HOCKEY / STANLEY CUP PLAYOFFS : Bruins Even Series With Whalers

After losing the opening game of the playoffs, the Boston Bruins turned to Ray Bourque, one of the best defenseman in the NHL, to get them going.

Bourque had a goal and an assist Saturday night at Boston and the Bruins scored a 3-1 victory over the Hartford Whalers to even the best-of-seven series, 1-1.

Bourque also helped stop the Whalers on nine power plays.

The Bruins scored on three power plays and Bourque was on the ice for all of them. He scored his goal in the middle of the first period and set up Garry Galley for the game-winning goal 14 minutes into the second period.

“He’s certainly the best defenseman in the National Hockey League,” Whaler Coach Rick Ley said of Bourque. “He quarterbacks that team. He makes the power play work. He certainly hurt us with it.”

Bourque’s work on defense helped Andy Moog win his first playoff start.

“We use three sets of forwards and Bourque to kill penalties,” Boston Coach Mike Milbury said. “It works rather well.”

The two teams meet at Hartford, Conn., Monday night. The Whalers, scoreless on 13 power plays in the series, were just 17-18-5 at Hartford, the NHL’s 17th best home record. Boston had the league’s best road record.

Montreal 3, Buffalo 0--Mats Naslund had a goal and an assist at Buffalo and the league’s stingiest goalie, Patrick Roy, stopped 26 shots to get the Canadiens even in the series, 1-1.

Roy, who had the best goals-against average, allowed four goals on 28 shots in a 4-1 loss on Thursday night.

His goaltending enabled the Canadiens to halt Buffalo’s six-game winning streak in playoff games against Montreal. The streak dates back to 1975.

The Canadiens had to stop the Sabres on a two-minute, two-man power play in the first period. Less than a minute after the power play ended, Naslund scored his goal.

Stephane Richer gave Montreal a 2-0 lead in the first period and Shayne Corson scored in the third period.

New York Rangers 5, New York Islanders 2--Without their best player, Pat LaFontaine, the Islanders present almost no threat on offense.

Knowing this, the Rangers played a wide-open game at New York and took a 2-0 lead in the series.

John Ogrodnick scored twice, the second one in a three-goal outburst in the second period.

Rookie goalie Mike Richter of the Islanders stopped 30 shots.

LaFontaine, who had 54 goals during the season, suffered a concussion in the opener of the series.

The score was tied, 2-2, before James Patrick, Ogrodnick and Bernie Nicholls scored within six minutes of each other.

New Jersey 6, Washington 5--The Devils evened the playoff series, 1-1, at East Rutherford, N.J., on a disputed goal by Eric Weinrich with seven minutes left.

The Capitals argued that Weinrich’s goal, which gave the Devils a 5-4 lead, should not have been allowed because teammate Brendan Shanahan was in the crease.

Peter Stastny scored four minutes later to clinch the victory.

The Devils had a 4-1 lead. The Capitals rallied after pulling goalie Mike Liut. He was replaced by Don Beaupre, who stopped 23 shots.

The series, which has seen 241 minutes in penalties in the first two games, shifts to the Capital Centre in Landover, Md., on Monday.