THERE WAS Mike Vernon, generous as always while on Meadowlands playoff ice, leaving it enraged last night, screaming at referee Kerry Fraser for reasons only he can know.
Better that the goaltender, routed twice in New Jersey while a Red Wing during the 1995 sweep of the finals, should have saved his ire for himself and his coach in last night’s Game 1 of the Eastern quarters.
Vernon made a couple of stops last night but surrendered a couple of uglies, too. While his teammates seemed to have no clue whatsoever in their own end during the first period, when they were on the verge of being blown all the way from East Rutherford to Newark, the netminder was of little help.
But then, so in the first period specifically, and in the game generally, was Terry Murray, who did the Devils quite the favor by keeping Pavel Bure on the bench for all but 3:27 of the opening 20 minutes. Indeed, the coach kept the Russian Rocket, the league’s most explosive offensive weapon, in his silo for all but 18:57 of the match.
In a third period that began and ended 4-3 Devils, Murray awarded Bure six even-strength turns, never once short-shifting him or double-shifting him in order to get him away from the stifling Scott Stevens-Brian Rafalski defensive pair Larry Robinson had matched up against him throughout.
Bure, who averaged 24:23 of ice throughout the regular season, had just one shot on goal, that a flubbed rebound attempt in the second period. He went minus-two. He might just as well have been Pavel Brendl, for the impact he had on last night’s match.
Murray’s explanation for giving Bure so little time in the first had something to do with wanting to settle his team down in the defensive zone, wanting to establish three lines. We’d put more stock in it if we hadn’t seen Murray keep Eric Lindros on the bench for inordinate lengths of time in Game 1 of the 1997 Finals against Detroit to keep 88 away from Sergei Fedorov.
During the following day’s practice, Lindros had a lengthy chat on the ice with Murray, and had a frown on for the short remaining time of the series. That, of course, was the series during which Murray referred to his team as being in a “choking situation.”
If Bure had any notion of pulling a Sprewell and with his own hands putting the coach in a choking situation, he did not show it when the match had ended. Despite going through the game with maybe one good scoring chance, Bure was stoical when questioned as to his limited ice time.
“It’s a team game and Terry is an excellent coach,” Bure said. “You have to trust the coach.”
Robinson, coaching his first win in his fifth game behind a playoff bench – his Kings had been swept out by the Blues two years ago – varied his looks up front against Bure, but most often sent the feisty Sergei Brylin out to line up against him. Brylin was outstanding.
So, too, were Stevens and Rafalski. The captain played one of his best playoff games in a career that becomes more distinguished with each season, playing it smart, keeping Bure in his sights even when that required eyes in the back of his head, given the Russian Rocket’s penchant for pulling out of the defensive zone early.
“He’s different than anybody else, not only because of his speed, but because with the way he plays, you don’t always have him in front of you when you’re in the offensive zone,” Stevens said. “Either he doesn’t come back or he leaves early; he’s not going to get involved there and caught in traffic, you know that.”
If Stevens had the type of big-time game that will eventually lead to his election to the Hall of Fame, Rafalski had the type of night that supports his bid for this season’s Calder Trophy. Though he made a mistake on Florida’s third goal, the freshman was more than solid. His physical work was a revelation, even if not quite that to Robinson.
“Maybe because he was in key situations you noticed him more, but pound for pound he’s one of the toughest guys on the team to beat one-on-one,” the coach said.
Bure led the NHL with 58 goals, 14 more than runner-up Owen Nolan, and he got them in just 74 games. He scored 45 goals at even strength. He – get this – scored 29 goals in the third period, even allowing that nine of them were empty-netters. He is, without question, the league’s singular show.
In other words, if Murray isn’t up to it, somebody had better find a way to get Bure some more ice time in Sunday night’s Game 2.