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AVS 1, SHARKS 0: Colorado's goalie earns his second shutout in a Game 7 in these playoffs.
Compiled from Times wires
© St. Petersburg Times, published May 16, 2002
DENVER -- Patrick Roy added to his reputation as the NHL's best big-game goalie.
Roy stopped 26 shots to make Peter Forsberg's goal in the second period stand as the Avalanche beat the Sharks 1-0 Wednesday night in Game 7 of the Western Conference semifinals.
Colorado, which reached the conference finals for the sixth time in seven years, face the Red Wings. Game 1 is Saturday in Detroit.
San Jose, which won a division title for the first time this season, lost two straight games in failing to reach its first conference finals.
San Jose had a two-man advantage for the final 55 seconds after pulling goalie Evgeni Nabokov and a tripping penalty was called on Colorado's Rob Blake, but the Sharks couldn't get past Roy.
Roy blocked a hard shot from the right circle by Mike Rathje and stopped Teemu Selanne from the left side with 9 seconds left. Joe Sakic won a faceoff in Colorado's zone with 4 seconds left to seal it.
Roy, playing in his record-tying 11th Game 7, extended his own league record with his 22nd career playoff shutout. He is 6-5 in Game 7s.
Roy has allowed three goals the last six times Colorado has faced elimination, including one in a 2-1 overtime victory in Game 6 against the Sharks. He has allowed two goals in the past four Game 7s, three of which have been in the Avalanche's last three playoff series.
Forsberg scored with 2:10 left in the second on a give-and-go with Alex Tanguay.
Forsberg flipped a no-look pass to Tanguay just after crossing into the Sharks' zone, and Tanguay quickly sent it back to him between the circles. Forsberg seemed to lose the puck just before he reached the crease, but flipped in a shot under Nabokov.
It was Forsberg's sixth goal of the series and extended his points streak to seven games. He left for the locker room midway through the third period after Selanne chopped at his left arm, but returned four minutes later.
San Jose should have had a goal five minutes into the game after a mistake by Roy, but Selanne missed an open net on a wraparound attempt.
Roy dived to stop a bouncing puck to the right of the net, but it squirted from under his glove behind the net. Selanne skated around to the left side before Roy could get up, but his backhander slid across the front of the goal. Roy covered the puck after it hit his leg.
San Jose had plenty of good chances after that, but Roy was just too good.
Roy gloved a one-timer by Owen Nolan from the left circle, and stopped another shot by Nolan in heavy traffic a few minutes later. In the second period he rose up to stop Selanne's flip shot and stuffed Patrick Marleau's one-timer from close range.
Nabokov, playing in his first Game 7, was strong early.
He nearly did the splits to stop Chris Drury from close range midway through the second period and stopped three successive chances a few minutes later after the Sharks couldn't clear the puck.
Dave Tippett, a Kings assistant known for his offensive mindset, flew to New York to meet with general manager Doug Armstrong and owner Tom Hicks and likely will be named coach today, the Dallas Morning News reported.
Armstrong confirmed Tippett's itinerary and the meetings but declined to comment further.
Barring any last-minute problems, Tippett will be announced as coach this afternoon at the Dr Pepper StarCenter in Irving, the Morning News reported.
Contract details needed to be finalized and Hicks, in New York for a Stars organizational meeting, needed to meet Tippett and approve the hiring.
It was unclear what would happen to interim coach Rick Wilson, who took over when Ken Hitchcock was fired Jan. 25. Hitchcock was hired by the Flyers Tuesday.
PENGUINS: Minor-league left wing Steve Parsons was traded to the Predators for future considerations.