Peverley OT goal evens series for Moscow
St. Petersburg and Moscow tied in series, 2-2
Goalies Jaroslav Halak of Moscow and Pekka Rinne of St. Petersburg both put together perfect 60-minute games Monday in Game 4 of the Battle of Russia, but 8 minutes into overtime, one of them finally cracked. Not too long after Rinne and the Red Stars fought off the only powerplay situation in OT, Rich Peverley shot from a severe angle and snuck it between Rinne and the near post to end the game and even the series. Peverley, who had 23 goals and 66 points in the regular season, is now second on Spartak in playoff goals with 5. The faceoff specialist is also fourth on the team in shots on goal, but his plus-minus rating is second worse on the team at minus 3. He signed a long-term, $3.4 million contract with Moscow after spending the EURO League’s initial season as a Bern Bear. St. Petersburg will have to play without fourth-line Czech center Vladimir Sobotka the rest of the series. In overtime, Sobotka was slammed to the boards and injured by Moscow’s Benoit Pouliot. But Sobotka responded by punching Pouliot in the head, resulting in the only penalty of overtime. Trevor Lewis, who saw 76 games of fourth-line duty during the regular season for Petrograd, has been inserted into the lineup to replace Sobotka.
Edinburgh avoids sweep with 6-2 win
Copenhagen leads Edinburgh in series, 3-1
The Edinburgh Capitals stared playoff death in the face Monday morning and death went running away. After Derek Roy and Stephen Weiss gave Copenhagen a 2-0 lead late in the first period, it looked like a sweep might occur. But the Caps turned it up a level and blitzed Trident goalie Roberto Luongo for 6 goals from that point on. James Neal scored his 9th of the playoffs to make it 1-0 before the first intermission. Neal took 7 shots, blocked 3 shots and collected 2 assists en route to being named the first star of the game. He and linemate John Tavares should be reunited with winger Jamie Benn, who is coming off an injury, for Tuesday’s Game 5. Edinburgh tied the game in the second period on Brandon Dubinsky’s first goal of the playoffs and they charged ahead to stay when Daniel Winnick scored his 2nd of the playoffs. Edinburgh outshot Copenhagen 34-33 and Ilya Bryzgalov was steady in goal for the Scots.
Two-man-short goal by Laich sinks Athens, 5-4
Athens leads Munich in series, 2-1
The visiting team won for the third straight time in the series, thanks to a shorthanded, 3-on-5 goal by Brooks Laich. The goal came 40 seconds into a Marc-Andre Gragnani penalty, and with only 2:15 left in regulation as Athens was pushing for the go-ahead goal. It was the fourth straight minor penalty Munich was called for in the third period and Dion Phaneuf was already in the box when Gragnani joined him. Laich took a short pass from Dan Boyle and carried the puck all the way from his zone to goalie Cam Ward’s doorstep before stuffing it past him. It was Laich’s team-leading 6th shot on goal and his 3rd playoff goal. His Munich teammate Patrik Elias was undoubtedly the star of the game, however. The Czech forward, who was injured for much of the first round of the playoffs, scored three goals and assisted on a third-period Joe Thornton tally that put the Fox ahead for the first time in the game. Elias and his linemates were plus 2 for the game. Boyle and fellow defenseman Matt Gilroy played well for Munich, combining for 9 blocked shots and 6 hits. Jason Pominville, the Athens right winger who came into the game with no goals and 7 assists, scored twice for the Greeks, his second tying the game at 4-4.
Rask keeps Paris unbeaten in playoffs
Paris leads Geneva in series, 3-0
Les Paris Rouges Eiffels are on a roll. Or a croissant. They have now won all 7 of their playoff games this season and are a win away from entering the Southern Conference finals. On Sunday, they beat Geneva 4-1. Eleven-and-a-half minutes into the game, Paris took control with two goals in 28 seconds. Corey Perry scored his 6th in 7 playoff games after a nice individual effort by Evgeny Malkin to get him the puck, and teammate David Perron notched his 5th less than a half-minute later. Defenseman Ossi Vaananen scored his 2nd before the period ended and in the second, Josef Vasicek scored his 3rd to put the visiting Frenchmen up 4-0. Nick Foligno was able to get Geneva on the scoreboard late in the second, but Tuukka Rask was simply wonderful in goal for Paris, as evidenced by the fact Geneva outshot the winners 37-27 during the contest. The series could end tonight.
