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Gabby's gaffe costly Blown breakaway by Gaborik hurt Wild's psychePosted: Thursday May 15, 2003 4:43 AMUpdated: Thursday May 15, 2003 12:49 PM
ANAHEIM, Calif. -- Games seldom come down to one play, yet a singular moment often defines them. That was true in Game 3, with the Wild down 2-0 in the series and looking to score their first goal against the Ducks. A rare miscommunication early in the first period between defensemen Ruslan Salei and Keith Carney at the offensive blue line turned into a breakaway bid by the Wild's gifted 21-year-old Marian Gaborik. Success was just what Gaborik and his team needed as he streaked down the middle of the ice, bearing down on goaltender Jean-Sebastien Giguere. A goal would have meant a lead and a measure of confidence. But Gaborik fired prematurely, going low to the stick side on Giguere, where the goaltender made a relatively easy pad save. Did the outcome of that play win or lose the game? No. What it signaled, though, was that nothing had changed, and the Wild desperately needed something to change for them offensively. Instead, it was the possibility of hope dashed in an instant. Sure, the Wild threw pucks at Giguere as the first period came to a close, but they yielded the same unsatisfactory results. Unfortunately for the Wild, the biggest change in this game from the prior two was the inspired play of Ducks captain Paul Kariya. From the outset he skated with speed and conviction. The results came in the second period, as the Ducks counted three tallies, with Kariya netting two of them. His outside speed with the puck backed off the Wild defensemen, which opened up the middle of the ice for centerman Adam Oates, allowing him to do what he does best -- distribute the puck. Anaheim head coach Mike Babcock used the Kariya-Oates-Petr Sykora trio brilliantly and they responded with just the type of performance Babcock was looking for from his most experienced and gifted offensive players. The three-goal explosion blew the game open and staked the Ducks to a 3-0 series lead, putting them on the precipice of the Stanley Cup Finals. The Wild, meanwhile, are left to ponder the importance of a goal -- any goal at this point, but specifically that goal, the one that never came off the stick of Gaborik in the first. Three StarsFirst Star: Kariya's finest hour as a Duck came in front of the home crowd when his team needed him most. Second Star: Giguere had another sterling performance, but he was supported by plenty of scoring for the first time in the playoffs. Still, Jiggy was magnificent when it mattered most, particularly early and late in the first. Third Star: Steve Rucchin was a force all night in the middle, making good with the all-important first goal of the game. Darren Eliot, a former NHL goaltender, is a hockey analyst for SI.com. Eliot will provide Stanley Cup Playoffs commentary throughout the postseason, and he is also broadcasting the Western Conference finals and Stanley Cup Finals for NHL Radio. |
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