Avs force seventh game with shutout

The NHL’s championship series is going to the max for the first time in seven years.
Goalie Patrick Roy kept Colorado in contention when it was outplayed in the first period, then Adam Foote, Ville Nieminen, Chris Drury, and Alex Tanguay all scored to lift the Avalanche to a 4-0 victory over the New Jersey Devils last night.
In avoiding elimination, the Avs forced the first seventh and deciding game in the final since the New York Rangers edged the Vancouver Canucks in 1994.
It goes Saturday night back in Colorado.
“I think we should get a lot of confidence from that game,” said Roy. “We all understand that it’s important to come up with our biggest game of the season.”
The Stanley Cup, ready to be carried out of a room in the bowels of Continental Airlines Arena for presentation, was instead sent to the nearest airport for a flight to Denver, where it will be presented Saturday night.
Roy wound up with his 19th career playoff shutout. New Jersey outshot Colorado 24-18.
“We’ve got the best goalie in the business and he was tremendous tonight,” said Avs defenceman Ray Bourque. “You’ve got to play with emotion but it’s got to be controlled. It was tonight.”
Bourque’s Mission 16W is now within one win of completion as the 40-year-old looks for his first Stanley Cup in his 22nd NHL season.
“Today was the biggest game of my career and Saturday will be the biggest game of my career,” said Bourque. “It is really the first time I have had an opportunity to play for the Cup.
“I’ve said I’ve enjoyed every second of this so far, and I’m having a blast and I’m really looking forward [to Game 7].”
But Bourque and his teammates are well aware of the Devils’ excellent road record.
New Jersey now is 7-6 at home and 8-3 on the road in the 2001 playoffs. One year ago, the Devils had a chance to win the title at home in a Game 5 against Dallas, and lost. They won it in Game 6 in Dallas.
“Our guys just seem to have too many distractions at home,” said Devils coach Larry Robinson. “Maybe they listen too much to all the people telling them how great they are.”
“We have to put this aside and play our best game,” said Devils captain Scott Stevens. “We’ve done it the hard way all playoffs and we’re going to have to do it again.”
The Avs extended the final to the limit despite missing Peter Forsberg. They have refused to use as an excuse the loss of the star forward before the start of the third round.
Their defensive effort last night in protecting their lead in the third period was admirable as player after player in maroon and blue dove in front of shots and charged into the corners after loose pucks.
Colorado didn’t deserve it but it had a 1-0 lead after 20 minutes. The Devils outshot the Avs 12-5 in the first period. Roy was outstanding.
“He’s very intimidating,” said Avs coach Bob Hartley. “The players that come in front of him know he’s tough to beat.”
Foote stunned the capacity crowd of 19,000 by opening the scoring at 18:02. Getting possession in the neutral zone, the Avs defenceman skated across the blue-line and slapped a drive from the top of the faceoff circle to the left of Martin Brodeur.
The puck struck the goalie’s right-hand blocker and bounced into the bottom corner of the net.
Colorado went up 2-0 when Nieminen got credit for a goal 2:26 into the second period during the Avs’ second power-play chance.
After Drury made it 3-0 at 18:27, Tanguay added a goal with 6:14 to go, taking a Dave Reid pass in front of Brodeur and taking a shot that caromed off a stick and up and under the cross bar.
Four goals on 14 shots—the Avs couldn’t asked for more.
“We played Avalanche hockey,” said Hartley. “We didn’t get caught in odd-man situations and even though we were facing elimination I thought we played with a lot of poise.”