Another overtime. Another wraparound. Another New York Rangers playoff victory over the New Jersey Devils.
Adam Graves scored on a wraparound with 5:52 left in overtime as the Rangers eliminated the Devils for the third time in six seasons and advanced to the Eastern Conference finals with a 2-1 win on Sunday.Mike Richter, who gave up only four goals in the series, stopped 46 shots in leading the Rangers to a 4-1 upset of the Devils, the regular-season conference champions.
The Rangers will face Philadelphia for the conference title. The Flyers beat Buffalo 6-3 on Sunday to win that series 4-1.
The end to this series was remarkably similar to the last time the teams met in the playoffs in 1994, except that was it Stephane Matteau somehow finding a way to beat Brodeur coming from behind the net. New York went on to win its first Stanley Cup since 1940.
Graves got the game-winner this time after skating around the net with Scott Stevens draped all over him.
Esa Tikkanen also scored for New York, while Brian Rolston was the only Devils player to beat Richter, who faced 181 shots in five games.
The series matched the Rangers' superstars against the Devils' strategy and this time the stars won by beating the Devils at their own game. The Devils scored only five goals, one into an empty net.
Richter was the difference in the last four games, although he had a little help late in the third period Sunday.
Bill Guerin had a great chance to force Game 6, but he hit the goalpost with 1:10 left in regulation on a rebound of a deflected shot. Seconds later, defenseman Ken Daneyko missed the net with Richter on the ice.
Minutes earlier, Brodeur stopped Graves in close on the rebound of a shot by Mark Messier. Messier had almost broken the tie early in the period when his rebound shot from the side of the crease rolled along the goalline.
The Devils got their goal during a team-record 20-shot barrage in the second period.
Rolston got credit for the goalwhich came 2:21 after Brian Leetch was given a four-minute high-sticking penalty. After defenseman Scott Niedermayer was stopped twice in front, Rolston kept a clearing attempt in the zone and beat Richter with a shot from the right point that seemed to change direction on the way in at 12:02.
Tikkanen, who had three goals in the last two games, scored on a breakaway at 7:53 of the first period to put New York ahead. Pat Flatley blocked a shot from the point and Wayne Gretzky got the puck and found Tikkanen behind the defense for his seventh goal of the playoffs.
Tikkanen nearly gave the Rangers a 2-0 lead early in the second period. He stepped out of the penalty box, got a loose puck and hit the goal post with a shot from the left circle.
Messier almost won the game early in the overtime, but his shot from the right circle hit the post. Niedermayer had a chance a few minutes later on a 3-on-1 but his shot deflected just wide off a Rangers player.
Flyers 6, Sabres 3
At Buffalo, N.Y., Eric Lindros scored two goals - one on a penalty shot - within 41 seconds as Philadelphia moved into the Eastern Conference finals by beating Buffalo.
Lindros, held in check much of the first five games, took control of the game in the second period when he scored on a breakaway and the penalty shot for a 3-0 lead.
Dainius Zubrus also had two goals, the second an empty-netter with 12 seconds left. John LeClair and Shjon Podein also scored, and Rod Brind'Amour had three assists for Philadelphia.
The Flyers will play either the New Jersey Devils or New York Rangers in the conference finals.
Ron Hextall, making his first postseason appearance, stopped 21 shots. The Flyers started Hextall instead of Garth Snow, who is 7-2 with a 2.53 goals-against average in the playoffs.
Sabres goalie Steve Shields, playing again for injured star Dominik Hasek, made 34 saves.