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Senators make first Stanley Cup finals
2007-05-19
Postseason underachievers no more, Daniel Alfredsson and the Ottawa Senators are in the Stanley Cup finals for the first time. The Senators captain scored 9:32 into overtime to seal a 3-2 win over the top-seeded Buffalo Sabres, sealing the Eastern Conference finals in five games on Saturday. The Senators rallied from a 1-0 deficit and rebounded after Maxim Afinogenov forced overtime with a power-play goal with 9 minutes left in regulation. Dany Heatley had a goal and two assists, and Jason Spezza also scored for the new and very improved Senators that had known only frustration in nine previous postseason appearances. Leave it to Alfredsson, the player who has appeared in all of the franchise's 94 playoff games to finally push them through. Accepting Heatley's pass on the fly, Alfredsson broke over the blue line. He used Sabres defender Brian Campbell as a screen, and had his shot sneak inside the right post. Ottawa will now wait to face Anaheim or Detroit, and will start that series on the road. The Western final series is tied at 2, with Game 5 at Detroit on Sunday. The Presidents' Trophy-winning Sabres were knocked out in the semifinals for the second straight year. Jochen Hecht also scored for Buffalo and Daniel Briere had two assists as the Sabres squandered a 1-0 lead and lost their third straight home game, falling well short of their championship objective. The Senators, improved to 12-3 this postseason, by rallying to win for the second time this series, and bounced back from a 3-2 loss at Ottawa on Wednesday. The Senators won their fourth consecutive road game, including Game 2 at Buffalo in which they overcame a 2-0 hole to pull out a 4-3 double-overtime victory. Ottawa appeared to take control when Heatley and Spezza scored 4:20 apart late in the second period, with Spezza's goal coming with 39 seconds remaining. But the Sabres found renewed life when Afinogenov tapped in a rebound. The Senators, however, took over again and had the better chances down the stretch. Antoine Vermette, on a short-handed breakaway, had Ryan Miller beat, but his shot hit the right post. Miller then made a remarkable save 3 minutes into overtime, diving across and just getting the paddle of his stick on a shot by Spezza, set up by Alfredsson at the left post. Spezza was already raising his arms in celebration before realizing Miller made the save. The Sabres failed to get a lift after co-captain Chris Drury returned 2 minutes into overtime after being struck in the jaw and bloodied by teammate Tim Connolly's point shot midway through the third period. Drury returned 2 minutes into overtime, wearing a plastic guard across his chin. After a scoreless first period, the Sabres struck first when Hecht scored from in close, after goalie Ray Emery misplayed the puck behind his own net. The Senators are the third straight Canadian team to reach the finals, after nine years without one, and are attempting to bring the Cup back north of the border for the first time since Montreal won it in 1993. It also marked a special win for Ottawa coach Bryan Murray. After becoming only the fifth to win 600 games earlier this season, Murray will coach in the Cup finals for the first time. Buffalo lost Game 7 of the East finals to eventual champion Carolina last year. This defeat was more disappointing considering the team returned mostly intact, proudly announced its Stanley Cup objective in September, and further raised expectations after leading the NHL with 53 wins and 308 goals. The Sabres also face an uncertain summer with Drury and Briere eligible to become unrestricted free agents. Notes:@ Sabres RW Dainius Zubrus didn't play because of a lower body injury, which limited him to 4 minutes in Game 4. Drew Stafford replaced Zubrus, returning after being a healthy scratch for 6 games. ... Senators RW Patrick Eaves returned after missing 11 games with a head injury. He replaced Oleg Saprykin, who scored the winner in Game 1 of the series. ... Sabres D Campbell played 10:07 during the first period as the Sabres went mostly with four defenseman for the second straight game. ... Murray has reached the Cup finals twice as a general manager, with Anaheim in 2003 and Florida in 1996.
Brodeur sets wins milestone in Devils victory (2008-03-16)Senators make first Stanley Cup finals (2007-05-19)Capitals' youth movement experiencing growing pains (2007-03-27)Conklin shines in first start for Sabres (2007-03-20)
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