtis Joseph in the first period--one on a power play and the other just after a power play had expired--for a 2-0 Stars’ lead.

The first goal was the first Joseph had allowed in the last 166:54 of the playoffs after posting back-to-back shutouts against Colorado in the opening round.