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Hockey Today - April 12
Thu, Apr 12, 2007
By Associated Press

SCOREBOARD

N.Y. Islanders at Buffalo (8 p.m. EDT). The Sabres, winners of the President's Trophy as the NHL's top team, host the Islanders, who made the playoffs on the last day of the season with a shootout victory over New Jersey.

STARS

Wednesday

-Henrik Sedin and Roberto Luongo, Canucks. Sedin scored 18:06 into the fourth overtime and Luongo made 72 saves and Vancouver outlasted Dallas 5-4.

-Patrick Rissmiller, Sharks, scored at 11:46 of the second overtime to give San Jose a 5-4 win at Nashville.

-Dustin Penner, Ducks, scored with 5:20 remaining to lift Anaheim to a 2-1 victory over Minnesota.

ONE LONG NIGHT

Dallas and Vancouver played the sixth-longest playoff game in NHL history, with the Canucks finally winning 5-4 on a goal by Henrik Sedin 18:06 into the fourth overtime period.

HUGE CONCERN

San Jose lost top goal scorer Jonathan Cheechoo to an injured right knee in Wednesday night's 5-4 double-overtime win over Nashville on Wednesday night. The forward didn't return after Scott Hartnell crashed into him with a knee-on-knee collision nine minutes into the second period that bent Cheechoo's knee awkwardly. His status for the rest of the series was uncertain.

RECORDS

Roberto Luongo set an NHL record for saves in a first career playoff start, making 72 in Vancouver's 5-4 quadruple-overtime win over Dallas on Wednesday night. Luongo also shattered the team record of 52 saves set by Kirk McLean in Game 1 of the 1994 Stanley Cup finals, but fell one short of the NHL playoff mark held by Kelly Hrudey. ... Teemu Selanne scored his 29th postseason goal for Anaheim on Wednesday night, tying him with Paul Kariya for the franchise record.

FOR STARTERS

Ottawa has won the opening game for the fifth time in its last six playoff series after a 6-3 victory over Pittsburgh on Wednesday night.

STRONG IN DEFEAT

Sidney Crosby scored in his first playoff game, but Pittsburgh lost to Ottawa 6-3 on Wednesday night. The 19-year-old Crosby, who led the NHL with 120 points, scored the game's final goal at 19:11 for his first postseason point. ... Nashville rookie Alexander Radulov scored twice in a 5-4 double-overtime loss to San Jose.

STREAKS

San Jose has won five straight playoff games against Nashville after A 5-4 double-overtime win on Wednesday night. The Sharks took the final four in the first round last year.

DRASTIC CHANGES

Phoenix cleaned out its front office Wednesday, firing general manager Mike Barnett and two other executives after the franchise's worst season since it moved from Winnipeg in 1996. Wayne Gretzky, who owns a share of the team and is its managing partner, will return for a third season as coach next fall. The Coyotes finished last in the Western Conference for the first time since the franchise came to Arizona and their 67 points were the team's fewest since that move. Phoenix hasn't made the playoffs since 2002.

FAREWELL

Warren Strelow, a pioneering goaltending coach and assistant for the 1980 U.S. Olympic hockey team, died Wednesday. He was 73. Strelow, who mentored a string of successful goalies for San Jose during the last 10 years, died in Worcester, Mass., home of the Sharks' top minor-league affiliate, the NHL club said. In 2004, he was inducted into the United States Hockey Hall of Fame.

SPEAKING

''I got all the experience I needed in one game.'' Vancouver goalie Roberto Luongo, who finished one save short of Kelly Hrudey's playoff record of 73 Wednesday night. Dallas and Vancouver played the sixth-longest playoff game in NHL history, with the Canucks finally winning 5-4 on a goal by Henrik Sedin 18:06 into the fourth overtime period.