Hurricanes earn first Stanley Cup shot in OT

The AssociatedPress

TORONTO -- Martin Gelinas and the Carolina Hurricanes didn't let another late game-tying goal rattle them. And now they're making their first trip to the Stanley Cup finals.

Gelinas, in the slot, tipped in Josef Vasicek's centering pass 8:05 into overtime Tuesday night, lifting the Hurricanes to a 2-1 victory and clinching the NHL Eastern Conference finals in six games.

Jeff O'Neill also scored for the Hurricanes, while Arturs Irbe stopped 35 shots, as Carolina improved to 6-1 in overtime games this postseason.

The outcome was eerily familiar of Carolina's 2-1 overtime victory in Game 2, in which the Leafs forced overtime on Alyn McCauley's goal in the waning seconds.

This time it was Leafs captain Mats Sundin who provided his team brief hope, tying the game with 21.8 seconds remaining.

Carolina will open the finals on the road. Defending champion Colorado leads Detroit 3-2 in the Western Conference finals.

The Hurricanes beat the Maple Leafs all three times in Toronto and, coincidentally, also won their previous two series in six games, both times on the road. It was the fourth game of the series that ended 2-1.

The series set an NHL playoff record for fewest goals by two teams in a six-game series. Carolina and Toronto combined for 16 goals, eclipsing the previous record of 20.

The Hurricanes became the 28th franchise to play for the Stanley Cup since 1918. Not bad for a franchise that had gone 21 years without winning a best-of-seven series.

The Maple Leafs finally ran out of gas after avoiding elimination four times this postseason, including Saturday's 1-0 win at Carolina.

Toronto, which won last won the Cup in 1967, has now gone 35 years since reaching the finals -- the longest stretch of any NHL team.

Bolstered by Sundin's goal, which came during a scramble in front of the net, the Leafs came out flying to open the overtime.

Sundin set up Jonas Hoglund on the fly, only to be foiled by Irbe 17 seconds into the overtime.

Toronto goalie Curtis Joseph was sharp two minutes later when he first stopped Sean Hill's shot from the point, and then got his pad out to foil O'Neill who was parked alone on the doorstep.

Joseph, coming off a 27-save performance on Saturday, made three remarkable saves in the first three minutes of the third period to keep the game scoreless.

With Carolina enjoying a 4-on-3 man-advantage, Joseph first somehow got his glove up on O'Neill's shot from the left circle. Seconds later, he got enough of Bret Hedican's blast from the right circle, and watched as the puck rolled just wide of the far post.

A minute later, Joseph got his glove out to deflect Erik Cole's one-timer from the slot.

He had no chance on O'Neill's goal, which came with 9:36 remaining.

Stripping Tomas Kaberle of the puck inside the Toronto blue line, O'Neill drove to the net. Joseph made the initial stop, but couldn't control the rebound, which O'Neill slapped into the open net.

The Leafs countered in the late-going when Sundin tapped in a loose puck during a scramble in front, his goal all but raising the roof of the Air Canada Centre.

It was a sad end for a Maple Leafs team that had overcome much this postseason.

Along with missing eight regulars at some point because of injuries, Toronto had survived seven-game series against the New York Islanders and Ottawa. Leafs coach Pat Quinn returned behind the bench on Tuesday after spending most of last week in the hospital, being monitored for an irregular heartbeat.

AVALANCHE-RED WINGS: In a series loaded with All-Stars and future Hall of Famers, Peter Forsberg and Patrick Roy have distinguished themselves.

With Roy's goaltending keeping the games close and Forsberg's prolific scoring adding to his incredible comeback, the Avalanche are one win away from reaching the Stanley Cup finals after beating the Detroit Red Wings 2-1 in overtime Monday night.

Roy stopped 26 shots, while Forsberg set up Colorado's first goal and scored the game-winner as the Avalanche took a 3-2 lead in the Western Conference finals.

Game 6 is tonight in Denver.

"It seems like he finds another notch to his game, game after game," Colorado coach Bob Hartley said of Forsberg's spectacular run in the playoffs after missing the entire regular season because of injuries. "I don't know what else I can say. He's unbelievable."

Forsberg leads the league with 27 points in the playoffs and is tied with teammate Joe Sakic for the NHL lead with nine goals. But he's also giving the Avalanche the little things that can make the difference between a win and a loss.

He has worked hard to fish pucks out of the corners, taken abuse from the Red Wings throughout the series and has been the best two-way player in the series.

Forsberg set up Steven Reinprecht's goal in the first period of Game 5 by feathering a pass though a defender's legs, and he also harassed Detroit's Brendan Shanahan into hitting the left post on a wide-open shot in the closing minutes.

"He amazes me at least once a period, if not every shift," said Reinprecht, who plays on Colorado's second line with Forsberg and Chris Drury.

Roy struggled with inconsistency early in the playoffs, but has been the main reason the Avalanche have a chance to close out the Red Wings instead of just trying to stay alive in the series.

Roy has allowed four or more goals four times in the playoffs and made two gaffes that directly led to two goals in Game 2.

Since then, he has stopped an incredible 96 shots in three games while helping the Avalanche keep the series close despite being outplayed at times.

He stopped 40 shots in Game 3, a 2-1 overtime loss, then saved 16 in the first period of Game 4 to allow the Avalanche to rally for a 3-2 victory. Roy had perhaps his best game of the series Monday night, turning away 26 shots, including four in overtime.

"He's so poised in there, very sharp," Hartley said. "He's moving the puck very well and he's very confident. By him being very confident, it makes us confident."

Detroit must win two straight games against the defending Stanley Cup champions to avoid elimination, but the Red Wings' road record in the playoffs at least gives them hope that the series can return to Detroit for a Game 7 on Friday.

Detroit is 5-2 on the road, including three straight victories in Vancouver after losing the first two at home in the opening round.

The Red Wings also dominated Colorado in Game 3 in Denver, out-shooting the Avalanche 33-14 after the first period in a 2-1 overtime victory.

"We have a good road record in the season, plus the playoffs," Detroit coach Scotty Bowman said. "That's what you've got to take with you."

Detroit goalie Dominik Hasek was critical of his team following losses in Games 4 and 5. He didn't let up Tuesday.

"We've made some mistakes. I would say mental mistakes," said Hasek, who stopped 27 shots in Game 5. "They've played a little bit smarter. Both teams work very hard, but I think they play a little bit smarter."

Hasek said the Red Wings' biggest mistakes have come in the neutral zone.

"We make some mistakes in the neutral zone, give them some speed and they score the goals," Hasek said. "All of the goals they've scored, except one, have been power-play goals or we give them the speed through the neutral zone and they scored."

Colorado forward Dan Hinote will be out indefinitely after breaking a bone in his left leg. Hinote was injured while blocking a shot in the third period of Game 5.

Forward Mike Keane missed two games with a rib injury and forward Alex Tanguay sat out Game 5 with a leg injury, but Hartley would not say if either would play in Game 6.