Avalanche Works Hard to Get Even

Helmets flew, tempers flared and bodies tumbled head-over-feet before Chris Drury put an end to one of the most physical and entertaining games of the Western Conference finals.

Drury scored on a powerful slap shot with 31 seconds left in the first overtime period to give the Colorado Avalanche a bruising 3-2 victory over the Dallas Stars on Friday night.

In a game they desperately needed, the Avalanche overcame injuries to two key players to tie the best-of-seven series at two games apiece and send it to Dallas for Game 5 on Sunday.

“I’m really sore after this one,” said Colorado’s Shjon Podein, who scored his first goal of the playoffs in the first period. “Everyone was coming at each other with reckless abandon.”

Brett Hull tied the score for Dallas with 3:53 left in regulation, and both teams squandered power-play chances in overtime before Drury came through with his fourth goal of the playoffs.

The score came after Sandis Ozolinsh kept the puck in the Dallas zone and found Drury alone on the left side. Drury one-timed the pass over the right shoulder of Ed Belfour to set off a celebration.

“It was just a great play by Ozo. All I had to do was fire it up,” Drury said.

The tone of the game was set early when Colorado rookie Milan Hejduk had his right collarbone broken on a hard check by Richard Matvichuk. The hard hitting and post-whistle mixes continued throughout the game. One highlight: Colorado’s Adam Deadmarsh did a full somersault over Belfour while charging in for a rebound late in the overtime.

“They’re going to play aggressive, they’re going to play very physical, and it was our job to match that,” Dallas forward Mike Modano said. “We had to absorb the hits and take the hits in order to make the play.”

Belfour, coming off a 3-0 shutout in Game 3, was brilliant after giving up two goals in the game’s first five minutes. He finished with 42 saves, while Colorado’s Patrick Roy stopped 43 shots for his 109th career playoff victory.

“Our players stepped up to the plate and went swinging,” Colorado Coach Bob Hartley said.