Six of the eight EURO League playoff series are tied at 2-2 going into tonight’s Northern Conference battles. In the Southern Conference, Paris has swept Milan out with four straight wins. Here’s a look at where things stand today.
Paris wins series against Milan, 4-0
Antti Niemi looked too tired to keep the Paris Rouges Eiffels from storming through the first-round matchup. He gave up 6 goals on 25 shots Monday. Six different players scored for Paris and six had 2-point games. Milan tried to turn the tide with hitting (25 credited to Guerriero players) and a Deryk Engelland fight early in the game with Ryan Clowe, but the tactic did no good. Niemi allowed 23 goals in the 4 games, stopping pucks at an 83.7 rate, while his Paris counterpart Tuukka Rask had a 90.6 save percentage.
Dublin leads Edinburgh, 3-1 in series
Tim Thomas was a beast in goal for Dublin Sunday, turning away all but one of Edinburgh’s 45 shots and giving the Fighting Irish a chance to end the series tonight at home. After Evgeny Nabokov opened the series in goal for Dublin, Thomas has played in the last three games, winning two of them. On Sunday, he had help from the Michalek Brothers. Zbynek scored the first goal of the game, while brother Milan assisted on the third goal of the game and made it 4-0 in the second period with his fourth score of the playoffs. The Capitals took 8 penalties in the contest, resulting in two Dublin power play goals.
Copenhagen-Gothenburg series tied 2-2
The Tridents evened the series and regained home-ice advantage with a 5-2 win Sunday in Sweden. Dany Heatley and Boyd Gordon scored two goals apiece on Marty Brodeur and the Tridents led 5-0 deep into the third period. Carl Gunnarsson blocked 4 shots in 17 minutes in front of victorious goaltender Roberto Luongo.
St. Petersburg-Helsinki series tied at 2-2
Helsinki dominated the game but Pekka Rinne refused to give in and stole the win to even the series. Blake Wheeler scored his second of the playoffs on a power play with a little less than 7 minutes to go in the first period and that was the game’s only goal. Helsinki outshot St. Pete 31-15 in front of 19,851 frustrated Finn fans.
Moscow-Oslo series tied at 2-2
A short-handed goal by defenseman Kevin Dallman would up winning the game Sunday for Moscow and evening the series. It was the fourth consecutive win for the visiting team in the series which moves back to Moscow tonight. Moscow’s Andrew Ladd and Oslo’s P-A Parenteau were the only players to have more than one point on Sunday. Each had a goal and an assist. Both players were acquired in trades this season. Ladd, who has 4 points in the series, came over from Copenhagen with Dallman and Brandon Sutter in a trade that sent Alexander Ovechkin and Dave Bolland to the Tridents. Parenteau, who has 6 points in the playoffs, was traded from Prague for Thomas Vanek.
Munich-Bern series tied at 2-2
The line of Johan Franzen-Andy McDonald-Pascal Dupuis scored three goals to give the Bears their second consecutive 3-2 win after falling behind in the series 2-0. Bern deserved the win, outshooting the Fox 34-25 with Dupuis getting off 7 himself. Dennis Seidenberg contributed to the win with 4 hits and 3 blocked shots and Mike Smith played well in goal for Bern, stopping 23 shots. Munich’s Jonathan Quick stopped 31 but allowed 3. The series has a new twist in it. Patrik Elias of Munich said he feels good enough to come off the injury list for the next game, while Jason Spezza, Bern’s star center, sustained an injury and will miss Game 5 and perhaps more. He will join teammates Tobias Enstrom and Sami Pahlsson in the press box Tuesday.
Bratislava-Geneva series tied at 2-2
Four Generals players scored their second goals of the playoffs, while goalie Kari Lehtonen kept Bratislava at bay. Shots were even in the game at 27 apiece, and Geneva broke it open with a three-goal surge in the final period. Patrick Marleau scored 3 points for the winners, while Marian Gaborik and Vanek had 2 points for Geneva. Defenseman Christian Ehrhoff scored both Eagles goals. Vanek, who started the season with Oslo, spent two months in Prague before a trade that sent him and Mike Weaver to Geneva in exchange for Ryan Malone, Justin Williams and Jeff Woywitka. Mike Fisher, who starred in the playoffs last season for the champs, blocked a shot in the third period and might miss Tuesday’s Game 5.
Athens-Zurich series tied at 2-2
Zurich turned in an incredible third period to turn a 5-1 deficit and into a 6-5 overtime victory. The Lions outshot the Greeks 21-1 in the period, getting goals from Ilya Kovalchuk (2nd of the playoffs), Alexander Radulov (1st) and Patrick Sharp (1st). The momentum they got from that period seemed to carry over into overtime, where the Lions led 4-3 in shots before Patrick Kane’s wrist shot from directly in front of Athens goalie Cam Ward ended it with 7:59 showing on the clock. Ward made 47 saves in a losing effort. Michael Ryder of Athens was the offensive star of the game, scoring 3 goals and adding an assist.
