St. Louis Post-Dispatch from St. Louis, Missouri • Page 28

MAY 2 01995 0 ST. LOUIS POST-DISPATCH PORT SECTION SATURDAY, MAY 20, 1995 MP n(Q)p Canucks Outlast Blues 5-3 'Hawks Oust Leafs 57-Year Drought Finally Ends CHICAGO (AP) For the first time in 57 years, the Chicago Black-hawks got past the Toronto Maple Leafs in the playoffs. Joe Murphy and Patrick Poulin broke open a close game with goals 26 seconds apart in the third period Friday night as Chicago reached the second round with a 5-2 seventh-game victory. The Blackhawks, 0-5 in National Hockey League playoff series against Toronto since last winning in 1938, will open the Western Conference semifinals Sunday against either Calgary or Vancouver. Chicago had advanced past the first round only once in the previous four years.

It was eliminated last season by the Maple Leafs, who went on to appear in their second successive conference final. Murphy added a late empty-net goal, and Denis Savard and Eric Weinrich also scored for the Black-hawks, who became only the ninth team in NHL history to win a best-of-seven series after dropping the first two games at home. The Blackhawks won four of the series' last five games because they finally got the better of goalie Felix Potvin, who shut them out three times in last year's playoffs and in Game 2 of this series. Ed Belfour, whose last series win as a goalie came in Chicago's run to the 1992 Stanley Cup finals, made 22 saves. Chicago led only 2-1 before Murphy scored with 8:07 to play.

He intercepted Todd Gill's pass at center, broke into Toronto's zone and lifted a high backhander into the net as he was being tripped by defense-man Dave Ellett. With 7:41 left, Savard fed cross ice to Poulin, who slapped a shot from the left faceoff circle over Potvin for a 4-1 lead. Both goals came while each team had a player in the penalty box. By Dave Luecking Of the Post-Dispatch Staff So much for those Stanley Cup dreams. They ended for the Blues and 20,276 fans Friday night at Kiel Center, where Vancouver won 5-3 in the seventh and deciding game of their National Hockey League Western Conference quarterfinals.

Vancouver won three games in the Blues' new arena, something an opponent never had done in a playoff series at The Arena. The Canucks, Stanley Cup finalists last season, advance to the conference semifinals against either Detroit or Chicago. The Blues retire to the golf course after a season that many hoped would end with Stanley Cup parades and victory parties. Coach Mike Keenan built expectations to a fever pitch when he left the Cup-champion New York Rangers in the offseason, but in the end, he won three more games than associate coach Bob Berry did in last year's four-game sweep at hands of the Dallas Stars. Keenan's goalie, Curtis Joseph, and his special teams failed him.

Joseph ran hot and cold in the series. He had a 1.67 goals-against average and a .935 save percentage in the Blues' three victories. His GAA was 5.38 and his save percentage was .8 1 3 in the losses. On Friday, he gave up four goals on the Canucks' first 12 shots in a game in which the Blues outshot the Canucks by 2 to 1 44-22. The Blues had more than 42 shots in only one game this season.

The Blues' special teams failed miserably in Game 7. They were scoreless on six power plays and allowed a devastating short-handed goal to Pavel Bure. The short-handed goal was the sixth surrendered by the Blues in the series, an NHL record. Vancouver, meanwhile, scored on two of its three power plays. All three, of special-teams goals were scored in the first period.

Adrian Aucoin and Geoff Courtnall scored power play goals for Vancou-See BLUES, Page 7 Karen ElshoutPost-Dispatch The Blues' Brett Hull just misses the net with a first-period shot as Canucks goalie Kirk McLean slides across. BERNIE MIKLASZCOMMENTARY A Valiant Blues Effort Goes To The Dogs playoff games," said Blues coach Mike Keenan, providing the requiem for yet another disappointing spring for the Blues. Friday night, the Blues dominated, and dazzled. They huffed and puffed. They outshot Vancouver 44-22 and did just about everything necessary to advance to the second round of the Western Conference playoffs.

"We certainly had the effort," Keenan said. But Vancouver had a bulletproof goaltender in Kirk McLean, who never succumbed to the intense pressure generated by the swarm of Blues. Captain Kirk's nerves were made of steel and steal. And our poor Cujo slobbered all over the place again. Final score: 5-3.

Sealed by Pavel Bure's empty-net goal as Well, it was over for Vancouver. For about six minutes. The Canucks came out for Game 7 and were promptly smothered. The Blues had Vancouver trapped, caged and vulnerable. The Canucks were motionless.

Scarecrows. This would be a rout And then the Canucks remembered that Curtis Joseph was at the other end of the ice, ready to flop in front of the Blues' goal. If the Canucks could just hang on for a few minutes, resist the initial St. Louis charge and begin to aim pucks at Joseph Here, Cujo. Here's the puck.

Come and get it. Fetch, Cujo. Oh, no. "Curtis, quite frankly, was not as good as he has to be to win SFI Tl I 1 Knicks Stop Pacers Ewing Backs Vow To Force A 7th Game -i I its -77T1t- I Lankford Deal: One Year For $2.8 Million Outfielder: 'Better To Get It All Out Of The Way' By Rick Hummel Of the Post-Dispatch Staff SAN FRANCISCO When Ray Lankford hit .238 in 1993, there was no denying that his unhappiness with a $290,000 contract had something to do with it. Lankford should have no such trouble this year.

He agreed Friday to a one-year, $2.8 million deal. That was the midpoint between arbitration filings of $3.2 million by Lankford and $2.4 million by the Cardinals. "I'm happy," Lankford said. "I figure it's better to get it all out of the way. "I can speak for a lot of guys.

It's always good to get a contract done as quick as possible. It takes a player's mind off it, and all he has to do is go out there and perform. "This is your career. To a lot of people, it's just a game. But when you're playing to feed a family and put a roof over your head, it's a job." Lankford was hitting .247 before Friday, but 14 of his 22 hits were for extra bases (12 doubles).

His slugging percentage was a quite respectable .449. But Lankford's slugging mark pales when compared with that of San Francisco third baseman Matt Williams, who powered his ninth and 10th homers Friday night, giving the Giants an early 3-1 lead after four innings against the Cardinals. Williams is slugging nearly .750 and has hit 64 home runs in his last 167 games, almost the equivalent of a full season. Lankford said his main concern this season was cutting down his strikeouts. He has, fanning only 14 times in the first 22 games, compared with 113 in 109 games last year.

"The easy thing is to say you're going to be selective," he said. "The hard part is doing it." According to the existing rules, Lankford would have another season before he could be a free agent. But he said would like to have a long-term deal with the Cardinals. "This is a team that's going to rise to the top, and I'd like to be a part of that, if just for the fans," said Lankford, 27. "This is where I started my career.

The fans are great." General manager Walt Jocketty still has three more arbitration-eligible players to sign pitcher Ken Hill, See CARDINALS, Page 8 ft if i Head For Cover: Indy rookie CARLOS GUERRERO scatters observers as his car spins Friday. xv 1 Pruett Roars Back Scott Pruett has returned to Indy in a big way. Last year, he missed the entire IndyCar season, spending the year testing Firestone tires, which are returning to Indy for the first time in 21 years. He returned by qualifying for the race at 227.403 mph in Patrick Racing's 1 995 Lola Ford, with Firestone tires 3 Preakness Thunder? By The Associated Press Patrick Ewing promised a Game 7 on Sunday, and he made sure there was one. Ewing's 25 points and 15 rebounds helped the Knicks force the Indiana Pacers to return to Madison Square Garden in New York for a deciding game in the National Basketball Association Eastern Conference semifinals with a 92-82 victory Friday night.

Ewing had a key basket and rebound in the final two minutes to hold off a furious fourth-quarter comeback by Indiana. Game 7 will be Sunday at Madison Square Garden. The winner will advance to play the Orlando Magic Game 1 of the Eastern Conference finals will be Tuesday at Orlando. Before the game, Ewing had told reporters, "See you Sunday," foretelling a repeat of last year's Eastern Conference finals, when the Knicks won Game 6 at Indiana to send the series back to New York. Now they're headed back again, and the Pacers, who lost Game 7 last year, have lost what was once a 3-1 series lead.

After a 13-point third quarter that left them down by 13, the Pacers came roaring back to cut New York's lead to three on two free throws by Reggie Miller with 5:32 left. But they couldn't get any closer. Miller's first field goal didn't come until the fourth quarter, when his 3-pointer with 9:46 to play trimmed the lead to 72-63. New York pumped it back up to eight on Ewing's basket with 1:50 left. Ewing got a big rebound after Derrick McKey missed an open jumper, and the Pacers ran out of time.

AP The Pacers' Derrick McKey gets off a shot despite pressure from the Knicks' Charles Smith (54) and Charles Oakley. Call PostLine, 923-2323, for in-game updates. Tap in 6040 A recurring question for the 120th Preakness Stakes set for today at Pimlico in Baltimore isn't just whether Thunder Gulch is the best 3-year-old in the country, but whether he is the best in his own barn 3 Lincoln On The Run East St. Louis Lincoln's Tigerettes came out of the preliminary round of the Illinois High School -Association Track and Field Championships much cleaner than the weather conditions 8 14-2 run, building a 63-53 lead with 5:19 left in the period. Indiana's three-of-16 shooting in the quarter silenced the Market Square Arena crowd.

But only until the Pacers came back in the fourth quarter. With the loss, Indiana found itself in the same position as last year, when it had a 3-2 lead over New York in the Eastern Conference finals with an opportunity to close the series at home, but the Pacers lost 98-91. Miller finished with 18 points and Rik Smits had 21. But once again, Smits, the Indiana center, wasn't a factor late in the game. And Miller wasn't a factor early.

Chased around the court by John Starks, Miller missed all four of his shots in the first half and had just two points. Starks also had two points in the half. Miller didn't start the third quarter any better, missing his first two shot His teammates were just as cold, and the Knicks put together a in Callf PostLine, 923-2323, for game results. Tap 6031.