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Scribe's Report Box Score Game Index April 25, 2002

LA FINALLY CATCHES A BREAK JOHNSON WINS IT IN OT KINGS FIGHT PAST THE AVS, 1-0 AVS STILL LEAD SERIES, 3-2 DENVER -- After sixty minutes of scoreless hockey, Craig Johnson scored on a deflection at 2:19 of overtime to help lead the Los Angeles Kings to a very hard-fought, 1-0 shutout win over the Colorado Avalanche in front of a stunned sellout crowd of 18,007 at the Pepsi Center in Denver on Thursday night. With the win, the Kings stayed alive in the series, but the Avs still hold a 3-2 lead in their best-of-seven games Western Conference Quarterfinals series. Game Six will be at Staples Center on Saturday afternoon. The Kings and Avs fought their way through the entire game, as both teams were hitting hard, and playing strong defense. Quality scoring chances were few and far between, and both teams were getting strong play in goal. As the game wore on, the question became... Who would crack first? When the third period came along, it looked like it would be the Kings, as they started to play fast and loose with the puck near the Colorado blue line, resulting in turnovers. On consecutive shifts, Avs' stars Joe Sakic and Peter Forsberg were able to attack the Kings' zone with speed, and on one of those rushes, Sakic clanked the puck off the crossbar after getting off a slap shot from high in the left circle that was deflected in front. "I was just happy to look behind me and not see it in the net," said Kings' goalie Felix Potvin. The Kings breathed a huge, collective sigh of relief, but then buckled down again, and started playing tight defense again, as the two teams headed to overtime, still scoreless. But in the overtime period, the Kings stepped up, and the Avs were a step slow. On one shift, the Kings swarmed the Avs deep in their zone, and they managed to get traffic in front of Avs' superstar goalie Patrick Roy. After Kings' right wing Ziggy Palffy controlled the puck for an extended period, the puck went to Kings' defenseman Jaroslav Modry, who was along the left wing boards. He wristed the puck in front, where it deflected off of Johnson's skate in the low slot, beating Roy for the overtime goal. "They say only good things happen when you put the puck on the net," Modry said. "I saw Craig wide open in front of the net and tried to hit him. It worked out good. He's a hero and we're going back home for Game Six." "I was just trying to get to the net and hopefully get a deflection," Johnson explained. "Mo did a great job to get it on net, and I found some open space and luckily it went in." "It's a lot of fun, especially when you're on the winning side," Potvin said. "It's not much fun on the other side. For us, it's do or die. I give credit to that line that was on the ice for OT. They were really buzzing and throwing pucks at the net and that's usually how you win." Johnson may have scored the goal, but the key player on that shift was Palffy. "Palffy made a great play," Johnson said. "He kept control of the puck and Modry slipped behind him. When Modry had the puck, I was just trying to find some open ice. He made the pass, I was trying to get my stick on it, and it hit my skate and it went in." For the first time in the series, the Kings caught a break, and had the puck bounce their way for a change, and that bounce has kept them alive, for at least one more game. "Tonight, we were just able to have some key breaks," said Potvin. The Kings sure needed every break they got because they played this game without winger Adam Deadmarsh (neck strain) and left wing Cliff Ronning (post-concussion syndrome). And for a change, the Kings got points from players not named Palffy or Jason Allison, which is huge for the Kings. "You've got to give a lot of credit to the guys who haven't been playing as much for us this season," Potvin said. "They stepped up and played hard for us tonight." But in the NHL a team makes its own luck in most cases, and goalie Felix Potvin gave his team the chances they needed to pull out a win. "We have a lot of heart and our team plays hard," Johnson said. "But the key was the play of Felix. He was outstanding tonight. He played an unbelievable game and he kept us in." "Cat was outstanding the whole game," Johnson added. "He's the one who deserves all the credit for this game." "I really felt we've played better this year in this series," said Kings' defenseman Aaron Miller. "We lost three of the first four games, but I thought we were in them all. Tonight was a struggle with five 'D,' but Felix played great and we got the win. The Kings wound up being shorthanded on the blue line after defenseman Philippe Boucher was hit by the puck in the first period. The puck struck Boucher above the right eye when a slap shot from left point deflected off Avs' forward Brad Larsen in front of the Kings' net. Boucher was helped to the dressing room and did not return. X-rays were negative. "I was running on empty in the middle of the second," Miller said. "Short shifts and you didn't see us get up in the play much at all. There's not a lot of energy left to try to jump up and help the forwards. We tried to work hard in our own end. You work hard all year to try to get into shape for something like that. Long night but good result." With the shutout, Kings' goalie Felix Potvin recorded the eighth playoff shutout of his career, and has built a streak of 95:22 without allowing a goal. He has allowed just one goal in his last 176:18. "I've been feeling pretty good the last three games," said Potvin, who has allowed just two goals on eighty-two shots during those games. "We were buzzing in OT. We went after them and got the results. I've had three good games in a row, but this one meant more." What it meant was "survival." "With all that this organization has been through this year, and everybody writing us off for different reasons, for us to find a way to win this game is a testament to our players," Kings' head coach Andy Murray said. "We have lots of pride in our locker room and maybe they think it's going to be easy," said defenseman Jaroslav Modry, who gave Johnson the pass to set up his winning goal. "But every game is different. We know that we will show up and battle as tough as we can. We will play as hard as we can every single game, every single shift. That's our motto. We've been doing it all year. We've been in tight games since Christmas." "We're a dedicated group," Johnson said. "We've had our backs to the wall all year. We've fought hard. We just wanted to play another day." "We didn't want our season to end, and they didn't want to get on a plane," said Miller. "Now we have a chance to get them at home," Miller said. "We don't have anything to lose now. They're the defending Stanley Cup champions, and we're trying to knock them off." "This was a tough game tonight, I tell you," Miller added. "I'm about as beat as they get, but that was a great win, and we're happy to live another day. What a battle this has been. Tonight, it was a game of inches and it could have gone either way. We're glad to take it." Murray also got some credit for the win. "Andy did a good job with the lines," said Kings' center Bryan Smolinski. "He got everybody into the game and rolled the lines a couple of times. He got some key matchups that worked." "We played a lot of players tonight, moving guys in and out," Murray explained. "It was the players who really made the difference. It was a game where the two goalies just battled so hard against each other." "I felt we played better last game," Murray said. "Their goalie made one more save last time, our goalie made one more save this time." With the overtime game-winning goal being deflected in off a skate, there was instant controversy over whether or not the goal should have been allowed. Referee Stephen Walkom did not hesitate, immediately ruling that a goal had been scored. But he did request review by the video goal judge, and NHL Supervisor of Officials Denis Morel ruled that a goal had indeed been scored. But the Avs vehemently disagreed with the ruling. "The person who made that call missed something because there is no way this guy could [score]," Roy said. "I do understand the rule, if you don't move your skate and leave it there and then hit the skate. There's no way the guy could score if he didn't make a bit of a forward motion in the direction of the net. It's sad but I guess we didn't expect them to quit and they didn't." "I'm not happy about this," Roy muttered angrily. NHL Rule 70(b) states: "A puck that deflects into the net off of an attacking player who does not use a distinct kicking motion, is a legitimate goal." The play was reviewed by NHL supervisor Denis Morel and was allowed to stand. "The way we saw it, we can see clearly that he brings his skate toward the puck," Hartley lamented. "For us, his skate was going toward the net. And, if that's not a kicking motion, I don't know." "For us, it was a distinct kicking motion," Hartley added. "But there is absolutely nothing we can do about it." Apparently, it all depends on how one defines a "distinct kicking motion." Video replay showed that Johnson clearly turned his foot so that the puck would deflect towards the net. So if one defines a "distinct kicking motion" as just turning one's foot so that the puck deflects the way you want it to, then yes, by that definition, it could be called a "kick." Although this rule has been interpreted loosely in the past, in recent years, the "distinct kicking motion" has been defined as one's foot being moved forward to propel or re-direct the puck. Johnson did not do that in this case, and the video replay is conclusive. "The rule is that it has to be a kicking motion," Johnson said. "And it wasn't a kicking motion. The puck went off the skate. I went hard to the net looking for a deflection. Modry put the puck on net and I found enough open space and it went in." "Everyone I've talked to, including the three officials, said it was a goal," Murray said. Aside from the overtime goal, the Avs know that they let the Kings back into the series. "You never want to let an underdog stick around any longer than possible," Avalanche winger Dan Hinote said. "It's just like last year. We've got to go back there and face an even hungrier team. We knew that going in. We put ourselves in a little bit of a hole, but we'll dig our way out." "Every game that they're here, they're going to get stronger, just like they did last year," Hinote added. "Obviously, that's in the back of our head. We know that's part of their character. They don't ever give up, whether it's 3-1 or 2-0. It would be us not learning from the past if we were to ignore it. We learned from it, and we know what to expect." "It was a tight game all around," said Avs' center Joe Sakic. "For the most part, we played pretty well. But we didn't play well enough. We had some chances and [Potvin] made some good saves. We didn't put the puck in the net and you have to do that to win hockey games." "I felt we played a decent game, unfortunately not well enough to win," Hartley said. "Offensively, I felt we didn't generate enough. That's the story of the game." "We gave them life," Roy added. "We didn't want to do that. Now we have to go back to their building and play another game." We're obviously disappointed at having to go back to LA," Sakic said. "We didn't get it done." But the Avs say they will be ready for Game Six. "We've been in this situation before," Avs' defenseman Adam Foote said. "It's about controlling your emotions, and we're aware of that. We've got to put this behind us." Scratches --------- Los Angeles: Ken Belanger (healthy), Adam Deadmarsh (neck strain), Cliff Ronning (post-concussion syndrome), Lubomir Visnovsky (healthy) Colorado: Milan Hejduk (abdominal strain), Pascal Trepanier (healthy), Scott Parker (healthy), Brad Willsie (healthy) Goalies ------- Los Angeles: Felix Potvin Colorado: Patrick Roy Referees: Mark Faucette, Stephen Walkom Linesmen: Mike Cvik, Brad Lazarowich First Period ------------ No scoring...tough defense, and plenty of hitting characterized the play by both teams throughout the period. Second Period ------------- No scoring...this period was a repeat of the first period. Third Period ------------ No scoring...the Avs were getting a few chances on the rush, thanks for a few shifts worth of careless play by the Kings, who started to try ill-advised drop passes at the Colorado blue line. That gave the likes of Sakic and Forsberg a couple of great chances, including a slap shot from high in the left circle by Sakic that was deflected in front by Kings' defenseman Aaron Miller. The shot beat Potvin because of the deflection, but clanked off the crossbar. The Kings tightened up again defensively after that. But through three periods, one would have to give the Avs an edge in the game. They were a bit stronger defensively, as the Kings had fewer shots on goal, and even fewer quality scoring chances. Both teams had a tough time getting to the front of the opposition's net, but the Avs did a slightly better job of controlling the front of their own net than the Kings did. But that would change on one shift in overtime... Overtime -------- The Kings came out harder than the Avs to start the overtime period... 1. LOS ANGELES. Johnson 1 (Modry, Palffy), 2:19 After Palffy had the puck for an extended period, he got two great shots that were stopped by Potvin. On his second shot (from the right circle), he chased down the rebound behind the net. He then carried the puck around the left corner boards, and into the left circle. As he turned towards the top of the slot, he passed back to Modry at left point. Modry skated all the way down to the lower left circle, where he passed to Johnson in front. Johnson was open, and deflected the puck into the net off the inside of his right skate, beating Roy between his pads. As reported earlier, referee Stephen Walkom immediately ruled that a goal had been scored. He requested a review by the video goal judge, and Walkom's ruling was upheld. Shots on Goal ------------- Los Angeles: 8 5 5 5 -- 23 Colorado: 11 10 4 1 -- 26 Power Play Conversions ---------------------- Los Angeles: 0/3; Colorado: 0/4 Zone Time --------- Los Angeles: 10:10 8:25 8:14 0:27 -- 27:16 Colorado: 6:13 7:51 7:26 1:12 -- 22:42 Neutral: 3:37 3:44 4:20 0:40 -- 12:21 Three Stars (official) ---------------------- #3 - Eric Messier; #2 - Johnson; #1 - Potvin Potvin and Roy were very strong in goal, with Potvin winning this round. But the difference in the game was that the Kings finally got contributions on the score sheet from players other than Allison and Palffy. In fact, Johnson was one of the Kings' more effective forwards. He recorded five shots on goal, leading both teams. For the Kings to stay alive in the playoffs, the Kings' role players are going to need to continue to find ways to contribute offensively, and Potvin is going to have to win at least one more game for his team. "The Cat is everything for us," Miller said. "You're not going to win at all in the playoffs if you don't have good goaltending. He was awesome and we need him to be that good in Game 6. We will only go as far as he takes us." Next Game: On Saturday, the Kings and Avs return to Staples Center for Game Six. Game time: 3:00 PM PDT. Televised regionally on ABC-TV (KABC-TV 7 in the Los Angeles area).

(C) Copyright 2001-02 by Gann Matsuda. All rights reserved. This report may not be duplicated, copied, printed or distributed in any way without permission.

Scribe's Report Box Score Game Index	April 25, 2002

LA FINALLY CATCHES A BREAK JOHNSON WINS IT IN OT KINGS FIGHT PAST THE AVS, 1-0 AVS STILL LEAD SERIES, 3-2 DENVER -- After sixty minutes of scoreless hockey, Craig Johnson scored on a deflection at 2:19 of overtime to help lead the Los Angeles Kings to a very hard-fought, 1-0 shutout win over the Colorado Avalanche in front of a stunned sellout crowd of 18,007 at the Pepsi Center in Denver on Thursday night. With the win, the Kings stayed alive in the series, but the Avs still hold a 3-2 lead in their best-of-seven games Western Conference Quarterfinals series. Game Six will be at Staples Center on Saturday afternoon. The Kings and Avs fought their way through the entire game, as both teams were hitting hard, and playing strong defense. Quality scoring chances were few and far between, and both teams were getting strong play in goal. As the game wore on, the question became... Who would crack first? When the third period came along, it looked like it would be the Kings, as they started to play fast and loose with the puck near the Colorado blue line, resulting in turnovers. On consecutive shifts, Avs' stars Joe Sakic and Peter Forsberg were able to attack the Kings' zone with speed, and on one of those rushes, Sakic clanked the puck off the crossbar after getting off a slap shot from high in the left circle that was deflected in front. "I was just happy to look behind me and not see it in the net," said Kings' goalie Felix Potvin. The Kings breathed a huge, collective sigh of relief, but then buckled down again, and started playing tight defense again, as the two teams headed to overtime, still scoreless. But in the overtime period, the Kings stepped up, and the Avs were a step slow. On one shift, the Kings swarmed the Avs deep in their zone, and they managed to get traffic in front of Avs' superstar goalie Patrick Roy. After Kings' right wing Ziggy Palffy controlled the puck for an extended period, the puck went to Kings' defenseman Jaroslav Modry, who was along the left wing boards. He wristed the puck in front, where it deflected off of Johnson's skate in the low slot, beating Roy for the overtime goal. "They say only good things happen when you put the puck on the net," Modry said. "I saw Craig wide open in front of the net and tried to hit him. It worked out good. He's a hero and we're going back home for Game Six." "I was just trying to get to the net and hopefully get a deflection," Johnson explained. "Mo did a great job to get it on net, and I found some open space and luckily it went in." "It's a lot of fun, especially when you're on the winning side," Potvin said. "It's not much fun on the other side. For us, it's do or die. I give credit to that line that was on the ice for OT. They were really buzzing and throwing pucks at the net and that's usually how you win." Johnson may have scored the goal, but the key player on that shift was Palffy. "Palffy made a great play," Johnson said. "He kept control of the puck and Modry slipped behind him. When Modry had the puck, I was just trying to find some open ice. He made the pass, I was trying to get my stick on it, and it hit my skate and it went in." For the first time in the series, the Kings caught a break, and had the puck bounce their way for a change, and that bounce has kept them alive, for at least one more game. "Tonight, we were just able to have some key breaks," said Potvin. The Kings sure needed every break they got because they played this game without winger Adam Deadmarsh (neck strain) and left wing Cliff Ronning (post-concussion syndrome). And for a change, the Kings got points from players not named Palffy or Jason Allison, which is huge for the Kings. "You've got to give a lot of credit to the guys who haven't been playing as much for us this season," Potvin said. "They stepped up and played hard for us tonight." But in the NHL a team makes its own luck in most cases, and goalie Felix Potvin gave his team the chances they needed to pull out a win. "We have a lot of heart and our team plays hard," Johnson said. "But the key was the play of Felix. He was outstanding tonight. He played an unbelievable game and he kept us in." "Cat was outstanding the whole game," Johnson added. "He's the one who deserves all the credit for this game." "I really felt we've played better this year in this series," said Kings' defenseman Aaron Miller. "We lost three of the first four games, but I thought we were in them all. Tonight was a struggle with five 'D,' but Felix played great and we got the win. The Kings wound up being shorthanded on the blue line after defenseman Philippe Boucher was hit by the puck in the first period. The puck struck Boucher above the right eye when a slap shot from left point deflected off Avs' forward Brad Larsen in front of the Kings' net. Boucher was helped to the dressing room and did not return. X-rays were negative. "I was running on empty in the middle of the second," Miller said. "Short shifts and you didn't see us get up in the play much at all. There's not a lot of energy left to try to jump up and help the forwards. We tried to work hard in our own end. You work hard all year to try to get into shape for something like that. Long night but good result." With the shutout, Kings' goalie Felix Potvin recorded the eighth playoff shutout of his career, and has built a streak of 95:22 without allowing a goal. He has allowed just one goal in his last 176:18. "I've been feeling pretty good the last three games," said Potvin, who has allowed just two goals on eighty-two shots during those games. "We were buzzing in OT. We went after them and got the results. I've had three good games in a row, but this one meant more." What it meant was "survival." "With all that this organization has been through this year, and everybody writing us off for different reasons, for us to find a way to win this game is a testament to our players," Kings' head coach Andy Murray said. "We have lots of pride in our locker room and maybe they think it's going to be easy," said defenseman Jaroslav Modry, who gave Johnson the pass to set up his winning goal. "But every game is different. We know that we will show up and battle as tough as we can. We will play as hard as we can every single game, every single shift. That's our motto. We've been doing it all year. We've been in tight games since Christmas." "We're a dedicated group," Johnson said. "We've had our backs to the wall all year. We've fought hard. We just wanted to play another day." "We didn't want our season to end, and they didn't want to get on a plane," said Miller. "Now we have a chance to get them at home," Miller said. "We don't have anything to lose now. They're the defending Stanley Cup champions, and we're trying to knock them off." "This was a tough game tonight, I tell you," Miller added. "I'm about as beat as they get, but that was a great win, and we're happy to live another day. What a battle this has been. Tonight, it was a game of inches and it could have gone either way. We're glad to take it." Murray also got some credit for the win. "Andy did a good job with the lines," said Kings' center Bryan Smolinski. "He got everybody into the game and rolled the lines a couple of times. He got some key matchups that worked." "We played a lot of players tonight, moving guys in and out," Murray explained. "It was the players who really made the difference. It was a game where the two goalies just battled so hard against each other." "I felt we played better last game," Murray said. "Their goalie made one more save last time, our goalie made one more save this time." With the overtime game-winning goal being deflected in off a skate, there was instant controversy over whether or not the goal should have been allowed. Referee Stephen Walkom did not hesitate, immediately ruling that a goal had been scored. But he did request review by the video goal judge, and NHL Supervisor of Officials Denis Morel ruled that a goal had indeed been scored. But the Avs vehemently disagreed with the ruling. "The person who made that call missed something because there is no way this guy could [score]," Roy said. "I do understand the rule, if you don't move your skate and leave it there and then hit the skate. There's no way the guy could score if he didn't make a bit of a forward motion in the direction of the net. It's sad but I guess we didn't expect them to quit and they didn't." "I'm not happy about this," Roy muttered angrily. NHL Rule 70(b) states: "A puck that deflects into the net off of an attacking player who does not use a distinct kicking motion, is a legitimate goal." The play was reviewed by NHL supervisor Denis Morel and was allowed to stand. "The way we saw it, we can see clearly that he brings his skate toward the puck," Hartley lamented. "For us, his skate was going toward the net. And, if that's not a kicking motion, I don't know." "For us, it was a distinct kicking motion," Hartley added. "But there is absolutely nothing we can do about it." Apparently, it all depends on how one defines a "distinct kicking motion." Video replay showed that Johnson clearly turned his foot so that the puck would deflect towards the net. So if one defines a "distinct kicking motion" as just turning one's foot so that the puck deflects the way you want it to, then yes, by that definition, it could be called a "kick." Although this rule has been interpreted loosely in the past, in recent years, the "distinct kicking motion" has been defined as one's foot being moved forward to propel or re-direct the puck. Johnson did not do that in this case, and the video replay is conclusive. "The rule is that it has to be a kicking motion," Johnson said. "And it wasn't a kicking motion. The puck went off the skate. I went hard to the net looking for a deflection. Modry put the puck on net and I found enough open space and it went in." "Everyone I've talked to, including the three officials, said it was a goal," Murray said. Aside from the overtime goal, the Avs know that they let the Kings back into the series. "You never want to let an underdog stick around any longer than possible," Avalanche winger Dan Hinote said. "It's just like last year. We've got to go back there and face an even hungrier team. We knew that going in. We put ourselves in a little bit of a hole, but we'll dig our way out." "Every game that they're here, they're going to get stronger, just like they did last year," Hinote added. "Obviously, that's in the back of our head. We know that's part of their character. They don't ever give up, whether it's 3-1 or 2-0. It would be us not learning from the past if we were to ignore it. We learned from it, and we know what to expect." "It was a tight game all around," said Avs' center Joe Sakic. "For the most part, we played pretty well. But we didn't play well enough. We had some chances and [Potvin] made some good saves. We didn't put the puck in the net and you have to do that to win hockey games." "I felt we played a decent game, unfortunately not well enough to win," Hartley said. "Offensively, I felt we didn't generate enough. That's the story of the game." "We gave them life," Roy added. "We didn't want to do that. Now we have to go back to their building and play another game." We're obviously disappointed at having to go back to LA," Sakic said. "We didn't get it done." But the Avs say they will be ready for Game Six. "We've been in this situation before," Avs' defenseman Adam Foote said. "It's about controlling your emotions, and we're aware of that. We've got to put this behind us." Scratches --------- Los Angeles: Ken Belanger (healthy), Adam Deadmarsh (neck strain), Cliff Ronning (post-concussion syndrome), Lubomir Visnovsky (healthy) Colorado: Milan Hejduk (abdominal strain), Pascal Trepanier (healthy), Scott Parker (healthy), Brad Willsie (healthy) Goalies ------- Los Angeles: Felix Potvin Colorado: Patrick Roy Referees: Mark Faucette, Stephen Walkom Linesmen: Mike Cvik, Brad Lazarowich First Period ------------ No scoring...tough defense, and plenty of hitting characterized the play by both teams throughout the period. Second Period ------------- No scoring...this period was a repeat of the first period. Third Period ------------ No scoring...the Avs were getting a few chances on the rush, thanks for a few shifts worth of careless play by the Kings, who started to try ill-advised drop passes at the Colorado blue line. That gave the likes of Sakic and Forsberg a couple of great chances, including a slap shot from high in the left circle by Sakic that was deflected in front by Kings' defenseman Aaron Miller. The shot beat Potvin because of the deflection, but clanked off the crossbar. The Kings tightened up again defensively after that. But through three periods, one would have to give the Avs an edge in the game. They were a bit stronger defensively, as the Kings had fewer shots on goal, and even fewer quality scoring chances. Both teams had a tough time getting to the front of the opposition's net, but the Avs did a slightly better job of controlling the front of their own net than the Kings did. But that would change on one shift in overtime... Overtime -------- The Kings came out harder than the Avs to start the overtime period... 1. LOS ANGELES. Johnson 1 (Modry, Palffy), 2:19 After Palffy had the puck for an extended period, he got two great shots that were stopped by Potvin. On his second shot (from the right circle), he chased down the rebound behind the net. He then carried the puck around the left corner boards, and into the left circle. As he turned towards the top of the slot, he passed back to Modry at left point. Modry skated all the way down to the lower left circle, where he passed to Johnson in front. Johnson was open, and deflected the puck into the net off the inside of his right skate, beating Roy between his pads. As reported earlier, referee Stephen Walkom immediately ruled that a goal had been scored. He requested a review by the video goal judge, and Walkom's ruling was upheld. Shots on Goal ------------- Los Angeles: 8 5 5 5 -- 23 Colorado: 11 10 4 1 -- 26 Power Play Conversions ---------------------- Los Angeles: 0/3; Colorado: 0/4 Zone Time --------- Los Angeles: 10:10 8:25 8:14 0:27 -- 27:16 Colorado: 6:13 7:51 7:26 1:12 -- 22:42 Neutral: 3:37 3:44 4:20 0:40 -- 12:21 Three Stars (official) ---------------------- #3 - Eric Messier; #2 - Johnson; #1 - Potvin Potvin and Roy were very strong in goal, with Potvin winning this round. But the difference in the game was that the Kings finally got contributions on the score sheet from players other than Allison and Palffy. In fact, Johnson was one of the Kings' more effective forwards. He recorded five shots on goal, leading both teams. For the Kings to stay alive in the playoffs, the Kings' role players are going to need to continue to find ways to contribute offensively, and Potvin is going to have to win at least one more game for his team. "The Cat is everything for us," Miller said. "You're not going to win at all in the playoffs if you don't have good goaltending. He was awesome and we need him to be that good in Game 6. We will only go as far as he takes us." Next Game: On Saturday, the Kings and Avs return to Staples Center for Game Six. Game time: 3:00 PM PDT. Televised regionally on ABC-TV (KABC-TV 7 in the Los Angeles area).
(C) Copyright 2001-02 by Gann Matsuda. All rights reserved. This report may not be duplicated, copied, printed or distributed in any way without permission.