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Conference leaders taking it easy
Updated: Saturday April 07, 2001 12:07 AM
With the playoffs starting next week, the top teams in their conferences -- the Colorado Avalanche and the New Jersey Devils -- are trying to ease through the remnants of the schedule. Colorado coach Bob Hartley backed off on ice time for his stars against Anaheim, the first game the Avalanche played since clinching the President's Trophy. But Colorado may have pushed too hard for home-ice advantage. A Western Conference coach told me some Colorado players were grumbling that Hartley had not cut ice time for stars Joe Sakic and Raymond Bourque soon enough. Meanwhile, New Jersey workhorse goalie Martin Brodeur has not been feeling as sharp as usual because in the past three weeks coach Larry Robinson started newcomer John Vanbiesbrouck four times, basically a half-year's worth of work for a Brodeur backup. Still, the 28-year-old Brodeur, who this week became the third NHL goalie to record three 40-win seasons, was slated to start the final three games and should be in fine playoff form.
Bowman bucking traditionThe maxim is if you have two playoff goalies, you don't have any. But Detroit's Scotty Bowman , hockey's best coach, is on the verge of flouting conventional wisdom. While Chris Osgood figures to start the playoffs, backup Manny Legace might figure in something that approaches a goalie rotation. Osgood has been a whipping boy in Detroit, but his play has been respectable since January. And he was the starter for the 1998 Cup win and, even though the Red Wings were bounced in the second round last year, he had a 1.97 goals against average.
Big doings in 'Big D'This year's surprising stat? Dallas, which appeared hopelessly spent in the 2000 final against the Devils, has outscored opponents in 22 consecutive third periods after pumping three goals by Nashville on Wednesday. The Stars are also unbeaten in their last 12. With the return to form of goalie Ed Belfour , who buried himself deep in the brains of the flummoxed Avalanche last year, Dallas is a serious threat to return to a third consecutive final.Sports Illustrated senior writer Michael Farber covers the NHL beat for the magazine and is a regular contributor to CNNSI.com.
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