News from March 2001
Scroll down, or choose the headline to read the news:Happy 30th birthday, PAVEL ! 
Happy Bure-thday, Pavel Saturday, March 31, is Pavel Bure's 30th birthday. I wonder what he'll be wishing for as he blows out the candles.
This scene is all too familiar for Bure. Back in 1993-94, his second consecutive 60-goal season, he led his Vancouver Canucks to a surprise appearance in the Stanley Cup finals, losing a seven-game series to the New York Rangers. The Canucks made the playoffs again the next year, but the six years since have been barren for Bure. With injuries, that long holdout, and a January 1999 trade to Florida, Bure has played in a grand total of one playoff series over the past six years. His Panthers suffered a first-round, four-game sweep at the hands of the Cup-bound New Jersey Devils last April, in which Bure scored a single goal. And this will be another silent spring. But while his teams have floundered, Bure's goal-scoring hasn't. With 58 goals this season (matching his total for all of last season), Bure has a 12-goal lead over his nearest NHL rivals, Jaromir Jagr and Joe Sakic, and is on his way to leading the NHL in goal scoring for the third time. He holds that lead despite the fact that Jagr and Sakic -- and almost any other player you could name -- has more goal-scoring help from his teammates, with the result that defenses are not able to focus on one attacker as much as they are with Bure. An amazing statistic: Bure has scored 58 of the Panthers' 190 goals this season. That's 31 percent. You have to go back more than 70 years, to the 1928-29 Montreal Maroons and Chicago Blackhawks, to find the last time that one NHL player accounted for 30 percent of his team's goals. (In that 44-game season during the NHL's version of the Dark Ages, Nels Stewart scored 21 of the Maroons' 67 goals, and Vic Ripley scored 11 of Chicago's 33.) Consider: Viktor Kozlov is the Panthers' second-leading goal scorer this season; he has scored 14 times. That's right: Bure has scored more than four times as many goals as any of his teammates! No player in NHL history -- even in its Dark Ages -- has ever scored four times as many goals as his highest-scoring teammate. Even toward the end of Florida's unfulfilling season, Bure has kept up the pace. He has scored 15 goals during March, the highest total by any NHL player in any month this season, and the third time in his career that he has scored 15 in a month. If he gets a goal Friday night, he would become the first NHL player to score 16 in a month since Super Mario scored 17 in December 1996. As Bure finishes his 10th season in the NHL, he can look back at a decade in which only Brett Hull (416) and Jagr (406) scored more goals than he did (383), despite the fact Bure played as many as 70 games in only five of those 10 seasons. But Hull and Jagr won Cups along the way.
Will Bure's 30s be any different than his 20s? Maybe it depends on what he wishes for as he blows out the candles on Saturday.
Bure artfully etching his place among NHL's all-time elite There is an art in almost any skilled labor. And when it comes to expressing himself through the medium of goal scoring, Panthers right wing Pavel Bure, once a prodigy, has matured into the NHL's virtuoso. The aesthetics that mark Bure's off-ice life -- flash and style -- are hallmarks of his goals. Observant outsiders find him as difficult to read as goalies do when trying to figure out where he's going with the puck. Bure's 58 goals are almost ridiculous considering no other NHL player has reached 50 goals in the past three seasons; he's on a non-playoff team without another 15-goal scorer; he has been without his best center most of the season; and only five of his goals have come in garbage time. With five games remaining, a 60-goal season -- only the third since NHL scoring nosedived with the 1993 expansion that added Florida and Anaheim -- looks probable. One would think Bure would want 61 just to set a new career high. ``Not really,'' he said. ``Fifty is a big mark. Even right now, everybody's saying I've scored 50 goals five times. Nobody's saying I scored 60 twice. It's nice, but the biggest mark is 50.'' Fifty was made magical by the original Rocket, Maurice Richard, whose name graces the NHL goal-scoring trophy Bure will win for the second consecutive season. Richard's 50 goals in 50 games in the war-depleted 1944-45 season established the standard that still stands for a truly great goal-scoring season. Bure is a pure goal scorer, a direct descendant of Richard and Bobby Hull, if not as physically imposing as either. Bure's blazing speed enhances a scary slap shot, as was the case with Hull. Richard's scalding, dark stare has its parallel in Bure's frozen blue-eyed glare, usually reserved for goalies who have just stopped him on a breakaway. ``Right now, he's playing as well as I've seen him play,'' said Panthers defenseman Bret Hedican, who has been Bure's teammate since March 21, 1994, near the end of Bure's last 60-goal season, with the Vancouver Canucks. ``He's doing things defensively; he's scoring goals,'' Hedican said. ``He's finding ways to score when you don't even think there's a chance to score. He just finds a way to slip it through the goalie's legs, up high, down low, five hole. It's not like it's the same shot every time. It's a nightmare for a goalie, I'd think.'' Toronto goalie Curtis Joseph was left admitting, ``He outsmarted me tonight'' after Bure's March 17 hat trick, which comprised a wrist shot on the fly from the top of the right circle, a blue-line slap shot on a rush and a high short-side shot on a breakaway. That last goal showed Bure's goal-scoring savvy and confidence. Just after Joseph stopped Bure on a breakaway nine minutes earlier, Bure decided he would go short side, top shelf if he got another chance. Which is exactly what he did. Bure was expecting another breakaway in an era when other great goal scorers might get one per game. He matter-of-factly decided to try -- and figured he would make -- a shot almost every goalie will give. Most shooters find it difficult to go top shelf or short side, much less both. Bure is capable of shrugging humility, but that elite goal-scorer's arrogance flashes just often enough. When it was suggested that a solo rush blue-line slapper ticked off a defenseman's stick (as replays showed) on its way into the net, Bure's ``No, it didn't'' chilled the room. At his peak, Wayne Gretzky would give a taunting gesture or a stream of trash talk after scoring a beautiful goal. Mario Lemieux would make delicate gestures that seemed to emphasize his deft touch after pretty goals. Panthers coach Duane Sutter saw it during his career from teammate Mike Bossy, who holds the NHL record for most consecutive 50-goal seasons (nine). The best goal scorers have to have it, Sutter said, even during a drought. ``But when Boss scored, he had that scowl on his face, that cocky arrogance look,'' Sutter said. ``That's good to have -- if you can back it up. I wish eveyrbody in here had that and could back it up. As long as you're coachable.'' Bure can be, if on his terms. When Sutter took over for deposed coach Terry Murray on Dec. 28, he sat down to talk to Bure. ``We talked about how many scoring chances he gets a night,'' Sutter said. ``Maybe six or seven. I said, `If you get three or four chances a night, you're a good enough player to score and not hurt your team defensively.' '' Sutter believes Bure's 39 goals in 41 games since Dec. 28 is the result of Bure coming back defensively more instead of cherry picking at center ice for the home run pass. (Not that the moment Bure sees a turnover possibility, he isn't taking off for that home run pass.) If the pass connects, Bure's on a breakaway. A shooter-goalie duel involving players such as Bure is similar to a high-level martial-arts duel. Each man makes subtle feints and deceptions imperceptible to the unschooled eye and tries to outwait the other. In these duels, Bure is considered the Bruce Lee of NHL shooters. Lee said you should always be like water in a duel because water adapts to the receptacle's shape the way you should adapt to an opponent. Bure is a similarly adjustable artist on breakaways. ``I really believe breakaways are basically 50-50,'' Bure said. ``Everybody thinks it's a goal. No, it's 50-50. Because the goalie's standing there in the net and he's trying to fool you, too. Sometimes they try to give you some corner and when you're about to shoot, they take it away.'' It also doesn't hurt Bure that he's getting there in a hurry, much as his slap shots and wrist shots do. In the same way some feel the only stupid question is an unasked one, Bure plays as if every shot is a good one because you never know what you'll get out of it. His NHL-high 364 shots were almost 20 percent ahead of the second-place player, Colorado's Joe Sakic, going into Thursday's games. Asked to break down a good slap shot, Bure said it was probably all technique, much as in tennis (another game he enjoys). Then he talked about hitting ice before the puck just enough to give the shot some movement. Finally, he laughed, ``Don't ask me -- I just shoot.'' His wrist shot isn't the product of an excessively curved stick. Bure uses a medium curve and doesn't adjust his sticks much once they're delivered. ``You have to practice a lot,'' Bure said. ``You have to get 100 pucks and try to get one corner all the time and finally you get the feeling. It's the same thing with the pianists. Even the greatest pianists in the world still play every day to have the feeling.''
Obviously, artists understand other artists.
Post-Game Summary versus Tampa Bay The Tampa Bay Lightning collected their first series win over the Florida Panthers after doubling up on the home team 4-2... The Bolts jumped out to the lead at 9:14 on a goal by rookie standout Brad Richards. The teams were playing four-on-four when Richards' shot from the right circle found it's way through a three-man screen past Luongo. The Cats had a chance to get back even (and then some) but they failed to connect on a minute-and-a-half-plus 5-on-3. They were able to convert shortly thereafter when Rob Niedermayer rushed the Tampa net to sweep in a redirect on a shot that originated with Robert Svehla in the left circle. Nikolai Khabibulin had a strong period despite the nearly-two-year layoff... The second period was an entertaining one with a ton of close calls, stellar goaltending and some extra-curriculars thrown in for good measure... Tampa scored the lone goal of the period on a breakaway (at 2:29) after Robert Svehla turned the puck over at the Lightning blue line. Matthew Barnaby carried in all alone on Luongo and beat him with a five-hole beauty. As in the first period, Khabibulin was strong making saves on Bure, Adams and Hedican early on. Pavel came close (again) just past the midway point but Nikolai hugged the post with Pavel trying to tuck it past his skate. Late in the period, Roberto Luongo made his "save of the game" diving on the puck to put an end to play after Mike Wilson turned the puck over just to the side of the net. No doubt the star of the third stanza was Nils Ekman as it felt like he was involved in every Tampa play... His quick shot from the left circle opened the period but Luongo got the glove on it. Barnaby and Ekman connected for a fantastic play at the halfway mark but Roberto made contact with his right pad. Minutes later, Paul Laus sailed into Luongo trying to stop Ekman who was cruising in on the Florida net. The Lightning netted goal number three of the night at 15:15 and yes, it belonged to Ekman. The play began in the Tampa zone on a turnover along the boards. Clymer and Sarich drew the assists for their efforts to get the puck deep and Ekman hit from the edge of the crease. Rob Niedermayer came close to his second of the night but Khabibulin picked him up in the bottom left corner. Inside the final minute of the game, with the Florida net empty, the Bolts were awarded goal number four after Robert Svehla intentionally dislodged the net from it's moorings after a shot (that went wide) had been launched. Ben Clymer received credit for the goal as the last Tampa player to touch the puck. The Panthers added one more at 19:34 when Denis Shvidki connected from the left hash marks on the backhand... The three stars of the game were: Rob Niedermayer (3rd star), Nikolai Khabibulin (2nd star) and Nils Ekman (1st star). Next up for the Panthers, the Buffalo Sabres - Monday night at NCRC... See you there! ****** This weekend's practices are scheduled for 11 am each day at Incredible Ice in Coral Springs. Both sessions are open to the public. ****** Coach's Comments
On the game overall:
On staying positive despite a frustrating first period:
On the Panthers power play which went 0-5:
On the Panthers point men on the power play holding the puck too long:
On why the Panthers had few opportunities in the third period:
On Tampa Bay's future in the Southeast Division:
Tampa Bay 4, Florida 2 SUNRISE, FLORIDA -- The Bulin Wall is back. Nikolai Khabibulin played his first NHL game in nearly two years and showed no signs of rust, stopping 32 shots, stoning Pavel Bure and leading the Tampa Bay Lightning to a 4-2 victory over the Florida Panthers. The Lightning had not won here against their state rivals since April 1996, an 0-10-2 skid. But Khabibulin immediately put an end to that streak. When Tampa Bay general manager Rick Dudley acquired Khabibulin -- a holdout with the Phoenix Coyotes for nearly two years -- earlier this month he said the Russian goaltender would give Lightning fans "a reason to believe." A two-time All-Star, Khabibulin had been a restricted free agent since the Coyotes were eliminated from the Western Conference playoffs in 1999. He resorted to playing for Long Beach of the International Hockey League last season. After shuffling through 13 goaltenders over the last four seasons, the Lightning signed Khabibulin to a four-year contract. He was 125-113-30 with a 2.75 goals-against average and .908 save percentage in 284 NHL games, all with the Phoenix-Winnipeg franchise. On Friday, stopped 18 of 19 shots in the first period alone, including two saves on Bure from in front. With a 5-on-3 advantage, Bure was planted at the right side of the net when he took a pass from Anders Eriksson and fired a shot that Khabibulin stopped with his left pad. Bure was there for the rebound but again was stopped by Khabibulin. The Panthers broke through when Rob Niedermayer scored on a backhander in front with 4:44 left in the first period, tying the game at 1-1. But Florida's only other score was a meaningless tally by rookie Denis Shvidki with 26 seconds left.
Pavel ended up a minus three on 5 shots on goal.
Bure missed on two glorious chances
Pavel Bure, with a team-record 59th goal on his stick, saw his goal-scoring streak of seven games and point streak of 11 end. With a side of the net empty, Bure missed on two glorious chances in the third and overtime. With four shots, Bure has a team-record and league-high 364.
Post-Game Summary versus Montreal The Panthers carried a lead into the third period tonight but spotted the Canadiens a late goal to tie the score at 2-all... The first period was a high-flying one with plenty of action at both ends of the ice. Roberto Luongo's save of the period came with 5:21 left from Oleg Petrov from the right circle with two players waiting to jump on a loose puck. The Panthers got the first goal of the game at 19:03 when the red-hot line of Len Barrie, Vinny Prospal and Greg Adams connected in textbook fashion. Prospal got the tally off a cross-ice feed from Barrie with Adams cruising to collect a rebound... In the second, the Canadiens came out with purpose and managed to put seven shots on goal inside the first three and a half minutes... Roberto Luongo was on top of his game during the entire period but was especially good during those early minutes. His first save was a beauty on Richard Zednik off a perfect feed by Martin Rucinsky. Seconds later, it was a diving save on a deflection in front and then on the next shift, it was Koivu who was turned away from close range. The Canadiens did get one by him at 13:05 after Rucinsky faked a pass cross-ice and put the puck on net instead. A minute and a half later, Rob Niedermayer put the Cats ahead again from between the face-off circles. Lance Pitlick started the play with a forward feed to Marcus Nilson. Marcus dropped back to Niedermayer and Rob put it five-hole for his 100th NHL goal... The shot clock for the second period (alone) read 23-5 for Montreal. The Panthers had some chances to put this one away in the third but failed to mount an attack on the power play... The couple quality shots the Cats had came early in the period but Jose Theodore made back-to-back saves on Olli Jokinen. The Canadiens were excellent while shorthanded limiting Florida's chances and getting no less than four of their own over two separate penalties. The Habs tied the game at two with 12.6 seconds remaining in regulation after pulling Jose Theodore for an extra attacker. Oleg Petrov cycled from the goal line along the right boards and let go from the face-off dot. His shot went over the shoulder of Luongo... The first four minutes of overtime were played with little consequence to either team but in the final minute, the Cats came close on a few occasions. Bure and Kozlov carried in on a two-on-one but Theodore got a piece of Bure's backhand. Bure and Boyle combined on the next chance, but again, Theodore was equal to the task. Dan Boyle came again with the final seconds ticking off but Theodore had him all the way. The three stars of the game were: Jose Theodore (3rd star), Oleg Petrov (2nd star) and Roberto Luongo (1st star). Pavel Bure's 11-game point streak came to an end tonight as he was held to no goals, no assists... The Panthers will host the cross-state rival Lightning on Friday night at NCRC. Game time is 7:30 pm... ****** Coach's Comments
On the Panthers' coverage on Oleg Petrov's tying goal in the final minute:
On the play of Roberto Luongo in goal:
On the return of Viktor Kozlov and Rob Niedermayer:
On playing after having five days off:
On the difference in the Panthers in the second period:
Florida 2, Montreal 2 (ot) SUNRISE, FLORIDA -- Oleg Petrov scored with 12.2 seconds left in the third period as the Montreal Canadiens rallied for a 2-2 tie with the Florida Panthers in a battle of teams playing out the string. Montreal cashed in after pulling goaltender Jose Theodore for an extra attacker in the final minute. From the right faceoff circle, Petrov fired a slap shot that sailed over goaltender Roberto Luongo's shoulder and nicked the crossbar for his 14th goal. "We talked before and during the game about shooting the puck high," Petrov said. "He's a big goalie that covers a lot of space. That really was the only way we were going to score against him. I had just enough time. I had to program my mind to aim high." "If I'd come out about a foot more, I would have had that one," Luongo said. "I saw it, I was just too deep in the net. It's not that bad of a goal, but I'm still disappointed." Neither team posed a threat in overtime. Pavel Bure released a shot from the top of the left circle for Florida's only chance in the extra period. It ended a seven-game goal-scoring streak for Bure. Florida has allowed three opponents to come back late in the past month. San Jose rallied for a 3-3 deadlock on March 7, a week before Edmonton stormed back for 2-2 tie. "This is the third time that this has happened in the last month or so. I don't know if we are losing focus," Luongo said. "I do know that it is something that shouldn't happen." The Canadiens also rallied in the third period for a 3-3 tie with Florida on March 20 but have just one win in their last six games (1-2-2-1). Rob Niedermayer scored his 100th NHL goal and 11th this season from close in at 14:38 of the second period to give the Panthers a 2-1 lead. Florida surrendered a season-high 23 shots in the second, but Luongo stopped all but one. He finished with 38 saves and has been in the nets throughout the Panthers' four-game unbeaten streak (2-0-2-0). "Of all the good saves Roberto made tonight, that's probably a puck he should have stopped," Florida coach Duane Sutter said of Petrov's equalizer. "But if it wasn't for Roberto in the second period, we would have been down, 12-1. He made a lot of good saves in traffic. I thought his focus and concentration were really good. I think a lot of his teammates hung him out to dry." Vaclav Prospal broke the scoreless tie with a slap shot that trickled past Theodore's far side for his fifth goal with 57 seconds left in the opening period. Martin Rucinsky answered with a one-timer 13:05 into the middle stanza. He beat Luongo to the short side and has scored a goal in all three games since returning from a thigh injury. Florida failed to register a shot for the first seven minutes of the second period. The Panthers yielded a season-high 40 shots overall and were 1-1-2 against the Canadiens this season. "What can you say about that guy," Niedermayer said of Luongo. "He held us in the game again. We gotta help him out more in there."
Pavel was credited with 4 shots ongoal and was a minus one for the game.
Player Profile: Pavel Bure
Florida center Len Barrie was leisurely getting undressed in a relatively calm Panthers dressing room after a morning skate in Montreal recently. A few journalists were milling about, not really bothering anyone, when a mob of reporters surged in his direction, crowding him to the point where he was forced to surrender his locker to the aggressive media hounds. "Thanks for this seat guys!" Barrie yelled out as he handed his hockey pants to a reporter to hang in his locker for him. This is seemingly a regular annoyance for whoever happens to be sitting next to the unchallenged main attraction in that room, the mass-manufacturer of goals, Pavel Bure. When you lead your team in scoring by over 40 goals, and have been involved in 47 percent of your team's total offence, you tend to get a bit more attention than everyone else. With his Panthers safely eliminated from the playoff hunt, Bure's prolific scoring has become the only story in town. "I can't imagine him not getting the attention he's getting, I mean he leads the League in goals by such a wide margin," said Panthers center Vaclav Prospal. Indeed, the attention Bure receives from both the media and opposing teams is well warranted, because rarely does a player outperform his teammates to the extent the Russian Rocket has this season. If he continues at his current pace, Bure will have scored 30.4 percent of his team's goals. That would easily break the record for percentage of a team's goals, set by Brett Hull when he scored 27.7 percent of the St.Louis Blues' total with 86 markers in 1990-91. "It's definitely great to have a guy like (Bure) because you might give him the puck in his own zone and end up with an assist," said Prospal, almost in disbelief. Still, like any well-behaved superstar should, Bure credits his teammates for all of his success. "It's not like I'm playing by myself, we are 20 guys working together," said Bure, almost annoyed with the notion the Panthers are a one-man team. "Yeah, maybe I score more than other guys, but they help me a lot. Somebody has to go be a decoy, somebody has to go in the corner to get a puck. We are all working together." But despite Bure's objections, his dominance is not subtle. He scored 10 of Florida's 15 goals over four games from March 11-20, and leads the Panthers in seven different offensive categories -- goals, assists, points, power-play goals, shorthanded goals, game-winning goals and shots on goal. The most astonishing part of his game, in light of all this, is that he manages to get breakaways and open shots when he is often times the Panthers' lone source of offense. "I understand that the other team is trying to defend and they have to hook you, grab you," conceded Bure. "But there are ways to get away from that." One way is to stay below the radar when he's on the ice. Playing on a power play against the Montreal Canadiens on March 20, Bure seemed as though he was making a concerted effort to stay away from the play, hiding in the corner as Barrie and point-man Dan Boyle passed it back and forth. Having lulled the Montreal defensemen to sleep with his inactivity, Bure broke for the side of the net unnoticed, parked himself there untouched and tapped in a perfect pass from Boyle for his 55th goal of the year. This strategy of lying low, waiting for the play to come to him, might be a reason Bure doesn't feel the need to prepare for each game individually by watching game tapes. "I don't study goaltenders and I don't even know who I'm going to play against, I mean each guy. I know what team I'm going to play against," he said, as if that would be a waste of time. Unfortunately for Bure, MVP consideration goes out the window because of his team's record. But a strong case could be made when you consider he played at least 30 minutes in 14 of 17 games from Feb. 14 to March 20, including a 40-minute game in a 1-1 tie against San Jose March 7. "When you've got one guy at 55 goals and the next guy at 14, if you want to have a chance to win, you'd better play him," said new Panthers coach Duane Sutter, who increased Bure's playing time to its current levels when he came in on December 28.
Considering Bure is heating up again as the season comes to a close, it's hard to argue with Sutter's logic.
Facing life again at 60
In an era when so-called superstars are barely scoring 30 to 40 goals a season, Pavel Bure continues to ring up goals like no other.
Bure closes in on 60 Games at this point of the NHL season between teams 25 miles out of the playoff race are played only for official statistical purposes and draft lottery positioning. But there are other factors involved tonight when the Panthers play the Montreal Canadiens at National Car Rental Center:
``[Fans] better get here early,'' Panthers coach Duane Sutter said. ``He might do it in the first minutes.'' Bure said recently about 60 goals, ``It probably would be nice, I guess. But you get more excited about 50. That's the biggest mark. Sixty is nice, don't get me wrong.'' With one goal, Bure would break his team record of 58, set last season; extend his team-record and NHL season-high goals streak to eight games; and extend his points streak to 12 games, one short of his team record also set last year. The all-time goal-scoring streak record is 16 games, set by Harry Broadbent of the original Ottawa Senators in 1921-22. The record since forward passing was legalized is 13 by Charlie Simmer of Los Angeles in 1979-80. Bure should get some help tonight with the return of his usual center, Viktor Kozlov, from a groin injury. Not that Kozlov's loss has hurt Bure, who has nine goals and two assists in the five games Kozlov missed.
The Rocket's red glare
After a 1999-2000 campaign in which Pavel Bure shattered the Panthers' record book by breaking two dozen records, Bure has not disappointed as he's about to end a phenomenal 2000-01 season.
Two goals short of 60, Pavel Bure can become the sixth player in NHL history to record at least three 60-goal seasons.
Pavel Bure's high goal and point streaks over the past two seasons.
Cool-Shots replay The episode featuring Pavel Bure and the Florida Panthers that was shown on Cool-Shots, may be viewed on th einterent on the NHL's web site at http://nhl.com/intheslot/broadband/index.html.
It is about 20 minute video, and Pavel appears at the very end, where he does an interview with Danielle Robb, leaning on his new Ferrari in South Beach.
From Russia with love
SUNRISE -- Over the past two seasons, the Washington Capitals have basically had their way with the Panthers.
Post-Game Summary versus Washington Tonight was a textbook example of the perfect Florida Panthers hockey game... Crafty offense, responsible defense and outstanding goaltending combined for a 4-1 win over the Washington Capitals... The Cats pulled together from the word go tonight and were almost rewarded for their efforts twice (Jokinen, Bure) before they netted their first goal at 3:27. After a give-and-go play from Barrie and Prospal, Greg Adams cycled across the top of the crease and tucked the puck in around the outstretched leg of Olaf Kolzig. Ulf Dahlen was robbed of a beauty on the power play when Roberto Luongo dove to cover up the shot from in close. At 11:08, Pavel Bure continued his goal streak getting number 57 on the season. As he carried into the right circle, he faked a shot and then let go of a high-riser on the glove side. Kolzig had already committed to the fake, leaving Bure plenty of open net to shoot at. The teams played through eight minutes of the second period before Florida would give the Caps the gift they needed to get on the board. With Robert Svehla already in the box, Paul Laus was whistled for roughing giving Washington a two-man advantage for 56 seconds. After some patient puck movement, they converted on their first shot of the power play. Peter Bondra was credited with the goal after Steve Konowalchuk set the screen in front of Luongo. The Panthers moved ahead by two at 16:49 when Greg Adams redirected Len Barrie's shot in front of Kolzig. The Panthers killed off a penalty to begin the third and dug in to hang on to their lead through the rest of the period... Pavel Bure tipped Marcus Nilson's shot into an empty net within the dying seconds of the game giving him his record-tying 58th goal of the season. The Caps had their chances tonight and a good percentage of them came from a face-off. Roberto Luongo had obviously read that scouting report as he was perfectly positioned on each attempt. The Caps won 45 of 77 face-offs (58%) and defenseman Sergei Gonchar had a team-high eight shots on goal. The three stars of the game as voted by David J. Neal were: Pavel Bure (3rd star), Roberto Luongo (2nd star) and Greg Adams (1st star). The Panthers will enjoy a few days rest before returning to action against Montreal next Wednesday... ******** FYI -- This weekend's scheduled practices (at Incredible Ice) have been canceled in lieu of off-ice fitness testing... ******** Coach's Comments
On the performance of the linesmen and referees:
On the importance of jumping out to an early 2-0 lead:
On staying composed in the face of a lot of Washington pressure:
On the play of Greg Adams and his linemates:
On the Barrie-Greg Adams-Prospal line:
On the roughing penalty to Laus in which no call was made on either of two Capitals:
On the play of Roberto Luongo in goal:
On why the Caps were unable to frustrate the Panthers and out-muscle Florida:
Florida 4, Washington 1 UNRISE, FLORIDA -- Pavel Bure remains unstoppable. Bure scored twice, matching his franchise record of 58 goals in a season, as the lowly Florida Panthers snapped a six-game home winless skid with a 4-1 victory over the struggling Washington Capitals. Bure leads the league in goals and has 13 more than Colorado's Joe Sakic, who is second. "The Russian Rocket" has been on a roll. He has at least one goal in a franchise-best seven straight games and has points in 11 conseuctive contests, totaling 14 goals and seven assists in that span. Bure matched the third-longest points streak in the NHL this season and is two games away from equaling the team record he set in 1999-2000. Peter Bondra netted his NHL-leading 22nd power-play goal on a two-man advantage for the Capitals, cutting their deficit to 2-1. But his 44th goal could not stop the Capitals' season-high losing skid from extending to five games. Entering the contest with the NHL's third best power play (22 percent), the Capitals failed to convert on their other four opportunities with a man-advantage. "We're not playing as emotionally charged as we did," Capitals goaltender Olaf Kolzig said. "We lost our fire. We need to find our fire and emotion. That's what it comes down to." Washinghton's lead atop the Southeast Division was reduced to seven as Carolina picked up a victory on Friday. The Hurricanes have a game in hand but have just nine remaining. "I want these guys to god-damn-well look over their shoulders because it's right there," Capitals coach Ron Wilson said of the division race. "I'm sick of talking about it. Let's get some veteran people playing like they belong here, instead of waiting for other people to do it." Washington has played .500 hockey in March (5-5-0-1), after recording the best February record in franchise history (9-1-1-0). Greg Adams also had a pair of goals for Florida, his first tallies since finding the net twice in a loss to the New York Rangers on February 28. Len Barrie and Vaclav Prospal had two assists apiece, setting up both of Adams' goals. Rookie Roberto Luongo stopped 38 shots to extend his unbeaten run to three games. The goaltender has suffered just one defeat in his last eight outings (3-1-4-0). "When any goalie plays against another top goalie in the league, you're going to look at it as a big challenge and he obviously rose to the occasion," Panthers coach Duane Sutter said. "He made several big saves." Allowing four goals on 13 shots in the first period in Monday's 6-3 loss to the New York Rangers, Capitals goaltender Olaf Kolzig had his second straight sub-par performance, allowing three goals on just 15 shots. "We made some mental mistakes," Kolzig said. "They had three or four 2-on-1s. You don't want to get behind 2-0 no matter who you play." Bure's first goal came 11:08 into the contest to give the Panthers a 2-0 avantage. He fired a wrister from the right faceoff circle just over Kolzig's glove at the near side. "I faked the shot, he went down and I saw the corner open up," Bure said. Washington used physical tactics to attempt to discourage Bure. In an act of retaliation, the Russian winger uncharacteristically picked up a slashing penalty midway through the second period, having collected just 56 penalty minutes before the Capitals game. "It hurts more than anything when someone scores against you," Bure said. Bure's put home an empty-netter with just 18 seconds left to register his 12th multi-goal game of the season. Adams skated around defenseman Sylvain Cote, deked Kolzig and slid the puck inside the left goalpost with the contest just 3:27 old. Florida has scored the opening goal in four consecutive games. Barrie fired on net with just over three minutes left in the second period. Adams got in front of Luongo to tip in and gave Florida a 3-1 lead. "I'm not sure how it went in," Adams said. "I just wanted to change the direction of the puck. It was nice to get that goal to take the wind out of their sails."
Pavel was credited with 4 shots on goal and was a plus two for the game.
From Russia with love
MOSCOW -- As expected, Pavel Bure, Alexei Kovalev and Alexei Yashin will be called upon to score goals for the Russian Olympic hockey team. But in a bit of a surprise, Nikolai Khabibulin will serve as the last line of defense. The Russian Ice Hockey Federation on Thursday announced their first eight players for the 2002 Winter Games at Salt Lake City. Bure of the Florida Panthers, who is enjoying his second straight 50-plus goal season, Kovalev of the Pittsburgh Penguins and Yashin of the Ottawa Senators headlined the selections. Known as the 'Russian Rocket,' Bure scored nine goals in six games at the 1998 Olympics. Kovalev is having his best season with 41 goals and 46 assists. Yashin had three goals and three assists in six games in the 1998 Olympics. Center Sergei Fedorov of the Detroit Red Wings, one of the NHL's premier two-way players, was not among the initial picks, but Alexander Steblin, the president of the Russian federation, said that Fedorov will participate. 'Sergei has agreed to play at the Olympics, but he wanted to postpone the nomination,' Steblin said at the press office of the Foreign Ministry of Russia. The other players selected were NHL defensemen Darius Kasparaitis of the Penguins, Sergei Gonchar of the Washington Capitals, Dmitri Yushkevich of the Toronto Maple Leafs and Oleg Tverdovsky of the Mighty Ducks of Anaheim. Khabibulin's selection raised some eyebrows since he has missed virtually two full seasons due to a contract holdout. But Russian coach Boris Michailov has no doubts about Khabibulin. 'He is one of the best goalies in the world and the best Russian goalie right now,' Michailov said. Khabibulin recently was traded from Phoenix to the Tampa Bay Lightning and signed a multi-year contract, but has not played this season after missing the entire 1999-2000 campaign. A two-time member of the World Team in the NHL All-Star Game, Khabibulin posted three straight 30-win seasons with Phoenix. He will be making his first Olympic appearance.
The 2002 Games will be the second in which NHL players compete. In 1998, Russia was blanked by Dominik Hasek of the underdog Czech Republic in the gold medal game.
Bure says yes to Olympics
One goal. That's the knowledge that Russia takes to the 2002 Winter Olympics. That was the margin that separated Russia from winning the gold medal at the 1998 Winter Olympics in Nagano, Japan. The Russians were blanked by Dominik Hasek in the gold-medal game in 1998, capping off one of the most dramatic chapters in Olympic hockey history. And one of the most frustrating for Russia, which seemed to own the Olympic gold medal in hockey in the days of the Soviet Union. Of the eight players selected to Team Russia Thursday for the 2002 Winter Games, six will be looking to find that extra goal that could turn a silver into a gold. Up front, Russia boasts some of the most intimidating players in the NHL in terms of speed, scoring power and skill. Now, factor in the bigger dimensions of the international rink and the damage Russia can do could well be considerable considering the like of Pavel Bure, Alexei Kovalev, and Alexei Yashin. Bure is an offensive show all to himself and has posted back-to-back 50-goal seasons for the Panthers. Great speed and instincts make him a deadly offensive player.
At the 1998 Winter Games, he scored nine goals in six games, including five against the Finns in a semifinal game. He was named the top forward of the '98 Olympics.
Bure says yes to Olympics
While Pavel Bure has said Nyet to playing at the World Championships in Germany, the Panthers’ star will accept an invitation to play for Russia at next year’s Winter Olympics.
Bure passes on world championships
The NHL's leading goal-scorer will take a pass on the world championships next month in Germany but has committed to playing for Russia at next year's Winter Olympics despite the turmoil surrounding the team's coaching.
Bure scores No. 56 in Panthers' win over Maple Leafs TORONTO (AP) - Having reached the 50 goal plateau, Pavel Bure says it won't be a big deal if he scores 60. Bure recorded his league-leading 56th goal, and Kevyn Adams scored twice in the Florida Panthers' 3-1 victory Wednesday night over the Toronto Maple Leafs. Bure, who has 11 goals in his last six games, needs four over the last seven to record 60. No NHL player has recorded a 60-goal season in the last four years. Bure has two career 60-goal seasons, both with Vancouver (1992-93 and 1993-94.) "There's not too many guys who have scored 50 in the last few years either, so 50 is a big mark, not 60," Bure said. Bure assisted on Adams' second goal, giving Florida a 3-1 lead with 6:07 left in the third. "Pavel is such a great player because he draws guys to him, and that opened me up, and he found me in the slot," Adams said. Toronto didn't protect Adams in the 2000 expansion draft. Columbus selected him and traded him to Florida at last week's trading deadline. "There's no hard feelings. I just go out and play my best," Adams said. "To get this win is huge. We hadn't won since I got here. We've been in a lot of games, and been real close so to get the win is great." Gary Roberts scored a power-play goal for the Leafs, who have slipped to seventh in the Eastern Conference playoff race. The Leafs, who have lost two straight, were booed as the final buzzer sounded. One fan threw a crutch on the ice. "We certainly haven't measured up to what they've expected, but the crutch on the ice was sickening," Toronto backup goalie Glenn Healy said. Roberto Luongo stopped 34 shots for the Panthers, who won't make the playoffs. Luongo, in his second season, made several impressive stops. He has allowed two goals or fewer in 10 of 12 starts. "Lately we've been letting leads slip away, and we practically gave them nothing after we got the two goal lead, so that was the key for us in the game," Luongo said. Bure's slap shot from the right circle - his club tying 19th power-play goal this season - gave Florida a 1-0 lead at 2:43 of the first. Just 19 seconds later, Adams' shot handcuffed Healy. "It was a bad goal. There's no doubt about that," Healy said. Roberts' one-timer beat Luongo at 16:01 of the second.
Game notes
Bure strives for Salt Lake City
Pavel Bure, the NHL's leading goalscorer, is skipping next month's World Hockey Championships but plans to play for Russia at the 2002 Olympics. "It's been a long season," the Panthers forward said Wednesday before a game against the Maple Leafs. "I've had some injuries. I'm going to rest and get ready for next season." Russia is expected to release its early Olympic hockey roster of eight players on Thursday, but Bure said the national team hasn't been in contact with him recently. "The Olympics are only once every four years," Bure said. "How many chances do you get? It's huge."
Post-Game Summary versus Toronto The Florida Panthers will head back across the border with three of a possible four points on this brief road trip, beating the Toronto Maple Leafs 3-1... The Leafs had some jump in their step for the start of this one as they carried play to their visitors for most of the first period... Roberto Luongo was called upon early (and often), turning away quality shots by Domi, Sundin and Corson inside the first five minutes. In the second half of the period, Florida's chances improved but none of their eight shots on goal were of any serious consequence. At 12:10 of the period, Marcus Nilson and Darcy Tucker got into a skirmish along the boards and Marcus took some licks from the much more experienced Leaf. Joey Tetarenko left in the first with a scratched cornea and did not return. The Panthers owned a majority of the second period but Toronto clawed back within reach in the final minutes... Pavel Bure got things going with his 56th goal at 2:43 on the power play. The Leafs were able to hold the Cats to the perimeter on the man-advantage but Bure's shot from the left board beat Glenn Healy five-hole. Bure waited until he had Yushkevich as a screen and let go through the legs of the Leafs' defenseman. A minute and fifteen seconds later, Kevyn Adams netted his first in a Florida uniform on a long shot from just inside the blue line. Healy bobbled the shot and it deflected into the net off his own pad. Toronto rallied just past the midway point with excellent scoring opportunities by Belak and Sundin but Roberto Luongo was fantastic. At 16:01 Toronto made good on their efforts with a one-timer from Gary Roberts inside the right circle. The cross-ice pass from Tomas Kaberle was right on target and Roberto never had a chance. With 23.6 seconds remaining in the period, Luongo made a diving save on Roberts from the side of the net to preserve the Florida lead... Both teams had chances in the third period but the only tally to get on the board belonged to red-hot Kevyn Adams. The play began with Marcus Nilson racing up ice and dishing off to Pavel Bure on the wing. Bure dropped back to Adams while Nilson rushed the net. Adams used Nilson as a screen and let go beating Healy on another long shot. Despite the Florida win, the Leafs can take pride in the fact that they led in the shot count (35-19) and the face-off circle (66%-34%). Zone time also favored the Leafs with 26:15 played in the Florida end to 20:48 in Toronto's... The three stars of tonight's game were: Kevyn Adams (3rd star), Tomas Kaberle (2nd star) and Roberto Luongo (1st star).
The Panthers will head home tonight to prepare for the division-rival Capitals on Friday... Game time is 7:30 pm.
Florida 3, Toronto 1 TORONTO -- Pavel Bure continued his torrid scoring with a goal and an assist and Roberto Luongo made 34 saves as the Florida Panthers extended their road unbeaten streak to four games with a 3-1 victory over the Toronto Maple Leafs. Bure has scored a goal in six straight games to break the team record he previously accomplished twice. He also has 13 goals and seven assists during a 10-game points streak, which is three games from matching the team record he set last season. Florida was on the power play 2:43 into the second period when Bure snapped a scoreless tie with his league-leading 56th goal. After taking a pass from Vaclav Prospal, he fired a slap shot through goaltender Glenn Healy's pads from the left faceoff circle. Bure's 19 power-play goals equal Scott Mellanby's 1995-96 team record. Kevyn Adams, a former Leaf, doubled Florida's lead just 75 seconds later when he intercepted a pass and beat Healy with a weak shot from just inside the blue line. Adams got his 10th goal to cap the scoring with 6:17 left in the third. Gary Roberts tallied for Toronto, which remained one point behind sixth-place Pittsburgh in the Eastern Conference.
Pavel's goal and assist left him with a plus one on six shots on goal.
Bure sparkles in a tie
MONTREAL -- When Chad Kilger’s career on the ice is over, the Montreal Canadiens should put their young centerman in the marketing department.
The Bure File
THE BURE FILE
Pavel-ous
Panthers fail to protect lead again, tie Montreal MONTREAL -- There are two ways for the Panthers to look at Tuesday's 3-3 tie with Montreal that was saved when goalie Roberto Luongo snapped up Saku Koivu's final try at a gaping net with four-tenths of a second left in overtime. The traditional way: the Panthers blew it after taking a 3-1 lead on Olli Jokinen's goal one minute into the third. The Panthers have led in each of their past eight games, six times in the third period, and have one win to show for it. The cynical way: the Panthers didn't tie Montreal in the overall standings, thus remaining in 27th overall and in better position for the NHL draft lottery. So, they're still in the hunt to pick either center Jason Spezza or Russian left wing Ilja Kovalchuk, the top-two ranked prospects, in the June draft. ``We should learn to protect a lead,'' said Panthers right wing Pavel Bure, who tied his own team record with a goal in his fifth consecutive game. Asked what the Panthers need to do better, Bure said, ``That's not a question for me. That's more Duane's question.'' Coach Duane Sutter said: ``Maybe it's partly because of how short a bench we have.'' Sutter also identified ``soft rush coverage,'' the culprit on goals by Patrick Traverse that tied it at 1 at 15:51 of the second; Jim Campbell that cut Florida's lead to 3-2 30 seconds after Jokinen's goal; and Craig Darby, with Florida's Len Barrie hugging him from behind as if on a conga line, at 11:13 of the third. Back to the save, which was a dramatic way for Luongo to end a game in his hometown. Koivu got the puck in front of the right post from Patrice Brisbois across the slot. Luongo was almost on his back after scrambling from the wide open Brisebois to the even more wide open Koivu. Koivu's shot could have used a little power and Luongo snagged it. ``I was just trying to react off the shot,'' Luongo said. ``He took his time. Fortunately, I got a glove on it. He was hurrying a little, too, because he was running out of time.'' Koivu just said, ``he made the save.'' The overtime made up for 60 minutes of often excruciating hockey between two teams out of the playoff race and beset by injuries. ``Roberto makes a great save in the dying seconds,'' Sutter said. ``Their guy makes one big save. Craig Darby made the other big save. Geez, we can't buy a win.'' The stop to which Sutter was referring came 1:14 into overtime. Florida's Kevyn Adams skipped past Brisebois along the left boards, then fed Jokinen in the right circle. Jokinen's shot was stopped by Montreal goalie Mathieu Garon, but the rebound sat in the crease as Jokinen threw his hands in the air in mistaken exultation. The cleared rebound went right to Adams, who blasted a shot that caromed off the right post and off Garon's back. Before the puck could get over the line, Darby pushed it off and under Garon. Darby did a better job at that than Garon did in the first period when he gave up the only goal in the first at 35:50. Not only did Bure tie his own team record with his power play direction 7.3 seconds before the second period horn, but he extended his point streak to nine games with an assist on Andrei Podkonicky's first period goal.
It was Podkonicky's first NHL goal.
Post-Game Summary versus Montreal After 65 minutes of play (and a blown two-goal lead in the third), the Panthers had to settle for a 3-3 tie with the Montreal Canadiens at the Molson Centre... The Panthers were first on the board this evening at 4:49 and it was Andrej Podkonicky with his first NHL goal... Paul Laus and Pavel Bure collected assists on the play as Podkonicky went to the net to knock home the rebound from Bure's shot on goal. Greg Adams looked to have Florida's second goal on his stick at 6:16 when he broke in on Mathieu Garon but he was hauled down from behind by Francis Bouillon. Roberto Luongo was solid through the "opening 20" making key saves on Darby and Dykhuis late in the period. The second period saw the Canadiens get stronger as time went by... Oleg Petrov and Chad Kilger had quality chances early on but Luongo was equal to the task. Finally at 15:51, Montreal netted the tying goal after a flurry of shots appeared to rattle Roberto for a short time. The goal belonged to Pat Traverse as he got the tap-in on Jim Campbell's pass along the top of the crease. Pavel Bure recorded his 55th of the season at 19:52 to put the Cats ahead by one. It was a power play goal that originated with Dan Boyle at the point. Danny sent the puck toward the net but it found the stick of Bure at the side - Garon had no chance. The Panthers opened the third with a goal at the one-minute mark courtesy of Olli Jokinen. Kevyn Adams carried the puck behind the Montreal net and saw Jokinen rushing in. His pass was picture-perfect and Jokinen buried the shot. Just thirty seconds later, Montreal pulled within one after the Cats left Jim Campbell all alone at the edge of the crease. Craig Darby drew three Panthers along with him to the right side and threw the puck across the slot to Campbell waiting to his left. The Panthers squandered their remaining lead at 11:13 when Darby netted the game-tying goal from Campbell and Dykhuis. In the final minutes of the period, Kevyn Adams came close to putting the Cats back on top but went wide right when he was interfered with from behind. The overtime session proved exciting as the Panthers thought they had the game-winner inside the first minute of play but the rebound on Olli Jokinen's shot fell a foot short and Kevyn Adams' shot rang off the left post. Montreal had a couple close calls of their own but the best came with .04 seconds remaining when Saku Koivu lifted a shot toward the right corner of the Panthers net. Luongo was down from an earlier save and Koivu had an open net staring at him. He let go of his shot but somehow Luongo got a glove on it in mid-air.... Game over... Tonight's three stars were: Craig Darby (3rd star), Pavel Bure (2nd star) and Jim Campbell (1st star).
The Cats will head on over to Toronto tonight to finish off their brief road trip tomorrow... Game time is 7:30 pm.
Florida 3, Montreal 3 (ot) MONTREAL -- It's been that kind of season for the Florida Panthers. After squandering a two-goal lead in the third period, the Panthers came within inches of winning in overtime before settling for a 3-3 tie against the Montreal Canadiens. The Panthers built a 3-1 lead 60 seconds into the third period only to see that lead get away after Jim Campbell and Craig Darby tallied for Montreal. With just over 3 1/2 minutes remaining in overtime, the Panthers narrowly missed winning it. Olli Jokinen was denied from in front by goaltender Mathieu Garon and the rebound bounced out to Kevyn Adams, whose shot rang off the right goalpost before being covered by Garon. The play was reviewed but upheld. "I'm frustrated because I thought the referee may have allowed my shot," Adams said. "I haven't seen the replay but they tell me that the puck never crossed the line. That's the biggest goal I've ever missed." The Canadiens also had a chance to win it in the waning seconds of overtime but Montreal native Roberto Luongo made an acrobatic glove save on Saku Koivu from just to the right of the crease. "I'll never figure out how Luongo stopped my shot," Koivu said. "If I get another chance I would make the same kind of shot." "I reacted to that final shot of the game," Luongo said. "I had to come up big on a lot of other plays. There wasn't much emotion between the teams. But for me this game was very emotional. I had to get tickets for my family and friends." Pavel Bure increased his league-leading goal total to 55 in the second period for the Panthers, who have won just once in their last 14 games (1-9-4-2). One season after qualifying for the playoffs, the Panthers have just 18 wins, the fewest in the NHL. "I'm disappointed the way we blew the lead," Florida coach Duane Sutter said. "It was pretty soft coverage on our part. This is the third game in a row that this has happened to us. But don't take anything away from Montreal, they battled hard." Leading 2-1, the Panthers extended the lead just 60 seconds into the third period when Jokinen beat Garon with a wrist shot from the left circle for his sixth goal of the season. It took the Canadiens just 30 seconds to halve the deficit. Campbell took a pass from Darby in the slot and fired a wrister past Luongo for his ninth goal of the season. The duo of Darby and Campbell hooked up for the tying goal at 11:13 of the third. Coming down the right side, Campbell made a beautiful pass to Darby, who redirected the puck past Luongo for his 10th goal of the season. Luongo, who has wrestled the starting job away from Trevor Kidd, finished with 25 saves. Garon also had 25 saves for Montreal. Rookie Andrei Podkonicky got the Panthers off to a good start in the opening period, scoring his first career goal less than five minutes into the contest. That lead held up until Patrick Traverse knotted things for Montreal with 4:09 left in the middle period when he scored his fifth goal of the season. With eight seconds left in the period, Bure found the back of the net, tapping the puck home from just to the left of the crease off a beautiful pass from Dan Boyle. Bure, who also set up Podkonicky's goal, has 12 goals and six assists during a nine-game points streak.
Pavel was a plus one for his goal and assist on five shots on goal, while taking a two minute penalty in the second period for 'obstruction hooking', which was not scored on by Montreal.
Q&A with Pavel Bure
Q How attainable is scoring 60 goals? Stephen Pagnetti, Hanover, PA A "The big mark is 50 not 60. Fifty, I think, is more important than 60. Nobody else can too many times score 60 goals, but I rather win more games than score more goals." Q Why do you think you have been more successful under Duane Sutter than Terry Murray? Eric Green, Vernon, British Columbia A "I don't know. He lets me do what I do best. That's what I like about Duane. He understands that." Q Is it hard to achieve personal goals when the team is struggling? Daniel Hilbert, Boca Raton, FL A "Well, you don't really think about that. You just keep preparing yourself, and you play the game. It's been a tough year. It's a lot more fun to score goals when you win. But a team is management, coaches and players all together. So we're all responsible. If we win, it's all of us. If we lose, it's all of us." Q On a breakaway, why do you tend to put your head down? Is it to gain more speed, or to confuse the goalie? Michael Thompson, Oceanside, NY A "Who said I put my head down? I guess they don't look really close. You're trying to keep your head up all the time, so you can see where everybody is and where the goalie is." Q During a year that has been filled with disappointment, did you ever want to be traded? Aneil Pai, Boca Raton, FL A "I'm happy here, I really am. What happened this year, nobody's happy with it. But last year we had a great season. The city is a great city. Who wouldn't want to live in Miami? I really like the organization. I still really like it here. It's a good organization. It's been a tough year, but that sometimes happens." Q How are you not captain of the Panthers? Doesn't the team's best player always serve as captain? Mark Bruener, Colorado Springs, CO A "Not necessarily. Secondly, let the management who's deciding do what they want to do with the team." Q What rules changes would you like to see adopted by the NHL? Michelle Monroe, Winnipeg, Manitoba A "I don't even know. Well, you know, you can't really be safe out there. It's a very dangerous sport. You've got big guys with big speed and sticks, so it's just a dangerous sport. You have to accept it."
Bure can't do it all by himself SUNRISE - If it’s true there’s no “I” in TEAM, then the Panthers have to be concerned that Pavel Bure continues to be the Panthers’ one-man team. Saturday night against the Toronto Maple Leafs, Pavel Bure wrote a textbook on how to score against one of the best goaltenders, Curtis Joseph. He converted from short range, medium range and long range with three of the nastiest shots one can imagine. But Bure’s teammates not only failed to pick anything up from the clinic, they only got in the way in the end as Toronto rallied back from a two-goal deficit to knock off the deprived Panthers 5-3. After Bure single-handedly gave the Panthers a 3-1 lead 13:53 into the second period with his fourth hat trick of the season, ninth as a Panther and 19th in the NHL, Nik Antropov and Jonas Hoglund scored 1:27 apart late in the period to tie it up. It siphoned all the energy out of National Car Rental Center, and especially the Panthers. Newly acquired defenseman Aki Berg, who hadn’t scored a goal since March 11, 2000, got the winner when his shot from the point deflected off the stick of Paul Laus, playing his first game in 58, and behind Trevor Kidd 6:11 into the third period. Mats Sundin added an empty-netter. “Pavel has had a great year and he’s played hard all year,” forward Len Barrie said. “But in this league, you don’t win with one guy. We’re one of the last-place teams. He’s done his job, but to win in this league, you’ve got to get 20 guys contributing and playing the same every night. We haven’t had it all year.” Bure has accounted for 30.3 percent of the Panthers’ goals (54 of 178) and is on pace to break the NHL record for percentage of a team’s goals. Former St. Louis winger Brett Hull set the all-time high when he scored 27.7 percent of the Blues’ goals (86 of 310) in 1990-91. “A team is management, coaches and players all together,” Bure said. “So we’re all responsible. If we win, it’s all of us. If we lose, it’s all of us.” The loss of Rob Niedermayer (10 goals) and Viktor Kozlov (14 goals) hurt, but the rest of the Panthers were on the ice Saturday and other than Bure, there were no real scoring threats. “We’re hoping Denis Shvidki and some of the kids contribute,” coach Duane Sutter said. Marcus (Nilson) has had a hell of a year. I think where it has to come from is there has to be more from the back end.” With nine games left, Bure is four goals short of tying his franchise mark of 58 last season and is six goals short of his third 60-goal season. Nobody has scored 60 goals since Mario Lemieux and Jaromir Jagr scored 69 and 62 respectively during the 1995-96 season. Bure extended his point streak to eight games (11 goals, 5 assists) and has 29 goals and 42 points over his past 23 games. It was his second hat trick in four games, fourth in 17. “It’s much more fun when you’re winning, especially on a night like tonight,” Bure said. “You have a 3-1 lead with five minutes to go in the second and you lose 5-3.” If Carolina gets a point today against the Islanders, the Panthers, essentially out of the playoff race for weeks, will be mathematically eliminated. Bure’s three goals were classic. On his first, to give the Panthers a 1-0 lead with 1:58 left in the opening period, Bure glided into the offensive zone and with Berg backing off, he wristed a shot from above the right circle past Joseph. It was an elusive shot because Bure shot it around Berg’s left shoulder but over Joseph’s right. After Tie Domi tied it in the second, Bure gave the Panthers a 2-1 lead on a power play. He flew through the neutral zone and as he prepared to cross the blue line, he blasted a shot past Joseph. Joseph, who stopped Bure on a breakaway earlier in the period, saw Bure again on a breakaway soon thereafter. This time Bure took Shvidki’s pass, darted into the zone and beat Joseph with a deadly shot upstairs over his glove. “I decided after the other breakaway that next time I would go short-side, top-shelf,” Bure said. “It’s a hard shot, but it’s usually open.” Said Joseph, “You’ve got to outsmart (Bure), but tonight he got the better of me for sure. He’s one of the best goal-scorers in the world, and he’s obviously got a few this year.” Asked whether Bure is a one-man show, Joseph said, “I don’t want to slam their team, but Bure’s paid to score goals and that’s what he does.”
Bure alone is worth the price SUNRISE - If the Panthers are Biscayne Bay after the tugboat ruptures the sewage pipe, Pavel Bure is the pearl hidden beneath the surface. Even in ugliness, there can be stunning beauty. The team’s goals have shattered like ice, but Bure still collects his in extravagant bunches. Ho-hum. Another game, another multigoal festival. Bure added Nos. 52, 53 and 54 on Saturday against Toronto on Hockey Night in Canada, the northern neighbor’s version of Monday Night Football. He has scored 35 goals in the 37 games since Duane Sutter replaced Terry Murray. In that span, Bure has nine multigoal games and four hat tricks. “He lets me do what I do best,” Bure said. “That’s what I like about Duane. He understands that.” So yes, there’s still joy to be had in a season that’s brought so much grief. Because there was Bure on Friday, jumping up and down with schoolboy glee after scoring a 50th goal for the second consecutive season. He had just beaten Pittsburgh goalie Johan Hedberg, making his NHL debut, on a breakaway. Bure’s face beamed, his arms flailed like windmills. This would be the closest he’d get to a playoff rush this season. Until he scored goal No. 51 the next period. And then the three on Saturday. “It’s been a tough year,” Bure said. “It’s a lot more fun to score goals when you win.” But the Panthers keep wasting Bure’s brilliance. They couldn’t win on Friday. They couldn’t win on Saturday, getting regulation loss No. 35 (they also have lost nine in overtime). If the sport was baseball and Bure was hitting home runs, his back-to-back 50 feat would have been splashed across sports pages coast to coast. But on Friday night, Bure wasn’t even the biggest story on the ice. Mario Lemieux scored two goals and assisted on another to lead Pittsburgh to a 6-3 win. Lemieux got the headlines; Bure settled for a footnote. Lemieux was the reason the Panthers got their first sellout this season; Bure alone is not enough to draw rubberneckers to the wreckage. Bure deserves better, much the same way Dan Marino of the late 1980s deserved better. Marino threw footballs more prodigiously than anyone, but it didn’t guarantee success in a team sport that revolved around so much more. Bure scores goals more frequently and stylishly than nearly all his contemporaries, but he still awaits his first playoff win with the Panthers. “If he doesn’t win a Stanley Cup in his career, he’ll still be recognized as one of the best goal-scorers to ever play the game,” Lemieux said. “He’s one of my favorite players to watch. You never know what he’s going to do. That’s a mark of a great player.” Bure led the NHL in goals last season with 58. If he leads the league again this season, he will join elite company. Among the 11 others who have done it in back-to-back seasons: Lemieux, Wayne Gretzky, Phil Esposito, Bobby Hull, Brett Hull, Maurice Richard and Teemu Selanne. “First of all, we’ve still got three weeks to go so I can’t really talk about it,” Bure said on Friday. “So much can happen. ... If it happens, that’s great. If not, that’s fine.” The Russian in him doesn’t reveal much, a style that’s served him well in a life blanketed by shadows and fog. His words are less interesting than his breath, which emits the strong, surprising odor of tobacco. He has a weakness for unfiltered cigarettes. Again, it’s the Russian in him. You don’t ask about the personal life, the alleged mob figures and tennis vixens, the South Beach nights and Moscow summers. You simply want to know where he is professionally. He turns 30 on March 31, has three years left on a contract that will pay him $10 million annually. He enjoys vintage wine over dinners at the Forge, but has yet to sip champagne from Lord Stanley’s Cup, his only trip to the Finals coming with Vancouver in 1994. After a falling out with the Canucks, he was traded to Florida in January 1999 and played 11 games before being sidelined by knee surgery. He returned in top form last season, leading the Panthers to a franchise-best 98 points. But the team was swept by the Devils in the first playoff round. Now this mess. “I’m happy here, I really am,” Bure said. “What happened this year, nobody’s happy with it. But last year we had a great season. The city is a great city. Who wouldn’t want to live in Miami? I really like the organization. Each organization starts from the top, and I think Bill Torrey is a great guy, he knows hockey well.” But the for-sale sign is out in more ways than one, uncertainty everywhere. H. Wayne Huizenga is trying to unload the franchise while Torrey unloads live bodies for draft picks in what he has called a rebuilding project. What kind of rebuilding project keeps a $10 million superstar? On the other hand, what self-respecting team with a shred of sanity wouldn’t keep him? His talent is remarkable and marketable, the only thing that makes the Panthers worth watching. Bure has scored a ridiculous 30 percent of the team’s goals (54 of 178); that would set an NHL record. Brett Hull scored 27.7 percent of St. Louis’ in 1990-91. Nitpick his deficiencies all you want. Maybe his work ethic and leadership leave something to be desired, a player who has shown he’s not above holding out and holding a team hostage. But as long as he wants to be around, the Panthers would be crazy not to build around him. Torrey doesn’t want to get into the what-if scenarios of trading Bure, and you don’t even know if Torrey will make the decision. If and when the team is sold, Torrey might be gone. Bure knows he could follow. “You know you can get traded at any time,” Bure said. “When you step into the NHL you see so many trades going on, in two to three years it’s almost like a brand new team is around you. For me, the biggest thing is Wayne Gretzky got traded four times. Wayne Gretzky, the best player to ever play the game. So I guess there is nobody untouchable.” When Bure breaks free on the ice, he only appears untouchable. Enjoy the show while it lasts.
Maple Leafs 5, Bure 3 The extent to which hockey is a team game was hammered home Saturday at National Car Rental Center, where a mediocre big team beat a great little man. The game's three moments of brilliance came from Panthers right wing Pavel Bure, who occasionally reduced Florida's game plan to give-me-the-stone-and-get-out-of-the-way simplicity. But it was the Toronto Maple Leafs who kept their heads long enough to get the victory, 5-3. Toronto defenseman Aki Berg got the game-winner at 6:11 of the third period when his power-play point shot deflected in off Florida's Paul Laus -- or was deflected in by Toronto's Dmitri Yushkevich, originally credited with the goal. Mats Sundin threw in an empty-netter, and the many ``Go, Leafs, go!'' chanters among the 16,205 fans left in a jaunty mood. Bure's hat trick, the 19th of his career and fourth this season, gave him nine goals and two assists in the Panthers' past 12 goals. Overall, Bure's NHL-leading 54 goals account for 30.33 percent of the Panthers' 178 this season. The forward-passing-era record for carrying a team's goal-scoring load is held by Brett Hull, whose 86 goals were 27.74 percent of the St. Louis Blues' 1990-91 total. The difference between the Panthers and that team? The Blues were second overall in the NHL, while the Panthers (18-35-11-9) are plummeting toward the second pick in this year's NHL draft. ``It's not pressure,'' Bure said of being Florida's lone goal-scoring threat of late. ``We're a team, and that includes management and coaches. If we win, all of us win. If we lose, all of us lose.'' The Panthers were limited to 10 healthy forwards Saturday. Unfamiliar linemates and partners ran into each other, often got in each other's way and sent passes in the opposite direction of teammates. It was on such a play that the game turned, with two Toronto goals in 1:27 pulling the Maple Leafs to 3-3 after falling behind 3-1. Panthers defensemen Robert Svehla and Bret Hedican went after Toronto's Nik Antropov in the right corner. That left Leafs captain Mats Sundin open in the right circle. Sundin's shot was wide, but teammate Gary Roberts collected the rebound and tried to stuff it. A diving save by Panthers goalie Trevor Kidd was almost cleared by Florida's Joey Tetarenko, but Hedican ran into him, accidentally checking him off the puck. Antropov wound up with the puck and scored. Svehla slapped the puck out of the net angrily, as many players do after opponents' goals -- but this one hit a linesman, drawing an unsportsmanlike-conduct minor. A late forward change on the penalty kill had the Panthers in disarray on a Toronto rush, and Jonas Hoglund scored from the slot. Bure's first goal came on a high right-circle wrister off his back foot that beat Toronto goalie Curtis Joseph wide to the far side. Joseph stopped Bure on a breakaway early in the second period. Toronto's Tie Domi tapped a strangely caroming dump-in into an empty net to tie the score 1-1 before Bure went back to work. He took a drop pass from defenseman Anders Eriksson, burned up to the blue line and drilled a drive through Joseph's stick side to put the Panthers ahead 2-1. ``I said to myself, if I get another breakaway, I'm going to go short-side, top-shelf,'' said Bure, who did just that at 13:53 of the second to complete the hat trick, his 10th as a Panther.
Bure can't do it all by himself SUNRISE - If it’s true there’s no “I” in TEAM, then the Panthers have to be concerned that Pavel Bure continues to be the Panthers’ one-man team. Saturday night against the Toronto Maple Leafs, Pavel Bure wrote a textbook on how to score against one of the best goaltenders, Curtis Joseph. He converted from short range, medium range and long range with three of the nastiest shots one can imagine. But Bure’s teammates not only failed to pick anything up from the clinic, they only got in the way in the end as Toronto rallied back from a two-goal deficit to knock off the deprived Panthers 5-3. After Bure single-handedly gave the Panthers a 3-1 lead 13:53 into the second period with his fourth hat trick of the season, ninth as a Panther and 19th in the NHL, Nik Antropov and Jonas Hoglund scored 1:27 apart late in the period to tie it up. It siphoned all the energy out of National Car Rental Center, and especially the Panthers. Newly acquired defenseman Aki Berg, who hadn’t scored a goal since March 11, 2000, got the winner when his shot from the point deflected off the stick of Paul Laus, playing his first game in 58, and behind Trevor Kidd 6:11 into the third period. Mats Sundin added an empty-netter. “Pavel has had a great year and he’s played hard all year,” forward Len Barrie said. “But in this league, you don’t win with one guy. We’re one of the last-place teams. He’s done his job, but to win in this league, you’ve got to get 20 guys contributing and playing the same every night. We haven’t had it all year.” Bure has accounted for 30.3 percent of the Panthers’ goals (54 of 178) and is on pace to break the NHL record for percentage of a team’s goals. Former St. Louis winger Brett Hull set the all-time high when he scored 27.7 percent of the Blues’ goals (86 of 310) in 1990-91. “A team is management, coaches and players all together,” Bure said. “So we’re all responsible. If we win, it’s all of us. If we lose, it’s all of us.” The loss of Rob Niedermayer (10 goals) and Viktor Kozlov (14 goals) hurt, but the rest of the Panthers were on the ice Saturday and other than Bure, there were no real scoring threats. “We’re hoping Denis Shvidki and some of the kids contribute,” coach Duane Sutter said. Marcus (Nilson) has had a hell of a year. I think where it has to come from is there has to be more from the back end.” With nine games left, Bure is four goals short of tying his franchise mark of 58 last season and is six goals short of his third 60-goal season. Nobody has scored 60 goals since Mario Lemieux and Jaromir Jagr scored 69 and 62 respectively during the 1995-96 season. Bure extended his point streak to eight games (11 goals, 5 assists) and has 29 goals and 42 points over his past 23 games. It was his second hat trick in four games, fourth in 17. “It’s much more fun when you’re winning, especially on a night like tonight,” Bure said. “You have a 3-1 lead with five minutes to go in the second and you lose 5-3.” If Carolina gets a point today against the Islanders, the Panthers, essentially out of the playoff race for weeks, will be mathematically eliminated. Bure’s three goals were classic. On his first, to give the Panthers a 1-0 lead with 1:58 left in the opening period, Bure glided into the offensive zone and with Berg backing off, he wristed a shot from above the right circle past Joseph. It was an elusive shot because Bure shot it around Berg’s left shoulder but over Joseph’s right. After Tie Domi tied it in the second, Bure gave the Panthers a 2-1 lead on a power play. He flew through the neutral zone and as he prepared to cross the blue line, he blasted a shot past Joseph. Joseph, who stopped Bure on a breakaway earlier in the period, saw Bure again on a breakaway soon thereafter. This time Bure took Shvidki’s pass, darted into the zone and beat Joseph with a deadly shot upstairs over his glove. “I decided after the other breakaway that next time I would go short-side, top-shelf,” Bure said. “It’s a hard shot, but it’s usually open.” Said Joseph, “You’ve got to outsmart (Bure), but tonight he got the better of me for sure. He’s one of the best goal-scorers in the world, and he’s obviously got a few this year.” Asked whether Bure is a one-man show, Joseph said, “I don’t want to slam their team, but Bure’s paid to score goals and that’s what he does.”
Post-Game Summary versus Toronto A Pavel Bure hat trick was not enough to seal this one as the Cats dropped a two-goal lead, eventually finishing with a 3-5 loss. The Panthers had the lone goal in the first period and it came after Marcus Nilson forced a turnover at center ice. He passed to Pavel Bure who let go from the top of the circle and found some room high on the stick side. Both Trevor Kidd and Curtis Joseph had strong outings combining for 14 saves in the period... The second saw plenty of scoring and some close calls for both teams... Tie Domi got things under way at 6:11 with his 13th of the season. His goal came after the puck took a couple weird bounces in front of the Florida net. Andrei Podkonicky overskated a clearing attempt and the puck found its way cross-crease to Domi. He lost his footing rushing to the puck but still got enough on it to make it count. Minutes later, Darcy Tucker carried in on a breakaway but Bret Hedican got back and knocked him off the puck in textbook style. Pavel Bure recorded his second goal of the night at 8:27 on the power play. He took advantage of a partial screen in front of Joseph and let go from the blueline. Bure was not done yet and netted his fourth hat trick of the season at 13:35 on a breakaway after Denis Shvidki found him with a perfect pass. Joseph had stopped him earlier in the period on a breakaway but this time, Bure went high on the glove side. Toronto stormed back with two straight on defensive breakdowns in front of Kidd. Nik Antropov and Jonas Hoglund were credited with the goals... The Maple Leafs scored two more unanswered goals in the third period and carried play to the Panthers for a majority of the twenty minutes... Aki Berg connected for his first goal as a Leaf at 6:11 on the power play. His long shot from the point went through three bodies in front of Kidd and looked to deflect off a Panther before going in. Trevor Kidd withstood a flurry of Toronto shots just past the mid-way point stopping pucks from every direction. The Cats had a couple solid chances with Mats Sundin in the penalty box late in the game but could not hold the zone allowing Garry Valk a chance shorthanded. Kidd made the save but was done for the night... With the Panther net empty, Mats Sundin added one from neutral ice for good measure. The three stars of the game were: Aki Berg (3rd star), Mats Sundin (2nd star) and Pavel Bure (1st star). The Panthers will head north of the border for a back-to-back series with Montreal and Toronto mid-week... Bure extended his point streak to eight games (11 goals, 5 assists)...Bure has five goals in the last two games.. ******* Coach's Comments
On the Toronto rally from a 3-1 deficit:
On whether players aren't used to each other due to injuries forcing line juggling:
On the six players on the ice when Trevor Kidd was pulled:
On the Panthers' power play and having no one in front of the net:
On who will score other than Pavel Bure:
On the Panthers missing Niedermayer and Kozlov:
Toronto 5, Florida 3 SUNRISE, FLORIDA -- "Rocket" fuel could not power the Florida Panthers past the Toronto Maple Leafs. Aki Berg scored his first goal for the Maple Leafs, who overcame Pavel Bure's fourth hat trick of the season and a two-goal deficit to edge the lowly Panthers, 5-3. Berg fired his game-winning slap shot from the blue line. After sneaking through traffic in front of the net, the puck jumped over goaltender Trevor Kidd's glove with 13:49 left. Berg, the third overall pick in the 1995 draft, was acquired from Los Angeles at Tuesday's trade deadline. Leafs captain Mats Sundin's empty-netter with eight seconds to play sealed Toronto's fifth win in eight games. The Maple Leafs moved into a sixth-place tie with Pittsburgh in the Eastern Conference. Nicknamed "The Russian Rocket," Bure completed his 19th career hat trick at 13:53 of the second period. Sprung loose by rookie Denis Shvidki's cross-ice pass, Bure glared at the gap between goalie Curtis Joseph's pads before putting the puck into the top right corner of the net. Bure has had a hand in 11 of Florida's last 12 goals, scoring nine of the them. But Florida's 3-1 lead lasted barely three minutes. Nik Antropov scored his fourth goal in five meetings with the Panthers and Jonas Hoglund tied it from the slot with his 21st of the season.
Pavel was a plus one for his 3 goals on 7 shots.
Lemieux ices Cats Pavel Bure said when he first came into the NHL with the Vancouver Canucks, he loved watching Pittsburgh's Mario Lemieux so much he didn't want to leave the bench to play. Not so Friday night. What they and the rest of the Panthers and Penguins gave the standing-room-only crowd at National Car Rental Center was old-time hockey, Penguins style, from the early 1990s -- end-to-end play, lead changes and goals in bunches. Despite getting outshot 44-30, Pittsburgh, led by Lemieux's two goals, trounced Florida 6-3. ``It was not a game you want to be in as a goaltender,'' Panthers goalie Roberto Luongo said. ``It was wide open, and they've got the guns to play it. We played their game and lost.'' Lemieux's second tally of the game, 9:34 into the second period, was his 30th this season since ending his retirement Dec. 27. He added an assist on Jaromir Jagr's goal late in the third period. Bure also scored two goals -- the first was his 50th of the season, and the other one tied the score 46 seconds into the second. When defenseman Dan Boyle gave the Panthers a 3-2 lead later in the period, it broke a streak of eight Panthers goals involving Bure. ``It felt much better last year when we won the game and we had so many points,'' Bure said. ``It feels good to get 50, but I'd rather have more wins and fewer goals.'' The Panthers began the game with 11 forwards because center Viktor Kozlov's groin injury kept him out of the lineup. They lost left wing Peter Worrell to a left-shoulder injury in the first period when Penguins defenseman Darius Kasparaitis hooked him into the boards. Sporadic shifts by Andrei Podkonicky left the Panthers with nine forwards taking regular shifts over the final 30 minutes. But what drained the life out of the Panthers (18-34-11-9) was that old Pittsburgh knack for scoring a knockout by punching the opponent with a one-two combination of late goals. The score was tied 3-3 when Pittsburgh's Josef Beranek scooted off the rear boards, stickhandled through the skates of Panthers rookie Denis Shvidki, then backhanded home the puck on the short side. Thirty seconds later, Florida's Vaclav Prospal failed to stickhandle around Pittsburgh's Robert Lang off the left boards, and managed only to slide the puck to Penguins right wing Alexei Kovalev in the slot. Zing! The Penguins led 5-3. The first period alone had more entertainment value than many games. It took two tries at a Jagr-to-Lemieux backdoor pass for Lemieux to open the scoring 8:17 into the game. Jagr's pass was a little deep, so Lemieux kicked it up to his stick from behind the goal line and stuffed it home. The game really kicked into high gear during the next shift. Jagr swooped behind the net to feed Lemieux at the left post again, only to see Luongo stone Lemieux. Panthers defenseman Bret Hedican turned the rebound into a home run pass for Bure, who accelerated, gave goalie Johan Hedberg a forehand look and slid home a backhander to tie the score 1-1. Soon after, Luongo made a juggling catch of a Kevin Stevens wrister from the slot. Hedberg -- playing in his first NHL game -- stopped Bure on another breakaway, and denied Marcus Nilson on a three-on-one.
Luongo turned away Martin Straka on a breakaway, but the atrocious transition coverage left Kasparaitis open in the circle for a one-timer that gave the Penguins a 2-1 lead.
Lemieux's two goals put Panthers on ice SUNRISE -- It was the Stars on Ice show Friday night at National Car Rental Center, and Mario Lemieux and Pavel Bure came to perform. Lemieux, who buried the Panthers and essentially ended their season by sending them into a nine-game winless slide with an overtime winner in Pittsburgh last month, again raised his arms in the end. In Lemieux's first visit to South Florida since he came out of retirement, the Penguins' superstar/owner helped draw the Panthers' first capacity crowd of the season and then made the price of admission worth it by scoring two goals to lead the Penguins to a 6-3 victory. "He's done it his whole life," Panthers goalie Roberto Luongo said. With his 41st career hat trick available to him late in the third, Lemieux showed his unselfishness by keeping his moody captain satisfied. Standing next to the goal, Lemieux fired a pass across the goalmouth to set up Jaromir Jagr's open-net score for his third point and the Penguins' final goal in a three-goal third that broke open a 3-3 game. "It was 3-3 and should have been 8-3 for us with the amount of chances we had," Panthers coach Duane Sutter said. "We didn't get kind of breaks at all." The loss spoiled what could have been a special night for Bure, who scored two goals on 12 shots to give him 51 goals. It was Bure's fifth time hitting the 50-goal plateau, but he wasn't nearly as fulfilled as when he led the league with 58 last season. "It felt much better last year," Bure said. "We won games and we had so many points. Yeah, it's a big thing to get 50, but I rather win more games than score more goals." Pittsburgh goalie Johan Hedberg, playing for the IHL's Manitoba Moose a few days ago, stopped Bure on two breakaways in critical situations during an impressive 41-save NHL debut. "We missed on some chances and we made some big mistakes in the third," Bure said. "We could have won this game." Bure looked juiced at the start, logging 13:16 of his game-high 33:18 of ice time in the first period. He also had nine of his 12 shots. At times, after he scored 50, it seemed like he wasn't going to leave the ice until he scored 60. The first two periods consisted of some pretty entertaining up-and-down hockey. After the Penguins took control of the game in the third, it turned almost into a street fight, for the teams combined for 74 penalty minutes, highlighted by a bout between Joey Tetarenko and Billy Tibbetts. "There were a lot of big hits, a few fights late in the game, just from frustration and whatever," Sutter said. "I thought overall we were able to play the brand of hockey that is enjoyable for everybody to watch. It's kind of old-fashioned, old-style hockey." It wasn't enjoyable for Luongo, who gave up six goals on 30 shots. "It's not fun to be in goaltender in a game like that," Luongo said. "It was wide open and they have the guys for it." After Lemieux tied the game with his 30 goal in his 34th game in the second, Josef Beranek and Alexei Kovalev scored 30 seconds apart at the start of the third. "It deflated us," Bure said. Beranek scored when he slipped a puck through Denis Shvidki's legs, then cut to the inside of a turning Dan Boyle. He beat Luongo over the blocker 2:59 into the third. Kovalev scored his 41st after a fallen Vaclav Prospal made an ill-advised turnover in the defensive zone. One shot later and Pittsburgh had a two-goal lead. What made it more painful for Prospal was Kovalev cross-checked him in the head in the first period.
"It's something I never should have done," Prospal said. "I'm battling Kovalev all game, and then I give him a perfect pass on his stick."
Hedberg stops 41 shots in first career start SUNRISE, Fla. (AP) - With Mario Lemieux, Jaromir Jagr and Alexei Kovalev, Pittsburgh is obviously equipped for shootouts. The Penguins might now be better prepared for close games, too. Lemieux had two goals and an assist, and Johan Hedberg stopped 41 shots in his first career start as Pittsburgh beat the Florida Panthers 6-3 Friday night. Florida's Pavel Bure also had a pair of goals, increasing his league-leading total to 51, but the Panthers continued to struggle on defense. They have given up 44 goals in their last 11 games. "It's not a game you want to be in as a goaltender," Florida's Roberto Luongo said. "It was wide open, and they've got all the guns for that. We played their game and lost." With the game tied at 3 in the third period, Pittsburgh scored twice in 30 seconds to pull ahead for good. Josef Beranek notched his ninth goal and Kovalev scored his 41st. Jagr's 43rd goal made it 6-3 with less than five minutes to play. But the story of the game was Hedberg, acquired at the trading deadline Monday along with Bobby Dollas from San Jose. His debut was memorable. He stopped The Russian Rocket twice on breakaways and helped keep the Panthers scoreless on eight power plays. "This game was good for him," Penguins coach Ivan Ivan Hlinka said. "It was the first game for him, the first NHL game, but he looked very confident. It's too soon to say something, but it looks like he could have a good future." Lemieux put the Penguins on the board first with a power-play goal at 8:17 of the first period. He stopped a pass from Jagr with his right skate and poked the rebound past a diving Luongo. It was Lemieux's fifth power-play goal in the last eight games. Bure evened the score with a spectacular breakaway goal about two minutes later. He waited until Hedberg committed to his left, then slipped the puck between his legs. Bure, known for his fierce fist pumps after goals, celebrated a little more than usual. After No. 50, Bure jumped up and down repeatedly behind the net as his teammates mobbed him. "It's a big thing to get 50, but I'd rather win more games than get more goals," said Bure, who finished with 58 goals last season. Darius Kasparaitis made it 2-1 when he beat Luongo, who had dropped his stick just before the shot. Bure tied it again 44 seconds into the second period, beating Hedberg upstairs. The fist pump was back, and it was so big this time that his helmet nearly flipped off. The Panthers took their only lead when Dan Boyle scored his third goal of the season in a 4-on-4 situation. Lemieux's second goal of the night, his 30th of the season, made it 3-3. Still, Florida outshot Pittsburgh 44-30. But Hedberg made the difference.
"I guess they figured I was a rookie, and they were going to test me out," Hedberg said. "They took a lot of shots. It's a good feeling to get some work right away. It's exciting for me to be out there with those guys on the ice. I've been dreaming about this."
Post-Game Summary versus Edmonton
Pittsburgh jumped on the Panthers early and at 8:17, scored goal number one in this game. The play began with Jaromir Jagr as he put the puck on the stick of Mario Lemieux from the right circle. Roberto Luongo looked to be expecting a shot from Jagr and did not see Mario camped behind him at the side of the net. At 10:04, the Panthers drew even giving Pavel Bure his 50th goal this season on a pretty breakaway goal. Bret Hedican was credited with an assist on the play for sending Pavel away with a fabulous pass. Minutes later, Bure raced in on another breakaway but Johan Hedberg got the pads closed to make the save. Pittsburgh came back with goal number two at 16:39 courtesy of Darius Kasparaitis. It was a heartbreak of a play as Luongo had been knocked down by his own man and had lost his stick. He could not regain position fast enough for the Kasparaitis shot. The Panthers opened the second period with another goal by Pavel Bure... This one came from the edge of the left circle off a cross-ice feed from Robert Svehla. Eight minutes later, the Cats struck again while playing four-on-four. Greg Adams threw the puck to the front of the net on his backhand and Dan Boyle was able to flip it in over the shoulder of Hedberg. The lead was a short one as Mario Lemieux scored his second of the night at 9:34. Lemieux used Bret Hedican for a screen and sent the puck on net through his legs - Luongo never saw it coming. In the third, Pittsburgh put three unanswered goals on the board - the first coming at 2:59. Josef Beranek carried the puck out of the corner and caught the Florida defenders out of position. His shot from the edge of the crease handcuffed Luongo. Thirty seconds later, Alexei Kovalev added to his goal total (from between the circles) after Vinny Prospal turned the puck over on a clearing attempt. In a space of about two minutes just past the midway point, Olli Jokinen rang a shot off the post, Dan Boyle knocked a shot off a Penguin shin pad and Pavel Bure had a breakaway chance thwarted by Johan Hedberg with a beautiful poke check. The Penguins tallied their final goal of the game at 15:10 when Jaromir Jagr swept in a goal-mouth pass from Mario Lemieux... The game erupted into fights galore with the main event coming at 15:12 when Joey Tetarenko handed a whipping to William Tibbetts. In all, a total of 84 minutes of penalties were handed out inside the final five minutes. The three stars of the game were: Martin Straka (3rd star), Pavel Bure (2nd star), Mario Lemieux (1st star). The Panthers return to action tomorrow night when the Toronto Maple Leafs come calling... Game time is 7:00 pm. *****
On whether or not the Panthers were tired:
On the game in the third period:
On Roberto Luongo's play:
On missing Viktor Kozlov on the power play:
On playing in front of a sellout crowd of 19,250:
On Pavel Bure's performance, and reaching 50 goals for the season:
On the officiating in the game:
Pittsburgh 6, Florida 3 SUNRISE, FLORIDA -- On a night when Mario Lemieux reached 30 with a pair of goals and Pavel Bure eclipsed 50 for the second straight season, an unknown goaltender may have been the story of the night. Newly acquired Johan Hedberg stopped 41 shots in his NHL debut to lead the Pittsburgh Penguins to a 6-3 victory over the Florida Panthers before the first sellout crowd of the season at the National Car Rental Center. With speculation swirling before the trade deadline that the Penguins would make a deal for either Nikolai Khabibulin or John Vanbiesbrouck, general manager Craig Patrick instead obtained the 27-year-old Hedberg from the San Jose Sharks on Monday. The Swedish goaltender went 23-13-7 with a 2.56 goals-against average in 46 games for Manitoba of the International Hockey League. On Friday, he passed his first test. He was bombarded in the first two periods, facing a total of 36 shots. "I guess they figured since I was a rookie they were going to test me out," Hedberg said. "The game started out hard, they took a lot of shots. It was a good feeling to get some work in right away." "They took a lot of shots. This game was a good test for him," Penguins coach Ivan Hlinka said. "He did a good job but it's too soon to say anything." Bure beat Hedberg on a breakaway in the first period and a blast from the left faceoff circle in the second for his 50th and 51st goals of the season but also was stopped on a semi-breakaway and had several other shots turned away. Bure, who had a league-best 58 goals last season, recorded 50 goals for the fifth time in his 10-year career. "To score 50-plus goals, there are only two or three guys that are capable of doing it year after year, and he's one of them," said Panthers coach Duane Sutter. Lemieux scored his second goal of the game and 30th of the season off a deflection in front, tying the game at 3-3 with 10:26 left in the second period. In 33 games since coming out of retirement, Lemieux has 30 goals and 30 assists. Of course, his presence accounted for the Panthers' first sellout of the season. "It was a great feeling to get fans in the building," Lemieux said. "It's always fun to play against a great player like Bure. He's the leading scorer and he's having a great year. Anytime he's out there, he's very, very dangerous. He's fun to watch." Josef Beranek and Alexei Kovalev scored 30 seconds apart early in the third period to give Pittsburgh a 5-3 lead and Jaromir Jagr added his 43rd goal of the season with 4:50 left. "It was up-and-down hockey," Jagr said. "Whoever made the least mistakes would win the game." The win kept Pittsburgh in a tie with Buffalo, which beat Vancouver on Friday, for fifth place in the Eastern Conference, two points ahead of Toronto. Lemieux received a loud ovation from the crowd when he scored a power-play goal at 8:17 of the first period. Jagr flicked a pass across to Lemieux, who stuffed it in from the left of the goal.v Defenseman Bret Hedican sprung Bure on a breakaway and the "Russian Rocket" faked forehand to backhand and slid the puck under Hedberg at 10:04 of the period. Darius Kasparaitis' goal with 3:21 left in the period gave Pittsburgh a 2-1 lead. The defenseman pinched in from the left point to the circle, took a pass from Martin Straka and fired a shot past Roberto Luongo. Bure's blast from the left circle 44 seconds into the second period tied the game and Florida took its first lead when Dan Boyle scored off a rebound at the 8:46 mark. Lemieux scored his second goal of the game when he fought off Hedican in front and deflected a shot by Straka past Luongo with 10:26 left in the second. Beranak scored the go-ahead goal from the slot off a pass from Wayne Primeau 2:59 into the third period. Kovalev beat Luongo with a shot from the right circle 30 seconds later.
Pavel recorded 12 shots on goal, and was a minus one for the game.
Bure (leg bruise) practices The leg bruise that kept Panthers right wing Pavel Bure out of the last half of the first period Wednesday didn't keep him from practicing Thursday. Bure returned against the Oilers to get a goal and an assist. ``I'm sore, yeah,'' Bure said. ``It's not as bad as I thought it was going to be when it first happened. I thought I would be out seven to 10 days. It got swollen right away.''
Wednesday night, it was said to be Bure's left leg. Thursday, when asked about the injury, Bure pointed to his right knee. Asked which one it was, he declined to clarify.
See Pavel at practice The Panthers will open the doors for practice both Friday and Saturday this week (at National Car Rental Center)... They are scheduled to be on the ice at 10:30 am on both days but Saturday's session is still considered tentative. The Penguins will be on the ice at 11:30 Friday and the Maple Leafs are scheduled for 11:30 Saturday. Please keep in mind that visiting teams may cancel or change their sessions at any time without prior notice. Pantherland will also be open from 10:30 - 12:30 on both days. ****** Future practices that are expected to be open are:
Thurs. March 22, 11:00 am at Incredible Ice
Times and locations are always subject to change so call the Panthers hotline at (954) 835-7777 to confirm before heading over.
Bure up to old tricks Bure left the game early in the first period with a left leg bruise. Upon his return at the start of the second period, he seemed bothered -- something's amiss when Bure is the first of his line to change at the end of a shift. He was being looked at on the training table after the game. ``I'm sure he's quite sore,'' Sutter said. ``I suggested he stay out after the first period. He said he wanted to try it for one more shift, so give credit to him. Tough kid.'' Hampered in such a manner, Bure managed a goal, his 49th of the season, and an assist. For the latter, Bure swooping in front of Edmonton defenseman Eric Brewer to intercept Janne Niinimaa's drop pass behind the Oilers net. Continuing in the same motion, Bure went for the wraparound. Goalie Tommy Salo stopped that, but the puck got through and he was off the post. Nilson shoved the puck in off Salo's skate. Bure's goal showed even if he doesn't need his top gear if he has enough open ice.
Florida's Greg Adams jumped out of the box and into a developing three-on-one. Once inside the Edmonton line, Adams dropped to Len Barrie. With Bure blowing down the middle to the right of Edmonton defenseman Tom Poti, Poti was alone on an island and this wasn't Survivor. Barrie fed Bure and Bure quickly beat Salo between the legs.
BAUER home page features Pavel Bure
 Click on above picture to go to 'Bauer' home page that has Pavel Bure front and center stage, endorsing their products.
Pavel uses Bauer skates and Bauer hockey stick.
Post-Game Summary versus Edmonton Twice tonight, the Panthers were up by a goal, but in the final seconds, had to settle for a 2-2 tie with Edmonton... The teams played a total of thirty-four minutes of scoreless hockey tonight as the first goal did not come until 14:46 of the second period... The first period was a free-flowing affair that saw the Cats double up on the Oilers on the shot clock 10-5. There were some tense moments early in the game as Pavel Bure left the ice slowly after an awkward fall. He did not return through the first twenty minutes but was able to rejoin the team for the beginning of the second. The word from the medical staff was a thigh bruise. In the second, both goaltenders were tested with better quality scoring chances and both stood up to the challenge... Roberto Luongo opened the period with a diving save on Sergei Zholtok from the side of the net. Salo responded at the other end with a perfect poke check on Viktor Kozlov on a shorthanded breakaway. Luongo came back with a heads-up play covering up a loose puck with Ryan Smyth digging for a rebound. The Panthers' first goal was the next highlight play and it was a beauty... Len Barrie had possession just inside the Edmonton blue line when he caught Pavel Bure cruising in to the left. Lennie made a perfect forward feed and Pavel buried it five-hole. On the very next shift of the game, Salo responded with huge saves on both Bure and Kozlov in tight quarters. The Oilers opened the third period with a goal at 4:22 on the power play. The exchange began along the left boards when Igor Ulanov dug the puck free and fed cross-ice to Zholtok. Doug Weight had started toward the net and Zholtok found him in the slot - the puck slid right under Luongo's pad. Tommy Salo was called upon on consecutive shifts as Greg Adams and Denis Shvidki came close and then Bure, Kozlov and Nilson had a three-on-two. The Cats took the lead again at 12:21 after Salo fumbled the puck on Pavel's wraparound attempt. Marcus Nilson was alert to the play and made it there for the tap in. Len Barrie had a breakaway attempt late in the period but went wide left on the backhand. With just under 50 seconds remaining in the game, Doug Weight connected for the equalizer on a seemingly harmless shot from the right side of the net. Luongo may have been screened on the play but there was just enough room between his shoulder and the goal post - the puck sailed right through... In the overtime session, each team had a couple close calls but nothing of consequence. Svehla and Bure combined for Florida's best chance and Ulanov had Edmonton's... The three stars of tonight's game as voted by Jiggs McDonald were: Roberto Luongo (3rd star), Doug Weight (2nd star) and Pavel Bure (1st star). Next up for the Panthers, a pair of back-to-backs at home with the Penguins on Friday and Toronto on Saturday... ******* Coach's Comments:
On Viktor Kozlov sustaining an injury in the third period:
On the game overall from the Panthers:
On Kevyn Adams' play:
On the first Edmonton goal, which came on the power play:
On Pavel Bure's leg bruise and his decision to return to the game:
Florida 4, NY Islanders 1 SUNRISE, FLORIDA -- Their team-record nine-game winning streak was snapped, but Doug Weight made sure the Edmonton Oilers came away with one point. Weight scored twice, including the tying goal with 45.9 seconds left in the third period, as Edmonton overcame a pair of deficits and battled to a 2-2 deadlock with the Florida Panthers. The Oilers appeared headed for their first loss since February 17. But they pulled goaltender Tommy Salo for an extra attacker and forced overtime on Weight's 20th goal. Georges Laraque worked the puck behind the net to Weight, who took a couple of strides to the bottom of the right faceoff circle and beat goalie Roberto Luongo from a bad angle. Pavel Bure suffered a bruised left leg in the first period but scored his league-leading 49th goal and set up another for the Panthers, who have not posted consecutive wins in a month.
Pavel was a plus one for his goal and assist, and had 6 shots on goal. He has six goals and five assists in his six-game point streak. ..
Bure up to old tricks UNIONDALE, N.Y. -- Pavel Bure's stick switched in and out of the passing lane between Islanders right wing Mariusz Czerkawski and power-play point man Roman Hamrlik. Beyond Hamrlik, there was 115 feet of ice -- and an empty Islanders net -- between Bure and a hat trick. What remained of the 15,178 in Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum knew Czerkawski shouldn't do it. Bure knew Czerkawski shouldn't do it. Even Czerkawski knew he shouldn't do it. You could tell by his reaction after he did it. Predictably, Bure picked off the pass and fired in the final goal of the Panthers' 4-1 victory over the Islanders on Sunday. It was the right wing's 18th career three-goal game. ``I was trying to fool him,'' said Bure, who also had an assist on Viktor Kozlov's goal 8:46 into the third. Bure's league-leading goal total stands at 48. Fifty-one weeks ago, in a 4-2 win over the Islanders at Nassau, Bure completed a four-point night with an empty-netter for his 50th goal last season. Sunday's victory ended the Panthers' winless streak at nine. It also was the first meeting between Florida goalie Roberto Luongo and Isles goalie Rick DiPietro, the highest-drafted goalies ever. Luongo, the fourth pick overall in 1997, was traded to the Panthers by the Isles to make room for DiPietro, last year's No. 1. DiPietro played like the 19-year-old rookie he is, handling very few shots cleanly. Luongo, meanwhile, was under control. ``I felt, basically, as I do every other game,'' said Luongo, who finished with 28 saves. ``It's a little different playing here because I played [for the Islanders] last year.'' Luongo played poorly when the Isles and Panthers met the first time this season. He later admitted his desire to prove his worth to the Isles had him trying to do too much. ``That's why we avoided the big hype two weeks ago,'' Panthers coach Duane Sutter said, referring to a 5-4 Panthers loss in which Trevor Kidd, not Luongo, faced DiPietro. ``He was playing too well to put all the eggs in one basket. You can always tell about Roberto. When he's smothering rebounds, you can tell he's on top of his game.'' DiPietro, whose superb puckhandling seduced Islanders general manager Mike Milbury in the 2000 draft, got an assist on Dave Scatchard's goal to give New York a 1-0 lead Sunday. DiPietro's dumpout was redirected into the neutral zone by Bill Muckalt. Scatchard skated to a partial breakaway, and beat Luongo with a backhander. ``We were a little passive early in the first, but I don't think they had much either,'' Sutter said. ``They were outworking us down low, and it left us on our heels.'' Several Panthers, including Bure (one shot in the first period), looked disinterested early. Not so in the second. Bure flew up into a three-on-two, took Mike Sillinger's drop pass, and launched a wrister that DiPietro dropped into the net. The next shift, DiPietro made a stop on 6-6 left wing Peter Worrell, then massaged Worrell's face. That sparked 6-9 Isles defenseman Zdeno Chara to join in, and he and Worrell grabbed jerseys. On the four-on-four, Sillinger found Bure with a breakaway pass. Bure pulled away from Isles defenseman Eric Cairns, then suckered DiPietro with a backhand look before going forehand for his second goal and a 2-1 Panthers lead. Kozlov fired a wrist shot between DiPietro's pads to extend Florida's lead to 3-1 in the third.
NHL Cool Shots programming This week, NHL Cool Shots will showcase several Florida Panthers players in their "natural habitat"... Highlights of the show include Rob Niedermayer and Serge Payer at Miami Seaquarium and Pavel Bure on life in Miami (and goal scoring).
Also this week: "On the Fly": Panthers Prospect Serge Payer sits down with Dan to talk about his recovery form a life-threatening nerve illness and how he overcame numerous other obstacles to make it to the NHL. "Cool Cuts": The best of the Panthers and the song "Little Scene" by the band "Isle of Q". And we hitch along for the ride with the "POWERaDE Day in the Life" sweepstakes winners. (A pair of lucky fans get to spend the day at practice with Florida Panthers.)
Scheduled air times:
Bure and Luongo put on a show UNIONDALE, N.Y. - If there is reason to watch the Panthers in these grim days, it’s that Pavel Bure and Roberto Luongo have been hot for more than two months. So maybe it’s fitting that in the last game before Tuesday’s trade deadline, the two Panthers considered untouchable teamed to knock off the New York Islanders 4-1 during a Sunday matinee at Nassau Coliseum. Bure inched closer to his fifth 50-goal season with his third hat trick in 14 games. Luongo, starting his first game at Nassau Coliseum since the Islanders traded him south last summer, stopped 28 shots. Thus the Panthers ended a season-worst nine-game winless streak. Supplying extra motivation was the Panthers’ 5-4 loss in the same building two weeks before, when former Islanders winger Duane Sutter coached his first game against his old team. “This was a big game for Duane,” Bure said. “He played here for so many years, won four rings. We wanted to win it for him.” The hat trick came with 57 seconds left when he baited Mariusz Czerkawski into a turnover and then drilled a shot into the center of an empty net from 115 feet. “It was an empty net, plus we were short-(handed),” Bure said. “I knew if I missed, it wouldn’t be icing.” Two of Bure’s goals were on assists from Mike Sillinger, who has five assists in two visits to Nassau Coliseum and assisted on three goals during Bure’s hat trick on Long Island last season. “Pavs and I are a good team here,” said Sillinger, with Bure standing a few feet away giving a thumbs-up. The Panthers, victims of the Islanders three times this season, seemed to be heading to a fourth loss in the first period; they looked like they had spent the morning lounging about Jones Beach. They appeared disinterested, showing no chemistry and an inability to make two straight passes. But despite being outshot 13-5, the Panthers stayed in the game as Luongo held his ex-mates to a 1-0 lead, on Dave Scatchard’s breakaway goal. “We’ve had that problem a few times recently, where we come out slow,” Luongo said. “But fortunately they only took a one-goal lead.” Although 19-year-old goalie Rick DiPietro, who had given up 18 goals in his previous four games, looked shaky, the Panthers failed to drive the net the first half of the game and missed on several tantalizing rebounds. Bret Hedican, Robert Svehla, Marcus Nilson and Sillinger hit posts as well, so the Panthers were in desperate need of a break. They got it on Bure’s first goal. Sillinger raced down the right wing and centered a pass. Bure, who stepped in front of Mike Wilson, shot and saw the puck squeeze through for the tying goal at 9:06 of the second period. “We worked really hard for that goal,” Bure said. “We just needed a break.” Sutter said, “Through this nine-game stretch, there have been times we haven’t been good. But there have been times when we’ve been very good and haven’t had any breaks.” A little more than two minutes later, in the second of three 4-on-4 situations in the period, Sillinger made a phenomenal pass to Bure, who split the defenders for a breakaway. He got DiPietro to fall and buried the puck behind him for his seventh winner. Luongo, who said he was too tight against his old team at home earlier, stood tall to keep the Isles at bay during some tense moments and lift the Panthers to their first win since Feb. 19. “You can tell Roberto’s on top of his game when he’s smothering those rebounds,” Sutter said. Luongo admitted he was a lot more relaxed than his previous home meeting against the Isles. “I felt it was just any other game,” Luongo said.
“Sure, there was a little different emotion, but the win wasn’t any more special than any other win. My time here is in the past. It’s over.”
Post-Game Summary versus NY Islanders The much-anticipated dual of Luongo and DiPietro was finally played out on Long Island today and the Florida Panthers walked away the winner by a final score of 4-1... The Cats had some chances early in the first period but spotted the Isles a 1-0 lead at 14:27. The play began in the New York end after Mike Wilson got caught pinching in deep. The puck came out to the blueline where Dave Scatchard began his breakout - eventually beating Roberto Luongo stick side. Roberto rebounded nicely and was solid through the remainder of the period stopping 12 of 13 shots directed at him. The Panthers came back in the second with goals on consecutive shots, two and a half minutes apart - both by "Number 10"... The first came at 9:06 and was a beautiful all-around effort from Bure going coast-to-coast. After he had provided some defensive support in Florida's left corner, Mike Sillinger found him, with a drop pass, racing up to join the play. Pavel's shot came from the high slot and somehow sneaked by DiPietro who made the initial save. The second goal was a result of a breakaway and Bure played DiPietro perfectly. After coming in on the right side, Bure went across the top of the crease and threw the puck around the netminder on the left side. Again in the third, the Panthers controlled the tempo, getting the best of the Islanders at both ends of the ice... The Cats recorded two goals in the final period and had another couple chances on shorthanded odd-man rushes. Florida's top line combined on a text book play at 8:46 recording goal number three of the afternoon. Pavel Bure put a forward pass on the stick of Marcus Nilson who then found Viktor Kozlov rushing cross-ice. Viktor beat Rick DiPietro five-hole from between the circles. Pavel Bure sealed the victory and recorded his third hat trick of the season with a shorthanded empty-net goal at 19:03. With Denis Shvidki in the box, the Isles pulled their goaltender to give themselves a 6-on-4 advantage but could not hold off Bure who was intent on getting one more today... At the end of the game, Roberto Luongo had saved 28 of 29 shots and held New York to 0/5 on the power play. The three stars of the game were: Robert Svehla (3rd star), Mike Sillinger (2nd star) and Pavel Bure (1st star). The Panthers will head back home tonight and get a few days rest before taking on the Edmonton Oilers Wednesday night at NCRC.
Florida 4, NY Islanders 1 UNIONDALE, NEW YORK -- In a game billed as a battle of New York Islanders' goaltenders past and present, Pavel Bure stole the show. Bure recorded his third hat trick of the season and added an assist, giving plenty of support to Roberto Luongo in a 4-1 victory that officially eliminated the Islanders from the playoff race. Luongo held off a strong start by the Islanders and made 28 saves to win his duel with New York counterpart Rick DiPietro. Last June, the Islanders made the 19-year-old DiPietro the first goaltender selected with the top overall pick in the NHL draft. Minutes after the selection, the Islanders traded Luongo to Florida. "He's a pretty composed kid," Panthers coach Duane Sutter said of Luongo. "He handles himself pretty well. If he was nervous, he didn't show me anything before the game." In his first start against his former team, Luongo made the Islanders realize what they were missing. "I wanted to get a win, that was the main thing," he said. "I only played three or four months here, but I was in the organization for three years. It was tough when the move was made, but it's part of the business." New York had a 13-5 edge in shots in the first period with Dave Scatchard scoring the lone goal. But Luongo kept the Islanders in check the rest of the way and Bure took over, scoring twice in a 2:36 span midway through the second period. The All-Star right wing assisted on a goal by Viktor Kozlov midway through the final period and added an empty-netter after taking the puck from New York's Mariusz Czerkawski. "Pavel is always going to score his goals," said Mike Sillinger, who assisted on Bure's first two. "He's a game-breaker. When you have a player of that caliber, anytime you can put him on the ice you have to put him out there. He always rises to the challenge." The goal secured another long summer for the Islanders, a once-proud franchise that will miss the playoffs for the seventh straight season. New York has lost seven of its last eight games. Bure leads the league with 48 goals and shares the lead in hat tricks with Jaromir Jagr and Alexei Kovalev of Pittsburgh and Peter Bondra of Washington. It was his 18th career hat trick. DiPietro made a respectable 24 saves and added his second assist of the season. He cleared the puck up the boards and it ended up on the stick of Scatchard, who skated in alone and beat Luongo with a backhander. DiPietro claimed he did not feel any added pressure facing Luongo. "I was feeling the pressure to go out there and have a good game and get back on track," DiPietro said. Bure tied it in the second period with a wrist shot from the high slot to complete a 3-on-2 break. He put the Panthers ahead later in the period by taking a pass from Sillinger, splitting two defenders and beating DiPietro. Kozlov made it 3-1 when he took a centering pass from Marcus Nilson and easily beat DiPietro at 8:46 of the third. The Islanders appeared preoccupied with Bure, who made the pass to Nilson while Kozlov was left unchecked.
Pavel's three goals and one assist on 8 shots on goal netted him a plus three rating for the game.
Post-Game Summary versus Columbus Despite having the lead three separate times tonight, the Panthers dropped this one in overtime to the Columbus Blue Jackets. The final score was a coach's nightmare of 7-6... After giving up two shots in the first shift of the game, the Cats came back strong scoring a goal on each of their first two shots... Joey Tetarenko notched his first NHL goal on a pretty two-on-one chance with Olli Jokinen. Jokinen carried in and passed cross-ice under a defender's stick to find Joey who roofed it on the glove side. Marcus Nilson also went high on the glove side two minutes later after Viktor Kozlov dropped a pass back to him in the high slot. The Blue Jackets drew within one at 7:52 when Geoff Sanderson hit from the point off a face-off win that came back to Deron Quint at the opposite point. Quint passed cross-ice and Geoff took advantage of traffic in front of the net to beat Kidd. The second period saw the teams combine for six goals, with the first coming from Columbus... Deron Quint buried his shot from between the face-off circles with the teams playing four-on-four hockey. Marcus Nilson got his second of the night from the left side of the net at 7:32 after Viktor Kozlov's spin-around shot rang off a skate right to his stick. Florida came again at 13:37 when Lance Pitlick scored his first goal of the season from the point. A minute and a half later, Columbus recorded their third goal as David Vyborny carried into the zone and pump-faked inside the left circle. Kidd committed to the shot but Vyborny carried further in and put it behind Kidd from the side of the net. Deron Quint scored his second of the night at 15:53 after driving into the right circle to pick up a loose puck. Quint registered his first NHL hat trick at 18:40 of the period from the point after a face-off win sent the puck right to him. Another three goals were put on the board in the third period with the first coming at 6:46 by the red-hot Joey Tetarenko. Denis Shvidki and Len Barrie tallied the assists. Viktor Kozlov was credited with the next Florida goal but it was actually Jamie Heward who put it in the net. Viktor simply threw the puck to the front of the net looking for Pavel Bure who was tied up with another player and never got there... Before the PA announcer was even done announcing Viktor's goal, the Blue Jackets had drawn even again. Bruce Gardiner drove to the net and not only got a shot away, but he was able to bang in his own rebound. Trevor Kidd made a couple late saves in the third (on Vyborny and Heinze) to preserve the tie and send the teams to overtime... Just 43 seconds into the OT stanza, with the Panthers on the power play, Mike Wilson misread a play back to the point sending Robert Kron in on Trevor Kidd all alone. His shot beat Kidd and this wild one was over... The three stars of the game were: Joey Tetarenko (3rd star), Deron Quint (2nd star) and Robert Kron (1st star). The Panthers will board a plane tomorrow for New York where they will play a Sunday matinee against the Islanders. Game time is 1:00 pm. ******* Coach's Comments:
On the game overall:
On Mike Wilson stepping up on the game-winning goal:
On when he knew this was no normal NHL game:
On Trevor Kidd's play:
On Kidd getting beat high on the glove side:
Columbus 7, Florida 6 (OT) SUNRISE, FLORIDA -- Robert Kron scored a shorthanded goal 43 seconds into overtime as the Columbus Blue Jackets came from behind three times to defeat the Florida Panthers, 7-6. Blue Jackets defenseman Deron Quint tallied a career-high four points, recording his first NHL hat trick and adding an assist, as Columbus won for the fourth time in five games in a battle of teams playing out the string. Florida rookie Joey Tetarenko netted his first two NHL goals, but he could not stop the Panthers winless slide from extending to nine games. "It's especially disappointing for Joey to score the first goal of his career and we can't win -- it's brutal," said Panthers right wing Marcus Nilson, who also scored twice. Bruce Gardiner knotted the game at 6-6 for Columbus with 5:14 left in regulation, just 44 seconds after Viktor Kozlov had edged the Panthers back into the lead. But just eight seconds before the end of the third period, Gardiner was whistled for an interfence penalty. "It's very unusual to have a call so late in the game," Blue Jackets coach Dave King said. "It doesn't put you 5-on-4. It puts you 4-on-3 and we were really worried about that because you've got (Pavel) Bure out there, Kozlov out there, these great players." "We were a little worried that they had a power play and No. 10 (Bure) was out there," said Quint, who was one of Columbus' three penalty-killers. "We got a lucky bounce and Kronner went down the ice and scored and we're just happy to get the win." Kron took the first and only shot of overtime on a breakaway and ended up with his first game-winning goal of the season. "(The puck) wouldn't settle down," Kron said. "I knew they would be chasing at the end. I just tried to keep my feet moving. At the end, I was going to deke it, but I knew they were chasing hard and just shot it." Bure, who leads the league with 45 goals, did not find the net during Florida's largest offensive output on home ice this season. The right wing was held to just one shot and one assist as Blue Jackets center Tyler Wright shadowed the "Russian Rocket" while collecting a pair of assists of his own. After Florida took a 2-0 lead 5:20 into the contest. Tetarenko beat Ron Tugnutt high to the glove side on a 2-on-1 and Nilson went top shelf with a slap shot from the left point. Geoff Sanderson netted his 30th goal on a one-timer after Espen Knutsen won a faceoff as the Blue Jackets cut the deficit to 2-1 at the first intermission. Quint scored his first of the night on a 4-on-4 as the Blue Jackets tied the game 6:25 into the second period. "I think we've been working hard all year and we worked our butts off," Quint said. "When we're down we still have to work hard because it's a long game and we need to play 60 minutes." Nilson collected his second goal of the game and Lance Pitlick added another as Florida regained a two-goal lead. In the final 4:41 of the second period, rookie David Vyborny netted his 10th goal and Quint scored twice to complete his hat trick and give the Blue Jackets at 5-4 lead at the second intermission. "It's been a long five years for me and to get this out of the way is a great accomplishment," Quint said of his three-goal performance. Tetarenko's wrister and Kozlov's deflected shot put Florida back in front, 6-5, with just 5:48 remaining, but the Panthers could not maintain their advantage. "When you blow two two-goal leads, you don't deserve to win," Panthers coach Duane Sutter said. "We were up 4-2. That should have been the game."
Pavel took two separate penalties in the second period (hooking and tripping). Neither of which was scored on by the opposition. he was even on the plus minus column for the game.
Anna Kournikova set to marry? Anna Kournikova is reportedly engaged to her boyfriend Sergi Federov. According to PeopleNews.com, the 19-year-old was spotted wearing a spectacular and expensive-looking diamond ring. She said it was a present from the ice hockey player. Although the rumours have not been confirmed, neither of the pair's families have come forward to deny them. In the past Anna's been romantically linked with Brazilian footballer Ronaldo and another ice hockey player, Pavel Bure. The tennis star is currently ranked number eight in the world, and earned £10 million last year, mostly from modelling and advertising.
Bure and Kournikova are not neighbors in heart! Anna Kournikova is urgently selling her magnificent apartment in Miami. The 19 year old tennis player is in this way, trying to avoid the constant unplanned encounters with her previous friend, (soon to be) 30 year old, Pavel Bure.
One is reminded that Anna purchased the apartment for $us3,000,000 at a time of a romantic intrigue with Pavel. However, after the (romantic) break-up with Pavel, and the renewed relationship with a different 'star', 31-year old Sergei Fedorov, and unexpected rift with her ex-beloved so fatigued Anna, that she has personaly taken charge in finding buyers for the apartment.
Post-Game Summary versus San Jose The Panthers rallied back from a third period deficit but had to settle for a 3-3 tie with the San Jose Sharks tonight on home ice... The fireworks between these teams began in the early minutes of the game when the Panthers scored the opening goal... It came at 2:11 while the Cats were shorthanded and started off a turnover in the San Jose end. Len Barrie stripped Scott Hannan of the puck and somehow got it past Evgeni Nabokov while being hauled down from behind by Brad Stuart. On the same power play, the Sharks tied the score when Scott Thornton connected from the edge of the left circle off a feed by Mike Ricci from behind the net. Niklas Sundstrom came close in the final seconds of the period but Roberto Luongo was able to cover up with some help by Bret Hedican... The second period began quietly but certainly didn't end that way... Roberto Luongo was the busier of the netminders and made a couple huge saves on Nolan and Sturm shorthanded. The Sharks netted the go-ahead goal at 17:27 off the stick of Scott Thornton on the power play (sound familiar?). Thornton was camped at the right side of the net and the rebound of Brad Stuart's shot came right to him. Things fell apart in the final minutes of the period when Len Barrie came close to converting on another shorthanded break. Shortly after that, Rocky Thompson was whistled for boarding on Alexander Korolyuk. The call provoked quite an outburst from the Panthers bench as Korolyuk was facing the play (not the boards) and should have had his head up. Thompson received a five-minute major and a game misconduct for the hit. Seconds later, Brad Stuart blatantly cross-checked Len Barrie to the head in open ice and received a two-minute minor call. In the third, with everyone watchful for retribution, credit must be given to the Panthers for keeping cool heads... Early in the period, Roberto Luongo got a little help from his friends as Todd Simpson and Vinny Prospal collapsed behind him to keep the puck out of the net after he had been beaten on a shot. The Cats drew even at two on the power play at 14:22 as Pavel Bure had a wide-open net to shoot at. The play began with Dan Boyle at the point. Dan faked a shot on goal and actually sent a pass to the stick of Bure. Nabokov expected the shot (from Boyle) and could not get across in time to make the save on Bure. Florida looked like they had the game winner at 17:36 when Robert Svehla charged in to poke home the rebound from Joey Tetarenko's backhander but the Sharks were not done yet. At 18:34 Scott Thornton recorded his first NHL hat trick after Roberto Luongo bobbled the puck and deflected it into his own net. For the second straight game, the Cats headed to overtime and went play-for-play with the Sharks for the full five-minutes. The Panthers threw five shots on Nabokov in the extra stanza but couldn't put the game away... With the final seconds ticking off, Marco Sturm broke into the Florida zone with the Cats on a line change. Bret Hedican was able to get cross-ice and poke the puck off the stick of Sturm, alertly ending the play. At the end of sixty-five minutes, the score remained 3-3... The three stars of the game were: Len Barrie (3rd star), Robert Svehla (2nd star) and Scott Thornton (1st star). Next up for the Cats, a Friday night face-off with the Columbus Blue Jackets (7:30 pm)... ******* Coach's Comments:
On the game and the winning goal by Scott Thornton:
On tonight's officiating, the major to Rocky Thompson and the high stick to Brad Stuart:
On what was said after the second period:
On the Panthers' defensemen jumping into the play:
On Joey Tetarenko's play:
On Dan Boyle's pass to Bure for the power-play goal:
San Jose 3, Florida 3 (OT) SUNRISE, FLORIDA -- Scott Thornton's first career hat trick could not have come at a better time for the struggling San Jose Sharks. Thornton scored his third goal of the game with 86 seconds left in the third period as the Sharks rallied for a 3-3 tie with the Florida Panthers. With seven career multi-goal games, including two this season, Thornton finally got his elusive third goal off a great individual effort. "I've never had one before except in the World Championships in Norway," Thornton said. He took a pass just above the Florida blue line and skated into the slot before unleashing a quick shot that beat goaltender Roberto Luongo under the right arm for his 17th goal, tying it at 3-3. "I think it kind of knuckleballed on him. I don't know how it went in, but I'll take it," added Thornton. Despite Thornton's heroics, the Sharks completed an 0-4-1-1 road trip and trail first-place Dallas by two points in the Pacific Division. "We played pretty well the last three games," Sharks coach Darryl Sutter said. "Our goal is still the same -- to keep the pressure on Dallas. We didn't expect this trip to be this tough. You try to get half of them on the road, and we came up four short." Pavel Bure scored his league-leading 45th goal and Len Barrie had a goal and two assists for the Panthers, who are winless in their last eight games (0-5-2-1). The game featured a pair of brothers behind the benches with Sutter facing younger sibling Duane for Florida. It was the second time they faced each other. Trailing 2-1 entering the third period, the Panthers converted at 14:22 to get even. Dan Boyle skated to the bottom of the right faceoff circle and faked a shot that drew rookie goalie Evgeni Nabokov out of position. He threaded a pass to the doorstep to Bure, who lifted the puck over the fallen netminder. It was Bure's 16th power-play goal, three shy of Scott Mellanby's 1993-94 club record. The goal also was a rare one against the Sharks, who entered as the NHL's best penalty-killing team on the road. They had been unscored upon in their last 25 times shorthanded. Defenseman Robert Svehla put the Panthers ahead with 2:24 remaining, beating Nabokov from the low slot for his fifth goal of the season and first since December 27. The Panthers carried the play in overtime, outshooting the Sharks, 5-2. Florida held a 37-34 advantage overall. Barrie got the Panthers off to a good start 2:11 into the contest. After stealing the puck in the neutral zone from Scott Hannan, he skated in on a partial breakaway and fought off a check from Brad Stuart before beating Nabokov for his fourth goal. "My ice time has been increasing. Now I'm hoping to open up some eyes," Barrie said. Still on the power play, the Sharks pulled even 68 seconds later on Thornton's first of the night. Mike Ricci made a nice pass from behind the net to Thornton, who scored from just to the left of the crease. Thornton gave the Sharks the lead with 2:33 left in the second, scoring off a rebound after Luongo stopped Stuart's weak backhander. Moments later, the game turned ugly when Panthers right wing Rocky Thompson was whistled for a boarding major and a game misconduct for ramming Alexander Korolyuk from behind. "I was skating into the play and by the time I hit him I was going full speed, but I didn't charge him," Thompson said. "That's the way I'm trained to play. I'm going to play the same way and hit guys." Stuart retaliated with 42 seconds left in the period, delivering a cross-check to the side of Barrie's head. Stuart got only a minor penalty, something that infuriated the Florida bench. "I'm pretty sore. I got numbness in my neck," Barrie said. "I want to see how the league handles this."
Pavel was credited with 8 shots on goal, and was a minus one for the game for the power play goal.
In defense of Pavel Bure
 The March 5th issue has the above cover story of Pavel Bure. An excerpt is printed below..
It was cutting it a lot closer than anybody in the contest was checking, so, after the second period, Bure slipped away. The Russian Rocket's groin was a little tender and the Panthers are paying him $47.5 million over five years in legal tender, so he was excused by World coach Jacques Martin and not fined or reprimanded by the NHL.
Ironman The Panthers believe Pavel Bure’s 36:17 of ice time Saturday in Atlanta was a record among NHL forwards since the league started keeping track of ice time three years ago. But there’s a discrepancy. The league recorded former Chicago forward Doug Gilmour as playing 44:49 of 65 minutes Feb. 3, 2000, in a 5-5 tie with Calgary. The Panthers find that hard to believe, especially since Gilmour, at the time 36, was on the ice for just two of the 10 goals. The next highest ice time in that game was defenseman Bryan McCabe, who played 27 minutes. Bure’s ice time Saturday was a franchise record, the fourth highest in the NHL this season and first among forwards.
The 84 shots combined by Atlanta and the Panthers Saturday were an NHL season high. Bure had 13 of them.
Panthers salute backers SUNRISE - In a season filled with disappointment, the Panthers did their best on Sunday to try to make season-ticket holders happy. The franchise held Season Ticket Holder Appreciation Day at the National Car Center, complete with autograph sessions, public skating and question-and-answer sessions. “It’s been a frustrating season for the players and the fans,” forward Len Barrie said. “We’ve never been able to get going and be healthy. “This is definitely an important day to give back to the fans. They’ve been coming to the games and have been supporting us. It’s a good time to give them more.” And many of the fans seemed pleased with Sunday’s events. “Despite the downfalls of the season, today shows that players have consideration for the fans,” Michael Slotnick, 18, of Coral Springs said. “It’s uplifting to know that they care about us.” To Anita Long of Tamarac, “Today means a lot. It’s been a bad season for the Panthers, and today showed me that they still care about us.” “It was fun going around and getting autographs from all the different players,” said 10 year-old Eric Gayer. And looking at the season they’ve had, the Panthers were pleased to give season-long fans something extra. “It means a lot to meet the fans in person,” Pavel Bure said. “In hard times this year, people were with us. That’s why I think it’s so important to have a day like this to give back to the fans” And Mike Sillinger said: “Anytime you have a season like this one, it is a good idea to give something back to the fans. We haven’t played up to the expectations, and to show our appreciation to our fans is no big deal.” But some season-ticket holders are undecided whether they will renew. “Obviously season tickets are a big expense,” Jack Heda of Weston said. “My family and I have club seats, and between the five of us, that’s a lot of money. But having this day in appreciation of us, the season-ticket holders, kind of softens the financial blow. “We most likely will renew our season tickets next year. We are devoted to hockey as long as the Panthers make moves and changes.” Kevin Kuczynski, 15, of Royal Palm said, “Today’s been kind of good. We get to meet some of the players, but the lines are real long. It takes me forever to get autographs. “I probably won’t get season tickets again next year. The games have been very boring this season and the Panthers haven’t been playing well.”
Post-Game Summary versus Atlanta It was a hard-fought effort by both teams tonight and it almost seemed fair that it ended in a 1-1 tie at the end of sixty-five minutes played. It was Atlanta who would open scoring again tonight and it didn't take them long... At 3:07 of the first period, Jiri Slegr connected from the edge of the crease with three or four players converging on Roberto Luongo. Roberto had gone down and the puck slid through, moving slowly toward the goal line. It crossed the plane before he could react but Ray Ferraro was there in case a tap-in was needed. The Panthers were slow to gain momentum in the game but had a few chances early that Maracle snuffed out. With eleven seconds remaining in the period, Viktor Kozlov recorded the tying goal on the power play. Len Barrie started the play, feeding Pavel Bure at the side of the net. Pavel didn't have a shooting lane so he feathered a pass over to Kozlov. The Panthers spent eight of the first twelve minutes of the game on the penalty kill so they were lucky to leave the period with a 1-1 tie. In the second, the teams would play scoreless hockey until 13:46 when the Cats got the go-ahead goal from Marcus Nilson. Earlier in the period though, it was a goaltenders' dual with both Luongo and Maracle making breathtaking saves when called upon. At one point, Luongo faced consecutive action for about a minute straight before getting the puck underneath him to stop the play. Maracle robbed Pavel Bure twice on breakaway opportunities when he tried to go five-hole... The Panthers' goal was a beauty as Nilson and Prospal carried in on a two-on-one. Prospal put a shot on net but the rebound came right out to the stick of Marcus on the left side. He had plenty of net to shoot at and buried the puck. Minutes later, Marcus had the exact play repeat itself, only this time it was with Kozlov. This time, his shot went wide left... The Cats finished the period with 19 shots on goal... Atlanta carried the play for much of the third period, storming back with 12 shots in the final twenty minutes... At 6:01 they drew even again with their second goal of the night - this one from Stephen Guolla. Donald Audette created the play by cycling behind the net and putting a shot on goal from the right side. Luongo made the save but Guolla was waiting at the top of the crease and reached backward to tap the puck by Roberto. Norm Maracle got a little help from the irons when Pavel Bure raced in on a breakaway but rang his shot off the left post. Olli Jokinen and Serge Payer had a nice opportunity shorthanded but Maracle was there to make the play... To overtime we went and it was all about goaltending through the five-minute stanza... Bure had two chances - one on a breakaway and the other on a one-on-one - but the Atlanta netminder had him covered both times. Roberto Luongo faced the majority of the shots (10 in all) and stood tall throughout... When all was said and done, the shot clock read 43-41 in favor of the Cats. The three stars of tonight's game were: Viktor Kozlov (3rd star), Jiri Slegr (2nd star) and Norm Maracle (1st star).
The Panthers will head back home tonight to prepare for the San Jose Sharks on Wednesday... Game time
will be 7:30 pm.
Atlanta 2, Florida 2 ATLANTA -- Roberto Luongo made 10 of his 39 saves in overtime as the Florida Panthers settled for a 2-2 tie with the Atlanta Thrashers in the finale of a home-and-home series. Norm Maracle stopped 41 shots for Atlanta, which rallied from a third-period deficit after ending a six-game winless streak on Friday with a 4-3 victory at Florida. Pavel Bure, who leads the NHL with 44 goals, was denied by Maracle 13 times, including a breakaway 84 seconds into the extra session. The Thrashers goalie batted away the puck as Bure tried to beat him high to the stick side. "It was just lucky tonight," Maracle said. "(Bure's) a great hockey player. He was getting frustrated at the end. I just wanted to try to stay on my game and stand my ground when he's coming down because I know he likes to fake and deke and fake a quick shot." Stephen Guolla put home a rebound off Donald Audette's wraparound attempt 6:01 into the third period as the Thrashers took the season series, 3-1-1. Luongo's superb overtime performance ended a personal four-game losing streak. But the 21-year-old still has not picked up a win since shutting out St. Louis on February 19. "You never expect 10 shots in five minutes," Luongo said. "Most of the shots were from outside. We didn't give up any breakaways or anything like that. We played better defensively." Jiri Slegr scored Atlanta's first power-play goal in five games just 3:07 into the opening period. But goals by Viktor Kozlov and Marcus Nilson enabled Florida to take a 2-1 lead into the second intermission. Donald Audette's assist on Guolla's equalizer gave him 26 points in 21 games against the Panthers. Maracle, unbeaten in three starts (1-0-2) since being recalled from the International Hockey League, had 77 saves in the home-and-home series. "Obviously, an absolute superb demonstration of goaltending," Thrashers coach Curt Fraser said. "Certainly, it was a little wide-open for us. That is the kind of team that Florida has. They get you in those games." Florida broke a 1-1 tie during a 4-on-4 situation 13:46 into the second period. Vaclav Prospal took the puck from Audette at the Thrashers blue line to ignite a 2-on-1. Prospal's slapper bounced off Maracle and onto the stick of Nilson, who netted his ninth goal. "It should have been a clear-cut victory after two (periods) with all the chances we had," Panthers coach Duane Sutter said. "Even after they tied it at 2-2, we still had more chances. Their best five minutes was overtime." Maracle made 34 saves in the first two periods, including all 10 shots by Bure, who hit the goalpost with 87 seconds left in regulation to continue his frustrating evening. Maracle denied Bure on a breakaway 3:40 into the second. The NHL's leading scorer deked the goalie, who was down on the ice before Bure could get the puck between the pads. "I don't really care who I play against," Bure said. "It's tough to score goals sometimes. I had four breakaways and he stopped them all. I have to give him credit for that." Bure again got behind the defense with two minutes left in the second period. After switching from his backhand, the All-Star right wing's shot found the shaft of Maracle's stick along the ice. "I just tried to stand up and play the angle because I've been watching him a lot the last couple of years here, and I just got lucky tonight," Maracle said. Just over a minute later, Luongo was forced to make a series of saves. But he needed help from teammate Olli Jokinen to clear a puck from the crease. The Thrashers had four power plays in the opening 12:51 but converted only the first. That allowed Florida to knot the game at 1-1 with 11 seconds left in the first period as Kozlov stuffed in his 12th goal. Slegr squeezed his eighth goal under Luongo just over three minutes into the game off Ray Ferraro's feed from behind the net. Ferraro hit the post during Atlanta's second power play and teammate Hnat Domenichelli failed to take advantage of an open net midway through the first period.
Pavel ended up to be zero in the plus minus column for his one assist of the game.
Ask Mike Russo!
Q: I know there is still bad blood between Pavel Bure and Sergei Fedorov over Anna Kournikova, but were you shocked when Bure didn't even congratulate Fedorov after he scored at the All-Star game? Maurice Millar, New Brunswick, Canada
A:
Not really. Like you said, there was visible/obvious tension all weekend between the two. During the media availability on the Saturday of All-Star weekend, the league for some reason put their jerseys right next to each other. Bure came out and spoke for three minutes, then took off right before Fedorov came out. They didn't go near each other during the skills' competitions that night. And on the two goals Bure set up Fedorov with, Bure kind of did a quick brush-by during the celebrations. Talking to Pavel by cell after the game, I asked him about the perceived tension, and he denied there was any problem. Sergei got clearly agitated when asked about it after the game. There's clearly friction there, but you have to admit, Bure sent Fedorov in with two very nice passes.
Q:How can Pavel Bure not be named captain of the Panthers? He is one of the biggest names in hockey. Does he not want the honor? Tom Donovan, Claremont, NH
Cats seeking motivation Turn on Bravo's Inside the Actor's Studio, and you'll see an aspiring actor quizzing an established star about motivation. That subject matter is not limited to the arts. As the Panthers prepare for the last full month of the regular season, many players may be trying to pinpoint where their motivation lies. The one place some have probably stopped looking is the playoff race. Florida's hopes of making a late charge likely were dashed during a winless five-game road trip that ended with Wednesday's 4-2 loss to the New York Rangers. Entering tonight's games, Florida -- with 17 games remaining -- is 17 points behind Carolina and Boston for the final playoff spot in the Eastern Conference. The Panthers (17-32-8-8) are left with a string of must-win games, starting tonight against Southeast Division-rival Atlanta at National Car Rental Center. If nothing else, the Panthers have plenty of individual reasons to resist mailing it in. Some players are in the final years of contracts. Others hoping to stay in South Florida are eager to prove they are not part of the problem. From an individual standpoint, right wing Pavel Bure continues to lead the league in goals (43) in his pursuit of a second consecutive Richard Trophy. Whether Bure, on the cusp of his fifth 50-goal season, can hold off the rest of the league's prodigious goal-scorers will no doubt serve as a focal point for his teammates as well. ``If we can help him get there, it makes it that much more special for us because we contributed in that,'' defenseman John Jakopin said. ``We can say later on that, `Hey, I got to play with the great Pavel Bure.' I think he'd give up all those individual awards for a Stanley Cup. I'll speak on behalf of him for that one, but it's always a treat to see what he does out there. You learn so much from a guy like him.'' Said coach Duane Sutter: ``Pavel is having the year he is because the last 30 games he has been playing solid both ways. He's still getting his chances to score and preventing many chances against.'' Bure aside, individual motivation is in short supply. But that isn't stopping many players from staying positive. ``You have to play for pride and finish strong,'' left wing Len Barrie said. ``There have been a lot of positives the last few months. This road trip took us out of the race a little bit. It's disappointing when you're not playing for the playoffs, but you can still go out and work hard every night and try to make things respectable here.'' The challenge is doing so while maintaining a team concept. Now that the ultimate team goal seemingly is unreachable, all but the most unselfish players are vulnerable to assuming a self-serving approach. It's up to Sutter to guard against lapses in unity, but he doesn't believe players will diverge from team objectives. ``We showed in the five-game road trip that if you give up too much defensively, too many shots against, chances against, you can't win,'' Sutter said. ``Nobody wins. Team doesn't win, and individuals don't win. There shouldn't be any change in the approach to the game.'' Change is what some Panthers are bracing for. With the trade deadline looming March 13, Florida could opt to unload salaries, freeing money and opening up the roster to develop younger players. ``Changes are going to be made -- that's a reality,'' said defenseman Bret Hedican, among those rumored to have attracted interest from other teams. ``The guys that worry about it are maybe the guys that should have been worrying about it four months ago.
``As far as being moved, those are the things management has control over. All I can control is the way I play and the way I prepare myself to play every day.''
Post-Game Summary versus Atlanta The Panthers came close many times tonight but will have to wait until tomorrow to avenge a 4-3 loss to the Thrashers... The Cats gave up an early goal tonight to give Atlanta a 1-0 lead at 4:02 of the first period. The shot originated from the right point when Steve Staios let go with traffic in front of Trevor Kidd. Ray Ferraro was among the bodies in front and he got his stick out to redirect the shot past Kidder. Pavel Bure was positively victimized by Norm Maracle when he ripped a shot toward an open net. Maracle managed to dive across the goal crease to get his glove on the puck to preserve the Atlanta lead. The Thrashers put goal number two on the board at 14:03 when Ladislav Kohn drove into the slot all alone to grab Andreas Karlsson's feed from behind the net. Norm Maracle finished out the period with back-to-back saves on Bure and Kozlov sending the teams to the locker room with a 2-0 score... Period number two was kinder to the Cats and at 1:50 they connected on the power play to draw within one. Pavel Bure threw the puck on net on his backhand and then kept driving to grab his own rebound going top-shelf on Maracle. Florida came close to another power play tally late in the period but the Atlanta netminder was simply sensational robbing Vinny Prospal. Greg Adams left the game with just under two minutes remaining in the period after a collision along the boards resulted in him taking his own stick in the ribs. The word out of the dressing room tonight is a chest bruise... Serge Payer and the Panthers drew even at 2:27 of the third period on a great effort to keep the puck in play. Olli Jokinen got the well-deserved assist for fighting in deep to get the puck across to Payer. Serge had Ray Ferraro all over him but was able to slap the puck by Maracle. Atlanta netted the go-ahead goal at 10:32 after Trevor Kidd lost sight of the puck in the crease. Donald Audette was given credit for the goal as both he and Brunette swung at the loose puck. Just two minutes later, the Thrashers came back with the eventual game-winner when Tomi Kallio was left with a wide-open net to shoot at. Per Svartvadet carried into the zone and drew Kidd to the left side. His cross-ice pass was perfect and Kidd had no chance to regain position for Kallio's shot. The Panthers came on strong in the final minutes of play and got back within one at 19:04 with Kidd on the bench for a sixth attacker. Bret Hedican put the puck on net from the point and Maracle kicked a huge rebound right to Len Barrie waiting just left of the net. Lennie's shot was right on target... Tonight's three stars as selected by David J. Neal were: Mike Sillinger (3rd star), Ray Ferraro (2nd star) and Donald Audette (1st star). Game time tomorrow night is 7:00 pm - pre-game shows began at 6:30... ****** Coach's Comments:
On the game overall:
On the Atlanta goals:
On Thrashers goalie Norm Maracle:
On the Panthers' motivation:
On the condition of Greg Adams, who left the game in the second period:
On the absence of Rob Niedermayer in the Panthers' losing streak:
Atlanta 4, Florida 3 SUNRISE, FLORIDA -- Donald Audette broke a third-period tie with his 30th goal and continued his mastery of the Florida Panthers as the Atlanta Thrashers ended a six-game winless streak with a 4-3 victory. Norm Maracle stopped 36 shots and remains undefeated in two games since being called up from the International Hockey League. "Once I got sent down, I wanted to come back with the right attitude," Maracle said. "Now I'm going out and relaxing and having fun so far." After Pavel Bure scored his 100th NHL power-play goal early in the second period, Panthers rookie Serge Payer tied it 2:27 into the third with his fifth of the season. But Audette's tally midway through the final period was followed less than two minutes later by rookie Tomi Kallio's ninth. That gave the Thrashers a 4-2 lead and helped send Florida to its sixth straight defeat. Ray Ferraro netted his 26th goal 4:02 into the contest to give Atlanta the early lead. Audette picked up an assist to give him 25 points on 16 goals and nine assists in his last 21 games against the Panthers. The victory moved the Thrashers into a tie for third place in the Southeast Division with the Panthers. "We wanted to catch Florida and Montreal and keep moving up the ladder," Atlanta coach Curt Fraser said. "Motivation has to come from within and whether it was five games on the road we lost or whatever, you still should be motivated," said Panthers coach Duane Sutter. Maracle stopped all nine shots in the first period as Atlanta jumped to a 2-0 lead. The Thrashers' goalie denied Bure twice during a 30-second span midway through the opening session. After Maracle sticked aside Bure's first shot, the NHL's leading goal-scorer was left alone in the slot. With the net seemingly open, Maracle snatched the puck out of the air with his glove. "That was a one-in-a-million chance," Maracle admitted. "It was a lucky one. I just dove over and it went in my glove." "When you get saves like that, it lifts everyone up on the bench," Fraser added. Less than five minutes later, the Thrashers scored their second goal. Ladislav Kohn flipped in his fifth of the season from the top of the crease off Andreas Karlsson's pass from behind the net. Florida bounced back and outshot Atlanta, 14-4, in the second. Bure's 44th goal came 1:50 into the period, putting in his sixth goal against the Thrashers on a rebound of his own backhander. The All-Star right wing has scored seven of Florida's last 11 power-play goals. Bure's 15th power-play tally of the season also ended Atlanta's streak of 13 consecutive penalty kills, which tied a team record. With 56 seconds remaining in the third period, Len Barrie scored his third goal of the season and second in as many games to cut the deficit to 4-3. "We had the game," said Barrie, whose team had a 39-23 edge in shots. "We were all over them. It's frustrating. We keep finding way to lose and we have to stop."
Pavel was credited with 9 shots on goal,and one goal, assisting as well on the Barrie goal. He was a minus one for the game, taking a 2 minute hooking penalty in the third period (not scored on).
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Pavel Bure scores his 50th goal of the season, against Pittsburgh goalie Johan Hedberg. 