Coffey Goal Gives Hurricanes a Lift

Paul Coffey, who has scored his share of big goals, considered Friday night’s game-winner his biggest with the Carolina Hurricanes.

The goal, scored with 7:34 remaining, not only lifted the visiting Hurricanes to a 3-1 victory over the Buffalo Sabres, but moved Carolina into a tie for eighth place in the Eastern Conference.

“It’s definitely a big goal for our hockey club,” said Coffey, second all-time among NHL defenseman with 394 goals. “To be honest, I think if we lose tonight, we’re pretty much done. . . . It gives us some confidence now and hopefully we can keep it going.”

With the win, the Hurricanes jumped ahead of the Sabres in the standings and caught the idle Montreal Canadiens in the race for the conference’s final playoff berth.

Coffey, though, has yet to see the puck go in the net as he shot it through a crowd from the left face-off circle.

Using Sabres defenseman Richard Smehlik as a screen, Coffey snapped a low shot that hit the stick of goalie Dominik Hasek and then flipped up and into the net. The puck may have also tipped in off Hurricanes forward Gary Roberts, who was battling for position in front.

Sean Hill scored into an open net with 4.9 seconds remaining and Paul Ranheim had the first goal for the Hurricanes, who won back-to-back games for the first time since March 8.

Vaclav Varada scored for the Sabres, who had a four-game winning streak come to an end.

Coffey’s goal came with Varada off for interference, the fourth straight penalty called against the Sabres. Overall, the Hurricanes enjoyed eight power-play opportunities to the Sabres’ four.

“It’s just unlucky,” Sabre defenseman Jason Woolley said. “When they string three [power-play] opportunities together, it’s a little unusual. But we don’t want to use that as an excuse.”

The Sabres don’t have time to do so, considering they have five games left, starting with today’s matchup at Montreal.

The Hurricanes have four games left, including a season-ending home-and-home series against the expansion Atlanta Thrashers.

“We’ve got to win at least three of the four. We may have to win all four, I don’t know,” Hurricane Coach Paul Maurice said.

New Jersey 6, Atlanta 0--Scott Gomez had a goal and two assists as the Devils ended a two-game losing streak with a victory over the Thrashers at East Rutherford, N.J.

The win boosted the slumping Devils--7-12-2 in their last 21 games--back into sole possession of first place in the Eastern Conference with 99 points. The Thrashers, who have lost five in a row, are winless in their last seven and have just one victory in their last 18 games.

Florida 3, Ottawa 1--Mike Vernon stopped 32 shots at Sunrise, Fla., and won his fifth consecutive start as the Panthers handed the Senators their fifth loss in eight games.

The Panthers, winners of five of their last seven, are three points ahead of Ottawa for the fifth playoff spot in the Eastern Conference.

Vernon was the difference in Florida’s first win in four tries against Ottawa this season. He stopped 11 shots in the first period, 10 in the second and 11 in the third, including several from point-blank range.

Nashville 2, Vancouver 1--Vitali Yachmenev scored a power-play goal late in the second period and Mike Dunham made 28 saves as the Predators defeated the Canucks at Nashville.

The loss hurt the Canucks’ playoff chances. Vancouver remains in 10th place in the Western Conference, three points behind San Jose for the eighth and final playoff spot.

Phoenix 3, Calgary 1--Greg Adams had two goals and Jeremy Roenick scored his 12th game-winner of the season as the Coyotes, despite just 12 shots on goal, defeated the Flames at Calgary, Canada.

Phoenix moved into sole possession of sixth place in the Western Conference, two points ahead of the Edmonton Oilers. The Coyotes play at Edmonton today.

Around the League

Dallas Star defenseman Sergei Zubov is expected to be sidelined two to four weeks because of a sprained right knee. Zubov, the team’s third-leading scorer, will be reevaluated at the start of the playoffs, team officials said. The Russian was injured in a third-period collision with Florida Panther defenseman Bret Hedican on Wednesday. . . . New York Ranger goaltender Mike Richter will undergo surgery Wednesday to repair a torn anterior cruciate ligament in his left knee, ending his season with four games to go. Rehabilitation is expected to last six months, extending into the Rangers’ training camp in September. . . . NHL scoring leader Jaromir Jagr, who has been plagued by injuries, expects to play today when the Penguins face the Philadelphia Flyers.