1985 CLARENCE CAMPBELL CONFERENCE SEMI-FINAL

Pittsburgh took the season series 4 games to 3 with 1 tie. All wins were by the home team and the 1 tie came at Madison Oval Garden. So just because the Rangers have the home-ice advantage they will have their work cut out for them. In those 8 games, the Spirit outscored the Rangers 40-32! The biggest difference for the teams – Pittsburg’s defense is stingier.

2nd period settles down and the game is scoreless as the period progresses. The Rangers however did have a couple of Power Plays when Ashton goes off for tripping at 3:54. Then just before his time is up, Kasper goes off for tripping and the Rangers have a 2 man advantage for 43 seconds! But Pittsburgh kills it off – and both penalties. With 7:54 gone, Ramsey is whistled and it will be the 3rd PP for the Rangers. HOWEVER – this one will be for 5 minutes as it was a 5-minute checking from behind. And this penalty could prove the game-breaker. Both Trottier and Kromm connect for CapJack making the score 5-1 Rangers! And the Rangers pretty much controlled the offensive play in the 2nd and their 12-5 edge in SOGs was indicative of the play.

So what’s in store for the 3rd period? NO PENALTIES! And No goals for the 1st 17 minutes as CapJack tries to find and maintain defense. So much so that they only fired 3 shots on goal for the period. But not the Spirit – they fire 16 shots at Weeks in the 3rd. And with 2:35 to go, former Ranger Neufeld scores against his old team beating Weeks low, 5-2 CapJack. Spirit keeps up the pressure with a couple more scoring chances and then with a minute and a half left, Payne with a slap shot, Weeks saves it, but the rebound comes right back to Payne, shoots, and SCORES! 5-3 CapJack 89 seconds left. Pittsburgh still coming, pull their goalie and Crowder is able to get the puck in their end and fires it at the empty net – wide – icing. Faceoff Rangers end, CapJack gets it, and they put a pass sequence together that ends with a McNab EN goal to run the final to 6-3 CapJack! Game 1 is in the books with a win for the home team.

STARS (all CAP)
3 – McNab with a goal and an assist
2 – Arniel a goal and 2 assists
1 – Trottier 2 goals (and he was gone for the final 7 minutes with an injury as was Kromm)

2nd period sees 11 Spirit shots, 8 Rangers shots, 1 Rangers penalty, and NO GOALS!! So it’s off to the 3rd period.

And scoring happens – 5 times to match period 1. The first goal comes from Barr (his 2nd) at 5:47 and that ties up the game at 3-3, 3rd time the Rangers tie it. And just like the last time, 18 seconds later Goulet scores his 7th of the postseason to regain the lead for Pittsburgh. Then the Rangers get a break when the goalie is called for tripping at 7:22. Power play is faltering and with 10 seconds left, Derlago scores the SH goal for Pittsburgh to put them up 5-3 with just less than 11 minutes to go. But the Rangers don’t give up and Barr scores his 3rd goal of the game with just over 3 to go and it’s 5-4 Pittsburgh. Comeback?? We move to less than 2 and it’s still a Spirit 1 goal lead, 90 seconds and Resch is finally able to get off the ice and Crowder comes on to aid the attack. Rangers in the zone, shot, save, loose in front, Crowder gets it, passes to Maloney to Arniel the wraparound – GOAL!! TIE GAME has just over a minute left in regulation. And 5-5 was the score when the horn blows and we head to OVERTIME, Stanley Cup OVERTIME!

Less than a minute in and Crowder with an SC but Ramsey blocks the shot. Each time is checking hard as play is kept on center ice. Then the Rangers get it into the Pittsburg zone with 1 1/2 gone, Kromm with a slap shot – wide. Pittsburgh goes right back up the ice ending with a Rochfort shot that Resch stops. 2 1/2 gone. Now it’s back and forth. Rangers get the next SC with 4 1/2 gone on a Crowder shot but Hrudey stops it and hangs on. Still lots of action from both teams, shots, and saves, Haworth with another SC 6 1/2 in. Then with about 8 gone, Skriko gets a SC saved by Resch and he holds. Then the checking takes over and 11 minutes into the 4th period it’s still 5-5. 6 1/2 left Pittsburgh knocks Bjugstad off the puck and comes down ice on a 3 on 2, Skriko ends up with a SC and shoots – wide. With 5 to go, Bjugstad shoots – SAVE held on by Hrudey. Puck drop, Pittsburgh wins it, up ice, Ramsey a shot, blocked by Maloney, he has it, to Robinson – Larmer knocks him off the puck. Rogers has it, to Larmer, to Goulet, he shoots – GOAL!! Game over, just like that. Pittsburgh wins 6-5 in OT to tie the series and head home now with the home-ice advantage.

80 SOG – 41 Spirit, 39 Rangers 1 PP and 1 SH goal by Pittsburgh, that SH goal is probably what enabled them to win it!

STARS:
3. PIT – Rogers 1 goal 2 assists
2. PIT – Goulet 2 goals, 2 assists
1. CAP – Barr 3 goals

CapJack comes to Pittsburgh with the series tied 1-1!

1st Period sees the Spirit take a 4-1 lead as starting goalie Dion is chased and replaced with Weeks.

Then CapJack mounts their comeback with Kromm (6) and Haworth (7) making it 4-3!

Goulet (10) gets his 2nd of the game to make it 5-3!

Then Capjack finishes up the 2nd period scoring with a goal by Boutilier (3) to make it 5-4 headed into the 3rd!

Capjack scores two (Haworth 8 and Sauve 4) to take their first lead of the game 6-5!!

At 16:17, Larmer (7) scores his 2nd of the game to tie it 6-6!!

Then 32 seconds later, Smail (3) gives the Spirit back the lead 7-6!!!

That is where this one would end as Hurdey shuts the door (finally) and the Spirit go up 2-1 in the series with the 7-6 Game 3 win!!

So far this is not a goaltending or defensive series!!

Let’s find out…

Goulet (11) opens up the scoring… 1-0 PIT

Crowder (5) ties it, 1-1. That’s how the 1st period would end.

2nd Period, Trottier (7) and Arniel (5) make it 3-1 CapJack!! Goulet scores two (12 and 13) to complete the natural hat trick and tie it up 3-3!!

CapJack gets one back from Trottier (8) to make it a 4-3 CAP lead!

3rd period, Kromm (7) makes it 5-3 CAP!!

Goulet (14) gets his FOURTH of the game to bring the Spirit back within one, 5-4… but Barr (5) scores in the final minute, and Weeks makes it stand for a 6-4 CapJack win to even the series 2-2!!!

Game 5 of what is becoming a classic series! (Did I say that?) Pittsburgh and CapJack split the 2 games in Pittsburgh and return to the Madison Oval Garden all tied at 2-2. Whoever cliched the term that Game 5 is pivotal in a best-of-7 series when teams are tied 2-2 sure knew what he was talking about. The loser of this game faces the elimination game in game 6. Pittsburgh has been sparked by Michel Goulet and 14 goals in 10 games – 4 of them in game 4 (however, those were the only Pittsburgh goals in that game that they dropped 6-4). After game 3, the Spirit held the 2-1 edge, but as at CapJack, the home team couldn’t put two games in a row, so here we are. Wamsley gets the start for Pittsburgh and Resch the start for the Rangers!

Period 1 – Rangers slip up first when Boutilier goes off for hooking 4 minutes into the game. But the Rangers PK squad is up to the task. And the period continues scoreless for the opening 12 minutes and then the Rangers get a huge break. Nylund goes off for 4 minutes for roughing! Seems he started getting frustrated a shift or so before when he levels Kromm. But the Spirit was stifled. Next time on the ice, the Rangers are working it out of their end, Bjugstad with it, and Nylund knock him off the puck – well actually he practically knocks him out – 4 minutes ROUGHING. As the PP starts, Steen is a one-man wrecking crew thwarting all the Ranger’s attacks with clearing passes, hits, and clears and then he leaves for a line change. And Crowder and company go on the attack. After a Crowder shot goes wide, McNab gets it to Robinson, shoots, save but Crowder gets it again, back to Robinson, and shoots GOAL! 1-0 on the PP goal and Rangers draw 1st blood. And they still have a PP for 2 more minutes! And it takes less than a minute of that time for them to go up 2-0 when Sauve wins the race for the puck behind the Spirit goal – to Maloney, to Suave – GOAL! Once the teams got back to even strength, the tap dancing continued and the Rangers were able to keep Pittsburgh off the board for the opening 20 minutes. Resch stops 9 shots, and Wamsley stops 4 of 6.

Off to the 2nd and Rangers are smelling blood and want this to end but it’s a penalty by Spirit star Goulet that gets things going. The Rangers killed off an early roughing penalty (2 min) to Barr but now with the man advantage 9 minutes in, they strike paydirt again. 30 seconds into the PP Trottier gets his 9th goal of the postseason and the Rangers grab a 3-0 lead. 3 minutes later, seldom used MacDermid is set up by Pettersson and Boutilier and the Rangers grab a 4-0 lead! We know no leads are safe, but we’re just past the halfway point and feeling really good. AND THEN – Green goes off for elbowing giving Pittsburgh hope and PP. And it takes them 12 seconds for, YUP, you guessed it, GOULET to score (15). He parks in front of the net and tips in a hot shot from O’Connell – totally crossed up Resch and it’s 4-1 as the comeback starts?? Well – maybe not, on the center ice faceoff after the goal, Trottier wins it, into the Pittsburgh zone, Arniel fires away and Crowder gets the deflection and just like that it goes in and the Rangers get their 4 goal lead right back. 14 seconds between goals. After that, the 2nd period was rather quiet except for Rogers hooking penalty in the last minute and a half with a carryover. 6 shots for the Spirit as CapJack clamped down.

So on to the 3rd and the Spirit facing the 5-1 deficit, come out of intermission on a mission – score goals. But the Rangers – still with the power play going – decide they won’t let anything come into their zone, anything meaningful anyway. In fact, they shut down their own offense in favor of draining the Spirit out of Pittsburgh. The plan had a few flaws, but not many. 3 minutes into the period and here comes Steen stickhandling his way up ice. Plays it to Crossman, to Rochefort, back to Steen who passes it to Smail, back to Rochefort – he fires it low, but it sails and GOAL! Resch lost it on the rise. 1st goal for Rochefort was set up by Smail and Steen. But back to the clampdown, stand ’em up at the Blue Line tactic – worked to perfection the rest of the way. CapJacks takes 1 SOG in the 3rd – but gives up only 1 goal to hang on to that big lead and win game 5, 5-2!! The home crowd goes berserk!

Rangers pull off 59% of the faceoffs and hold the Spirit to 24 shots. Rangers take 30 shots total in the game, only 3 miss the net, 7 were blocked, 20 on goal, and 5 of them go in! Resch comes through with 22 saves. The Rangers get 3 PP goals – the difference in the game.

STARS (all CAP)
3. Trottier a goal and assist
2. Crowder a goal and assist
1. Sauve a goal and assist

Rangers forwards had to work around an early injury to Kromm who logged only 5:32 ice time. Lots of extra time for the top forward’s rotation to fill the slot on the top line.

Elimination game in a great series thus far in which CapJack has proven that goalie ratings mean very little in this game.
Win or go golfing (in my case, fishing).
Do or do not… there is no try.
Time to nut up, or shut up…

So far the 3 Pittsburgh wins were all by 1 goal and game 6 was a majestic comeback of monumental proportions. Hometown fans were glad that was on the road, they might not have survived had it been in the Garden. But now – here we are – an elimination game for both teams. Who will advance, and who will play golf/go fishing?

The 2nd period sees 2 goals, 1 by each team. First McNab scores for CapJack 5 minutes in to tie the game! The crowd was notably happy –  that Dunn had an assist. Then with just under 5 to go, Rogers scores his 5th of the playoffs to put Pittsburgh back up 3-2. And Goulet had the assist. Pittsburgh did give CapJack a couple of PPs – but they killed them both off. CapJack took more shots – but the period resembled a playoff game!

3rd Period – Rangers trailing on home ice, in the elimination game. Pittsburgh is up by 1 with high hopes on their minds. Both teams were thinking of the big lead CapJack had (insurmountable no less) in Game 6 that went bye-bye. So everyone in the arena is aware that nothing is anywhere near settled! Well, maybe the Spirit has found something – something familiar both with a twist. After a quick Crowder shot is stopped by Hrudey, the Spirit works it up. Goulet has it, but the Rangers are closing on him, he gives it to O’Connell who fires away and Rogers redirects it, and GOAL!!! Rogers scores 1:03 into the 3rd, his 2nd, Goulet’s 2nd assist, and the Spirit grade a 4-2 lead!! Then 20 seconds later Smail and Dunn are sent off the ice for roughing. It is testing on the ice. And to make things worse for the Rangers, Kromm goes off a minute and a half later for cross-checking (but only 2 minutes). The Rangers kill it off and the period seems energized. CapJack needs goals, but Pittsburgh is not letting up. There is almost more SOG in this period than in the rest of the game. But Hrudey and his defense are not giving up anything. Then with 8 1/2 left, the Rangers dig themselves in deeper when Boutilier is called for holding. On comes the Pittsburgh PP unit again. But miraculously the Rangers kill it off to stay alive, but time is running out ever so quickly. We’re down to 5 minutes to go when Crossman gets leveled, play on or they didn’t see it. Nylund might have as after a line change he gets called for hooking and CapJack sees a glimmer of hope with 4:29 to go. After Pittsburgh clears it all the way down the ice, the PP sets up. Trottier brings it in, to Suave who slaps away but O’Connell blocks it. But Sauve gets it right back, to Kromm, and he fires a rocket – oh Hrudey where art though, you should have had it but it flies by him to the back of the net. 4-3 Pittsburgh as Kromm cuts the deficit in half. 3:24 to go. Rangers working in for another chance when there is a delayed penalty called. But the Spirit touches it up and what’s this? Nylund again for hooking! (Maybe he had too much paint). Man, what a PP – Rangers keep firing on Hrudey who keeps making great saves. Rangers pull Weeks for a 6 on 4 advantage and keep firing away and he keeps stopping them and when he’s not, players are skating in front of them giving up the body. Inside 1 minute, Weeks on the bench. Crowder shoots, Neufeld blocks it, Rochefort has it, to Ashton, but Boutilier takes him out along the board and CapJack has it. Crowder with it as Nylund returns to the ice. Crowder is still with it, he gets it to Wickenheiser who shoots hoping for the Rangers rebound – BUT IT GOES IN FOR THE GOAL!! Tie game, 4-4, 51 seconds to go, Wickenheiser’s 1st of the playoffs! Then we have 51 seconds of no scoring – amazing. And as in game 6, we go to OT!!!

In 3rd OT game in the series, each team is 1-1 with Pittsburgh winning the last one, two days ago in game 6. Rogers wins the opening faceoff for Pittsburgh and he and Goulet work it in and Rogers fires off a shot that goes wide left. Rangers work it back up ice and Kromm takes a shot that Hrudey stops and hangs on to. Rangers win the faceoff and Trottier takes a shot that Hrudey holds on to. A minute of play, 3 shots, 2 SOG, 2 saves. Faceoff in the Pittsburgh end is won by Derlago. They take it out of the zone but Arniel knocks Rochefort off the puck and just like that the Rangers have a 3 on 1 rush! But the Arniel shot goes wide but after Pittsburgh clears it, Arniel and CapJack regain control. He skates through center ice, over the line, and passes it to Barr, to Arniel, to Barr – shoots low – GOAL!!!!!!!!!!! He beats Hrudey with a slapper and the GAME IS OVER and the Rangers move on as they win in OT! 2:06 into the OT

WOW!
Stars announcement:
#3: CAP – McNab 1 goal
#2: CAP – Wickenheiser 1 goal
#1: PIT – Rogers 2 goals 1 assist

And Hrudey made 33 saves, most of them were outstanding efforts. But the game might have ended with the Rangers tying goal in the final minute of period 3. The OT – other than the opening faceoff, it belonged totally to the Rangers, they never gave up the attack or the checking.