This Time, Red Wings Make Sure They Finish Job

The Detroit Red Wings still know how to take care of business.

Ray Whitney and Steve Yzerman scored goals 30 seconds apart in the opening two minutes, and the Red Wings beat the Nashville Predators, 2-0, Saturday in Game 6 at Nashville to clinch their first-round Western Conference series, 4-2.

Curtis Joseph stopped 15 shots to earn his 16th career postseason shutout and first with the Red Wings.

“We just seemed to do what we had to do to win,” forward Darren McCarty said. “That’s what we concentrated on, and we hadn’t won a first-round series in a while so it feels good.”

Actually, it was just two years ago that the Red Wings won a first-round series en route to their 10th Stanley Cup championship. But this series helped ease the pain from last year when they were swept by the Mighty Ducks.

The Red Wings improved to 8-0 in potential clinching games, dating to the 1998 Stanley Cup finals. They finished the series in style by leading for 115:15 of the final 120 minutes to end Nashville’s first appearance in the playoffs.

Now the regular season’s best team will continue its push for a fourth Stanley Cup title in eight seasons.

The largest crowd ever at 17,329 squeezed into the Predators’ home arena, and fans were handed inflatable plastic sticks as they arrived. They tried to help the Predators fend off elimination but couldn’t drown out Detroit’s fast start.

The Red Wings scored on two of their first three shots to take control and quiet the fans. It was the only game of the series won by the visiting team.

Whitney scored his first goal of the series after his first shot from the slot bounced off Predator forward Andreas Johansson and back to him for the second shot at 1:26 of the first period.

Lang, who assisted on the first goal, took advantage when defenseman Mark Eaton lost his stick near the boards. Lang passed the puck out to Yzerman in the slot for a goal at 1:56.

Colorado 5, Dallas 1 -- The Avalanche made sure there wouldn’t be any comebacks this time.

Peter Forsberg had a goal and two assists, and David Aebischer stopped 21 shots at Denver to help the Avalanche close out the first-round, Western Conference series, 4-1.

Aebischer made sure the Avalanche didn’t give the Stars any chances in his first playoff series as Patrick Roy’s replacement.

He stopped 62 of 65 shots the final two games after giving up four goals in Game 3 -- Dallas’ only win -- and had a 1.83 goals-against average.

Colorado had lost five consecutive potential clinching games, including three consecutive in a first-round loss to Minnesota last year.

Forsberg had an assist on Milan Hejduk’s goal midway through the third and added another on Joe Sakic’s empty-netter with 4:56 left.

He has points in 11 straight playoff games, tying the NHL record set by Jaromir Jagr in 1996.

Montreal 5, Boston 2 -- Once Darren Langdon scored a rare goal, the Canadiens knew this was their game.

Langdon scored for the first time in over two years and Saku Koivu scored the go-ahead goal in the second period at Montreal, tying the first-round Eastern Conference playoff series at 3-3 and forcing a deciding Game 7 on Monday in Boston.

Jose Theodore made 22 saves for the Canadiens, who have not won a seven-game series in which they trailed, 3-1.

Sergei Samsonov scored twice for the Bruins, including a goal off a partial breakaway 4:36 into the third which drew them to within 3-2.

Vancouver 5, Calgary 4 -- Brendan Morrison scored at 2:28 of the third overtime at Calgary, tying the first-round Western Conference series at 3-3. Game 7 is Monday night in Vancouver.

The Flames overcame a 4-0 deficit to force overtime, with Chris Clark tying it with 7:04 left in regulation.

But Morrison took a pass from Markus Naslund and skated across the slot to beat Miikka Kiprusoff and end the longest game of the season and the longest in Vancouver history.