ARAb StAtES diSMAyEd At WESt'S cOMPlAcENcy - Kuwait Times

SATURDAY, MAY 4, 2013
New-look Capitals
down Rangers 3-1
Blues seize on Quick error, beat Kings
ANAHEIM: Alex Ovechkin’s franchise-record
31st career playoff goal got the Capitals
started before less-heralded teammates
Marcus Johansson and Jason Chimera
scored 46 seconds apart, and Washington
beat the New York Rangers 3-1 Thursday
night in Game 1 of their first round series.
Ovechkin, a two-time MVP who led the NHL
with 32 goals this season, crashed the net to
score on a power play about seven minutes
into the second period to tie the game. Carl
Hagelin had put New York ahead 1-0 in the
first period - the only puck that made it past
Braden Holtby, who finished with 35 saves.
Game 2 of the best-of-seven series is
Saturday in Washington. It’s the third consecutive
season these two teams are facing
each other in the playoffs and the fourth
time in five years. The Rangers eliminated
the Capitals in seven games in the second
round last season.
BLUES 2, KINGS 1
Defenseman Barret Jackman scored his
first career playoff goal with 50.4 seconds
remaining, lifting St. Louis over defending
Stanley Cup champion Los Angeles for the
second straight time. Jackman, a stay-athome
type who totaled three goals and 12
points in the regular season, joined a rush
and scored in transition against Jonathan
Quick, last year’s playoff MVP. He beat Quick
from just inside the blue line for a 2-0 series
lead heading to Los Angeles. The Blues capitalized
on a stickhandling goof by Quick to
win the opener on Alex Steen’s short-handed
goal in overtime. Patrik Berglund’s deflection
tied it early in the third period for St.
Louis, which was swept by the Kings in the
second round last season while getting
outscored 15-6. Dustin Brown scored for the
Kings, who’ll try to rebound in Game 3
Saturday night.
SENATORS 4, CANADIENS 2
Craig Anderson made 48 saves in a spectacular
goaltending performance in Game 1.
Blues edge out Stormers
ALBANY: The Auckland Blues held on for a dramatic 18-17 win over
the Western Stormers in a bruising encounter at North Harbor
Stadium yesterday. The Stormers scored the only two tries of the
match through captain Jean de Villiers but it was not enough as
Blues flyhalf Chris Noakes booted a club record six penalties to get
the New Zealanders over the line. Allister Coetzee’s men combined
plenty of attacking intent with their renowned defence to narrow a
9-3 half-time deficit, only just missing out on a last-gasp victory when
Elton Jantjies scuffed an attempted drop goal after the final siren.
The Blues first win over the Stormers since 2009 keeps them in
touch with New Zealand conference leaders the Waikato Chiefs, who
play the Melbourne Rebels in Melbourne later. Blues captain Ali
Williams praised the way his team bounced back from a narrow loss
to the Queensland Reds last week. “We’re growing, there’s something
exciting here,” he said. “We’re working for each other, that’s the
key thing and we’re having some fun. “(But) that’s a tough Stormers
outfit, I’m sore.” The game began at a frantic pace, with two Noakes
penalties separating the sides mid-way through the first half.
The South Africans should have had the first try on 20 minutes
ST LOUIS: Brian Elliott #1 of the St Louis Blues makes a save against Justin Williams #14 of
the Los Angeles Kings in Game Two of the Western Conference Quarterfinals during the
2013 NHL Stanley Cup Playoffs at the Scottrade Center. — AFP
Jakob Silfverberg and Marc Methot scored
early in the third period to lift the Senators
into the lead. Game 2 set for Friday night at
the Bell Centre. Erik Karlsson and Guillaume
Latendresse also scored for the Senators,
who were outshot 50 31 but saw Anderson
easily win the goaltending duel with Carey
Price, who was beaten twice through the
pads. Rene Bourque and Brendan Gallagher
replied for Montreal, which set a team
record for shots in a regulation-time playoff
game. Montreal center Lars Eller was
wheeled off on a stretcher bleeding heavily
from the nose and was taken to a hospital
with what the team said were head and
facial injuries after he was caught with a
shoulder to the face on an open-ice hit from
Senators defenseman Eric Gryba.
Red Wings 5, Ducks 4, OT
Gustav Nyquist’s power-play goal at 1:21 of
overtime after the Red Wings blew a threegoal
lead in the third period to even their playoff
series with Anaheim. Johan Franzen scored
two goals and Damien Brunner had his first
Stanley Cup playoff goal and two assists for
the Red Wings, who survived a third-period
collapse with a timely goal from Nyquist.
Bobby Ryan scored the tying goal with 2:22
left in regulation for the Ducks, who also got
goals from captain Ryan Getzlaf and Kyle
Palmieri while erasing Detroit’s 4-1 lead with a
phenomenal surge in the final minutes. Game
3 is today’s night at Joe Louis Arena. — AP
after a run from winger Gio Aplon but Andries Bekker was held up
short of the line and they had to settle for a penalty. They set up
another opportunity off the back of a rolling maul, only for the
attack to break down when the ball was knocked on, before Noakes
made it three penalties from three, ending a frustrating half for the
Stormers. A further two penalties after the restart extended the
Blues’ lead and they could have put the game beyond doubt when
Quentin MacDonald dived for the corner but lost the ball forward.
The Stormers’ patience finally paid off when captain Jean de
Villiers released Juan de Jongh for a run at the posts, then collected
the looping offload and bulldozed his way over for the first try of the
match. Another Noakes penalty made it 18-10 before de Villiers cut
loose from the midfield and outpaced Frank Halai for his second try
with six minutes on the clock.
Pietersen added the conversion and the Stormers were given a
final chance from a scrum as the siren sounded. They worked the
ball through 21 phases looking for an opportunity, finally giving the
ball to Jantjies, who mis-kicked, sending the ball skidding along the
turf from the side of his boot. — AFP
SPORTS
Chiefs put
down Rebels
MELBOURNE: Gareth Anscombe
scored a hat-trick of tries as the faststarting
Chiefs prevailed 39-33 over the
Melbourne Rebels in a Super Rugby
shoot-out yesterday. The Chiefs fullback
caught fire in the first half at
Melbourne’s Rectangular stadium,
securing a bonus point for the visitors
in the 27th minute with his third try,
and finishing a 24-point game with
three conversions and a penalty.
Inspired by Wallabies backs James
O’Connor and Kurtley Beale, the Rebels
pulled within a converted try with five
minutes left, but the Chiefs held on to
retain top spot in the New Zealand conference
and be well-placed for a run to
the playoffs.
“Pretty relieved,” Chiefs captain
Craig Clarke said in a pitchside interview.
“Fair play to the opposition for
playing the style they do.” Anscombe
was denied a magical fourth try in the
78th minute by the television match
official, who ruled the ball had been
pushed forward by a team mate just
before the fullback received it wide and
bolted for the left corner. The Chiefs
took a 24-14 lead at halftime, with
Anscombe scoring his first try in the
opening minute and inside centre
Bundee Aki making it 10-0 in the 10th.
Scott Higginbotham put the Rebels
on the board with a try five minutes later,
but Anscombe responded with two
tries in seven minutes, the second courtesy
of a brilliant break from outside
centre Tim Nanai-Williams. The Rebels
were kept in the game by towering lock
Hugh Pyle, who scored the first of a
brace of tries shortly before halftime,
but the Chiefs sprinted away to a 31-14
lead 12 minutes after the break with a
try by flanker Sam Cane. Beale came off
the bench eight minutes into the second
half, making his return after a sixweek
exile from the Rebels.
He was stood down in March for
punching two of his team mates in an
alcohol-fuelled incident on the team
bus in South Africa, and appeared a
bundle of nerves as his first kick went
out on the full on the re-start following
Cane’s try. He was soon brought into
the match by fellow Wallabies back
O’Connor, and helped set up scrumhalf
Nick Phipps for a 68th minute try in the
left corner with a brilliant break at midfield.
Big lock Brodie Retallick pushed
the Chiefs’ lead out to 39-26 by scoring
an enterprising try with 10 minutes to
play after charging down a clearing kick
by James O’Connor.
But that only set up a grandstand
finish as newly slimmed-down Beale
tore through the Chiefs defense, running
wide then cutting back inside to
score a brilliant individual try in the
75th minute. Rebels winger Cooper
Vuna raised the roof at the ‘Stockade’
with a dash along the left touch-line in
the 79th minute but was dragged into
touch just short of the line. The Rebels
stole back possession with a poor lineout
throw but were unable to penetrate
the Chiefs’ last line of defense in a frenetic
finish after the siren. — Reuters