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E10 DAILY 05-05-07 MD M2 E10 CMYK

E10 Saturday, May 5, 2007 M2 The Washington Post Hockey

Eastern Conference (*if necessary) Western Conference (*if necessary) QUOTABLE PERSONNEL DEPT. BUFFALO VS. NEW JERSEY VS. SAN JOSE VS. VANCOUVER VS. Rugged Sabres F Paul Gaustad N.Y. RANGERS OTTAWA DETROIT ANAHEIM “We need some of our guys to wake up. . . . played his first game in three (Buffalo leads, 3-2) (Ottawa leads, 3-1) (Series tied, 2-2) (Anaheim wins, 4-1) We also need to have more contributions and months last night. Gaustad initially was ruled out for the rest of the Game 1: Buffalo, 5-2 Game 1: Ottawa, 5-4 Game 1: San Jose, 2-0 Game 1: Anaheim, 5-1 creativity from more than just one line. . . . season after he sliced a tendon Game 2: Buffalo, 3-2 Game 2: N.J., 3-2 Game 2: Detroit, 3-2 Game 2: Van., 2-1 (2 OT) Those guys need to look in the mirror and above his left ankle in a 3-2 win Game 3: N.Y., 2-1 (2 OT) Game 3: Ottawa, 2-0 Game 3: San Jose, 2-1 Game 3: Anaheim, 3-2 over Ottawa on Feb. 7. He missed PLAYOFF Game 4: N.Y., 2-1 Game 4: Ottawa, 3-2 Game 4: Detroit, 3-2 (OT) Game 4: Anaheim, 3-2 (OT) say, ‘I got to do a better job because I’m 35 games, including nine in the Last Night: Buffalo, 2-1 Today: at New Jersey, 8 Today: at Detroit, 2 Game 5: Anaheim, 2-1 letting all of my teammates down.’” Mon.: at San Jose, TBD (2 OT) playoffs. REPORT Tom.: at , 2 *Monday: at Ottawa, 7 Sharks Coach Ron Wilson *Tuesday: at Buffalo, 7 *Wed.: at New Jersey, 7 *Wed.: at Detroit, TBD

Afinogenov Finds Redemption With a Goal K Sabres 2, Rangers 1 Buffalo has a 3-2 lead in the best- team on the ice tonight. It was close RANGERS 0010— 1 of-seven series. Game 6 is Sunday for one reason, and that was our goal- SABRES 0011— 2 Associated Press night at Madison Square Garden. tender.” The Sabres had lost two straight Lundqvist was spectacular in frus- THIRD PERIOD BUFFALO, May 4 — Benched games by a 2-1 score to the Rangers. trating a Sabres team that had Scoring: 1, N.Y. Rangers, Straka 2 (Rachunek, Sha- nahan), 16:41. 2, Buffalo, Drury 6 (Briere, Connol- one game, the overtime star the next: Drury’s goal, off a rebound in scored an NHL-leading 308 goals. ly), 19:52. Maxim Afinogenov sure knows how front, came on Buffalo’s 37th shot. He foiled Sabres co-captain Daniel OVERTIME Scoring: 3, Buffalo, Afinogenov 2 (Pominville, Kali- to make up for miscues. Afinogenov’s slap shot from inside Briere on one-timers twice in the nin), 4:39 (pp). Afinogenov scored a power-play the blueline sneaked through the first period. SHOTS ON GOAL goal 4 minutes 39 seconds into over- goalie Henrik Lundqvist’s legs as Lundqvist’s most impressive save Rangers ...... 8 6 6 3 — 23 time to cap Buffalo’s come-from- teammate Thomas Vanek provided a came eight minutes into the third pe- Sabres ...... 7 17 13 3 — 40 Power-play opportunities: N.Y. Rangers 0 of 7; Buffalo behind 2-1 win over the New York screen in front. riod. He got his blocker up to stop 1 of 6. Goalies: N.Y. Rangers, Lundqvist 6-3 (40 Rangers on Friday night. The victory He scored 11 seconds after Blair Tim Connolly’s hard snap shot from shots-38 saves). Buffalo, Miller 7-3 (23-22). A: moved the Sabres within a win of the Betts was penalized for hooking Afi- the slot, then covered the rebound 18,690 (18,690). T: 2:44. Eastern Conference finals. nogenov. before Ales Kotalik could reach it. “Definitely happy,” Afinogenov The Rangers were outshot 40-23 “It’s a tough one,” Lundqvist said swan dive at center ice. said. “We’re up right now. It’s a hap- but took a 1-0 lead when Martin Stra- over and over again. “They made a “I just wanted to celebrate and py day for us.” ka scored with 3:19 left in regulation. good play at the end and it paid off. nothing was coming in my head, so I Co-captain Chris Drury forced “That hurts,” Rangers captain Ja- You can’t think too much about this. just dove,” Afinogenov said. overtime by scoring with less than romir Jagr said. “There’s no question You have to move on.” And he had no hard feelings re- eight seconds remaining in regula- about it. That’s probably the tough- Drury’s goal came on a scramble garding his benching. Coach Lindy tion. He put Afinogenov’s perform- est for me in five years.” in front and after Lundqvist stopped Ruff sat Afinogenov, believing the dy- ance into perspective. It’s now the Rangers’ turn to re- Connolly’s shot from the left point. namic forward was forcing the play “It’s a great story, the highs and spond in a series in which the home The rebound caromed directly to and, as a result, creating too many lows of playoff hockey,” Drury said. team has won each game. Drury, who snapped it into the open turnovers. “He’s pretty down the other night as “It’s a tough loss, plain and sim- side from the lower left circle. “I can’t be angry. Definitely I want BY BRENDAN MCDERMID — REUTERS we all were and comes back with ob- ple,” Coach Tom Renney said. “We Afinogenov’s goal was indisput- to be there, help the guys and help Buffalo’s Maxim Afinogenov celebrates his winning goal in overtime. The viously a huge goal.” weren’t close to being the better able, and he celebrated by taking a the team,” Afinogenov said. Sabres forced overtime with a goal with less than eight seconds left.

Horse Racing

133rd Derby Starting Positions NOTEBOOK 6:04 p.m. post time at in Louisville. Pos. Horse Trainer Odds Rags to Sedgefield Darrin Miller 46-1 1 Perfectly decent turf horse coming off a sub-par effort. Would not be stunned to see him fifth at 100-1. Riches Wins 6-1 The Oaks 2 The morning-line favorite is the horse everyone fears, but historical precedent says no to his three-race campaign. By John Scheinman Special to The Washington Post Zanjero Steve Asmussen Shaun Bridgmohan 34-1 LOUISVILLE, May 4 — With a 3 A strong case can be made for his gutsy third along the rail powerful performance, the chestnut in the Blue Grass, but not his inability to run fast. — who may be the best 3-year-old in the country, of Storm in May William Kaplan Juan Leyva 20-1 either sex — stormed down the 4 Hats off to Bill Kaplan for earning $459,430 with this $16,000 horse, center of the stretch on Friday and but the fantasy ends here. easily won the $500,000 before a crowd of 100,075 at Imawildandcrazyguy William Kaplan Mark Guidry 18-1 Churchill Downs. 5 Likely longest shot in the field actually has nibbled at the edges of A $1.9 million yearling auction some good races. Not today. purchase by owners and Derrick Smith, Rags to Riches had beaten up on two small fields in Cowtown Cat Fernando Jara 18-1 Grade I races at Santa Anita Park, 6 Nobody seems impressed with his back-to-back wins in Gotham and but she showed in the Oaks she also Illinois Derby except Pletcher. could run with the top in the country in a bulky 14-horse field Carl Nafzger 9-2 over a sloppy track. Under jockey Garrett Gomez, 7 2006 BC Juvenile champ back at Churchill. Still, unproven the heavily favored Rags to Riches 1 beyond 1 ⁄16 miles. tucked inside behind the leaders in fifth pace and stalked a fast pace Larry Jones Mario Pino 10-1 over a drying-out track. Gomez 8 Blistering workout April 30 either spells doom or super horse. eased her to the outside turning for Expect Pino to have him out there winging. home, and Rags to Riches galloped 1 away to a 4 ⁄4-length victory over Oc- Liquidity Doug O’Neill David Flores 46-1 tave. Todd Pletcher, who sends out five runners Saturday in the Ken- 9 O’Neill believes there is a world of unlocked talent here. Strong stalker tucky Derby, trains both horses. 1 makes his presence felt. The final time for the 1 ⁄8-mile race was 1 minute 49.99 seconds. Jamie Sanders Stewart Elliott 44-1 Asked after the race if he had 10 Runs very well when not facing Dominican, Hard Spun, Curlin, Street considered skipping the Oaks for Sense, and . the Kentucky Derby with his filly, Tabor said: “The thought did cross Bwana Bull Javier Castellano 35-1 our minds, but at the end of the day, we’re traditionalists and decided to 11 Remember his name because you likely will never hear it again. BY JOHN GRESS — REUTERS run the girls against the girls. May- Street Sense won the juvenile race at the Breeders’ Cup last year. He is likely to be the favorite today. be now, we’ll step up.” Cornelio Velasquez 12-1 Contenders Drug Tested 12 Has not progressed significantly from age 2 to 3, but should join Liquidity in on the first flight. Street Sense Team Is Relaxed For the first time, all 20 starters in the Kentucky Derby received a Sam P. Todd Pletcher Ramon Dominguez 47-1 DERBY, From E1 media center. Barclay Tagg, the mastermind surprise drug test Wednesday as Pletcher will run a record- behind in 2003), the Kentucky Au- 13 Looked ready to drop back in , but Dominguez urged good laugh at that, and the mood tying five horses in the Derby, in- , Hard Spun, thority looked for signs of blood- him back into battle. Blinkers coming off. couldn’t have been more relaxed. cluding winner and Dominican all have their doping agents such as erythropoie- Even when the TV flashed the Scat Daddy, supporters. tin — or EPO — which increases Scat Daddy Todd Pletcher 6-1 famous, emotional footage of winner Circular Quay and Any Trainer John Shirreffs, like the production of red blood cells. 14 Nothing wrong with having four graded stakes wins on his résumé Nafzger hugging the brittle 92- Given Saturday, who battled Nafzger, appeared calm and Trainers were notified at Church- and Prado on his back. Price is right for believers. year-old Frances Genter as her Street Sense every inch to the ready early in the morning, en- ill Downs about the tests before vet- horse, , won the 1990 wire before losing by a nose in joying the moment and inhaling erinarians made the rounds of the Tiago John Shirreffs Mike Smith 10-1 Kentucky Derby, it didn’t feel the . All gal- its history. barns. The samples were sent to a 1 15 like the goose bump-raising tal- loped 1 ⁄4 miles Friday morning “The Derby is what it is all contracted lab at Iowa State Uni- Sure did big brother proud with stretch drive to win the isman that marks Nafzger’s ca- under the cover of darkness. about,” Shirreffs said. “It is a cel- versity, and the results will be avail- Santa Anita Derby. Expert handling but light on seasoning. reer. Nafzger, too, sent out Street ebration of the horse. It is Ken- able next week. 1 “That always makes it,” Nafzg- Sense for a 1 ⁄4-mile jog, crossing tucky. It is the home of Claiborne “This has evolved, this blood Circular Quay Todd Pletcher John Velazquez 14-1 er said casually of one of the paths on the way out to the track and Calumet. It is the focal point doping, from human athletes, and it 16 Pletcher pulled him from Wood to run here off an eight-week race. most beloved bits of footage in with Nobiz Like Shobiz, one of of our sport. It is a rite of passage has taken awhile for the labs to de- Will be far back early and hoping for a fast pace. the televised history of horse rac- his principal rivals. for young horses becoming men. velop a test that would stand up in ing. “You see that?” Nafzger said. It is full of symbols. It is very spe- court,” chief steward John Veitch Stormello William Currin 48-1 Regardless of what Churchill “As soon as [Street Sense] saw cial indeed.” said. Downs linemaker Mike Battaglia that other horse, he pinned his Nearby Nafzger’s barn, trainer All horses who win at Churchill 17 Sleek and fast chestnut had his backers until Scat Daddy beat him believes about Curlin, Street ears back. He knew that other Nick Zito, without a Derby horse Downs undergo a comprehensive twice. Expect him with the leaders. Sense almost certainly will go off horse was out there.” for a second straight year, stood post-race blood test, and the stew- as the betting favorite at 6:04 Street Sense had better be nearly alone at his shed row, un- ards have the right to ask for tests Todd Pletcher Garrett Gomez 21-1 p.m. Saturday in America’s ready for a fight because while der an overhang out of the rain. on any runner who does not per- 18 Million-dollar baby has solid foundation of preps, the best jockey and greatest horse race. there doesn’t appear to be any Zito won the Derby with Strike form as expected. The spot test for fast figures. Here’s your winner. Twenty 3-year-olds will line up overpowering runners in the the Gold in 1991 and blood-doping agents, however, is a behind the gate at the top of the field, the talent runs deep. Cur- in 1994 and doesn’t hide his con- first. Dominican Darrin Miller Rafael Bejarano 17-1 Churchill Downs homestretch lin, trained by Steve Asmussen, suming passion for the race. The Use of erythropoietin is consid- 1 19 Everyone asks, “Is he just a Polytrack horse?” A better question: Will and run 1 ⁄4 miles around two only has won three races, but all image of him, hoarse and wild- ered a Class A violation, Veitch turns, farther than they have were knockouts, including a eyed yelling, “I love you, Amer- said. If a Derby runner is found to he ever run fast? 1 ever raced in their lives. 10 ⁄2-length victory in the Arkan- ica,” into television cameras af- have used the blood builder, the Nafzger appeared effortlessly sas Derby. Pletcher’s gang ter Strike the Gold won is about trainer could be suspended for up to Great Hunter Doug O’Neill 26-1 serene Friday morning, in boasts a variety of weapons, in- as famous as that of Nafzger and three years and fined $5,000 to 20 Nice horse, bad post. Has run well in one big race after another and marked contrast to Todd Pletch- cluding stalkers, late closers and, Genter. $10,000, while possibly forfeiting could be rolling late with a decent trip. er, who didn’t even show up for in Cowtown Cat, a possible pace Asked if he felt bad not being all purse money, Veitch said. the news conference he sched- player. in it this year, Zito just shrugged. “I can’t even speculate on all we

— Comments by John Scheinman uled for 9 a.m. at the backstretch Nobiz Like Shobiz (trained by “One less to beat,” he said. can do,” Veitch said.

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