Luongo

CHICAGO – Roberto Luongo made sure Vancouver’s early lead stood up instead of slipping away.

The Canucks offset the Chicago Blackhawks’ speed with better puck control and tougher defense and quieted the raucous crowd at the United Center with a 3-1 victory Tuesday night that gave them a 2-1 lead in the Western Conference semifinals.

“That was our game plan tonight, not to feed their transition,” Luongo said. “The had a lot of scoring chances the last couple of games because of it. Our defensemen did a good job in front of the net.”

Even without versatile defenseman Sami Salo, sidelined by an injury, Vancouver kept the Blackhawks from getting up and down the ice like they did in Game 2 when they pulled out a 6-3 victory.

“We were able to shut down one of the most skilled and best transition teams I’ve seen in a long time,” Vancouver coach Alain Vigneault said. We’re going to keep it high percentage. I think if we do that and play a good puck possession game, we give ourselves a better chance to win.”

Game 4 is back at the United Center on Thursday night before the series returns to Vancouver for Game 5 on Saturday night.

After surrendering eight goals in the first two games of the series at Vancouver, Luongo finished with 23 saves Tuesday, including a spectacular stop on Dave Bolland when the Blackhawks had a power play early in the third period.

Mason Raymond scored for the Canucks late in the first to give them the lead for the third straight game, and Steve Bernier’s goal during a power play early in the second put Vancouver up by two.

Henrik Sedin’s fourth goal of the playoffs made it 3-0 in the second.

But Brian Campbell’s slap shot from the high circle on a power play – with Chicago’s burly Dustin Byfuglien in the crease – cut the lead to 3-1 as the crowd that had been quiet for most of the night quickly erupted, hoping that another comeback was on its way.

But Luongo didn’t let this lead slip.

The Blackhawks had rallied from 3-0 and 2-0 deficits in Games 1 and 2 and earned a split, but there was no comeback this time.

Luongo also made a nice stop on Jonathan Toews with about 10 minutes left when the Blackhawks captain tried to stuff the puck in from the side.

“When we did make a few mistakes in the third period, Roberto made the saves he had to make,” Vigneault said.

Luongo, who’s had done some trash talking with the 6-foot-3, 247-pound Byfuglien when he comes near the goal throughout the series, said he wanted to say something to him after the Canucks’ victory.Byfuglien was called for goaltender interference early in the game.

“Unfortunately after the game I was going to congratulate him, but he skated away with his head down. I’m sure we’ll talk next game,” Luongo said.

Ducks beat Wings again

ANAHEIM, Calif. – Teemu Selanne scored in the first period, Scott Niedermayer added a goal in the second, and Jonas Hiller made 18 saves in the third for the Anaheim Ducks, who held on for a 2-1 win over the Detroit Red Wings on Tuesday night and grabbed a 2-1 lead in Western Conference semifinal series.

After building the first multiple-goal lead of the series, Hiller and the Ducks survived a third-period barrage by the defending champion Red Wings to post the win.

Detroit nearly tied the game with 1:09 remaining when Marian Hossa dived to knock in a loose puck in front of Hiller, but referee Brad Watson lost sight of the puck and whistled the play dead before the purported goal.

<h4>Not her day </h4>

Serena Williams reacts to losing a point to Patty Schnyder at the Italian Rome Masters tennis tournament on Tuesday. Williams lost the match.

TORONTO – BlackBerry boss Jim Balsillie is looking to buy the cash-strapped Phoenix Coyotes and move them to Ontario.

The co-CEO of BlackBerry maker Research In Motion said that his $212.5 million offer is conditional on the Coyotes relocating to Canada, where they existed as the Winnipeg Jets before moving to Phoenix for the 1996-97 season.

The team filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection on Tuesday.

The filing included the proposed sale of the franchise to PSE Sports & Entertainment, LP, a Delaware limited partnership, which would move the franchise to southern Ontario.

“Extensive efforts have been undertaken to sell the team, or attract additional investors, who would keep the team in Glendale,” Jerry Moyes, the Coyotes chief executive officer, said in a statement announcing the Chapter 11 filing.

“Creating a process under the supervision of a judge assures that anyone wishing to purchase the team will have the opportunity to bid.

“Likewise, the City of Glendale, which has been very cooperative with efforts to keep the team in Glendale, will be able to provide potential buyers assurances of the city’s willingness to offer incentives to keep the team as a tenant in the Jobing.com arena, the lease for which is subject to rejection in bankruptcy.

“The process assures that the identities of the new owner and the team’s location will be known by June 30, 2009, thus enabling the NHL to include the team in its 2009-10 schedule.”

Coyle earns Pac-10 honors

Arizona sophomore Bobby Coyle was named Pac-10 baseball player of the week after hitting .462 with nine RBIs in a three-game sweep over California.

Coyle, an outfielder-designated hitter, went 6 for 13 with a triple in each game. He was 5 for 7 with runners in scoring position, including two bases-loaded triples.

He leads the Pac-10 with six triples on the season.

Citizen Staff Report

No fans for soccer games

MEXICO CITY – All pro soccer games in Mexico this weekend will again be played without fans because of swine flu. The decision comes even though other parts of the country are returning to normal following a shutdown to contain the virus.

Mexico’s 176 league games – from the first to third division – were shuttered last weekend and three games around the capital were closed to fans the week before.

The Mexican soccer federation said Tuesday the games would remain closed because the government had not lifted all preventive measures.

“The decision was made in full awareness of the emergency health situation that confronts the country,” the federation said in a statement.

Regular-season play ends this weekend, and officials have not announced postseason plans.

The Associated Press

Phelps getting ready

BALTIMORE – When Michael Phelps was at his lowest, unsure if he wanted to return to swimming, he sat down with a pen and a piece of paper.

“I wrote out the pros and cons of swimming,” he said, “and quitting.”

In the end, swimming won out. Phelps returned to what he does best. Now, he’s finished serving a three-month suspension doled out by USA Swimming after a picture surfaced in a British tabloid showing him inhaling from a marijuana pipe.

Tuesday was the final day of his suspension. Phelps marked it like any other day: He woke up late and headed to the pool.

Phelps will return to competition next week at a meet in Charlotte, N.C. It will be his first time swimming competitively since winning eight gold medals at the Beijing Olympics.

“I’m happy to be back in the water and be back in semi-shape,” said Phelps, who’s lost almost 20 pounds in the last two months. “I’m sort of getting back into racing shape and getting ready to race my first race since Beijing. We’ll see how it goes.

The Associated Press

A-Rod homers twice

TAMPA, Fla. – New York Yankees star Alex Rodriguez homered twice and played seven innings in the field for the second straight day in an extended spring training game on Tuesday.

Sidelined since undergoing right hip surgery on March 9, the third baseman could rejoin the Yankees for Friday night’s game at Baltimore.

A-Rod said a return date has not been finalized.

“I have no idea about Friday,” said Rodriguez, who will play in another extended spring training game Wednesday. “I’m feeling good.”

Rodriguez went 3 for 6 with two homers to center – including one that cleared a 40-foot high batter’s eye. He had two plays at third, fielding a grounder and making a spin move to throw out Philadelphia minor leaguer at first.

“He had a great day, actually,” New York manager Joe Girardi said at Yankee Stadium as his team got ready to play Boston. “Ran hard to first, no issues.”

The Yankees could use Rodriguez’s bat as soon as possible – especially with All-Star catcher Jorge Posada going on the 15-day disabled list Tuesday because of a strained hamstring.

The Associated Press

QUOTABLE

'Last year we kind of had a cakewalk to the NBA finals. It feels good to be tested a little bit,'

KOBE BRYANT,

Lakers guard, on Los Angeles losing to Houston in Game 1 of their series in the second round of the NBA playoffs

———

ON THIS DATE

1917: Bob Groom of the Browns duplicates teammate Ernie Koob’s feat of the previous day by pitching a 3-0 no-hit victory against the Chicago White Sox in the second game of a doubleheader in St. Louis.

1973: The New England Whalers beat the Winnipeg Jets 9-6 to win the first World Hockey Association championship.

1976: Philadelphia’s Reggie Leach ties an NHL playoff record, scoring five goals in the Flyers’ 6-3 win over the Boston Bruins. Maurice Richard and Darryl Sittler also accomplished the feat.

1978: Affirmed, ridden by Steve Cauthen, holds off Alydar’s late charge for a 1 1/2-length victory in the Kentucky Derby. This is Affirmed’s easiest race against Alydar en route to the Triple Crown.

1988: Rick Stiner is 6-for-8 with 11 RBIs and three home runs and Matt Hyde is 6-for-9 with two homers and seven RBIs as Grand Canyon College sets a college scoring record with a 45-15 victory over Denver.

1994: Lennox Lewis stops Phil Jackson in the eighth round to retain his WBC heavyweight championship in Atlantic City, N.J.

1996: The Seattle SuperSonics make a playoff-record 20 3-pointers, including 13 in a row, to beat the Houston Rockets 105-101.

1998: Rookie Kerry Wood ties the major league record with 20 strikeouts in a nine-inning game, pitching a one-hitter to lead the Chicago Cubs over the Houston Astros 2-0.

2005: Chicago, with a 94-91 loss to Washington, becomes the ninth NBA team to lose a best-of-seven playoff series after winning the first two games.

2006: Barbaro storms into the lead at the top of the stretch and wins the Kentucky Derby convincingly. Barbaro, ridden by Edgar Prado, wins his sixth consecutive race, 6 1/2 lengths ahead of Bluegrass Cat and is the sixth undefeated winner of the Derby.

2006: Phoenix is the eighth team in NBA history to win a series after trailing 3-1 with a 121-90 victory over Los Angeles Lakers in Game 7 of its Western Conference opening-round series.

ROME – A day after insisting she was still the best player in the world despite falling from No. 1 in the rankings, Serena Williams lost to Patty Schnyder in her first match at the Italian Open.

Williams appeared to be moving with difficulty at times during her 6-2, 2-6, 6-1 loss on the clay at the Foro Italico.

“We all know who the real No. 1 is,” Williams said Monday. “Quite frankly, I’m the best in the world.”

Earlier, Dinara Safina, the player who overtook the top spot from Williams, bumped off Virginie Razzano 7-6 (1), 6-1.

Defending champion Jelena Jankovic and French Open champion Ana Ivanovic all advanced to the third round, as play was disrupted by rain and went late into the night.

Armstrong to help out

ROME – Lance Armstrong will ride in support of teammate Levi Leipheimer in the Giro d’Italia, saying he is not ready to contend for the title.

The seven-time Tour de France winner broke his collarbone in a crash in March and hopes to win at least one stage of the Giro, which begins Saturday in Venice.

“While at the beginning of the year my objective was to contend, with the crash I’m not sure I still can,” Armstrong said Tuesday at a meeting with Italy’s foreign minister, Franco Frattini, to support his campaign against cancer.

“Before that I was ahead of schedule. Now we’re behind schedule. I have to go into the Giro knowing I’m not a contender for the overall.”

WASHINGTON – Alex Ovechkin’s first playoff hat trick was cause for celebration, worthy of so many red caps that Sidney Crosby wanted fans to stop throwing them.

Minutes later, Crosby notched his first postseason hat trick, a consolation prize in a loss. Fewer than a half-dozen pieces of headgear made it to the ice.

It was a historic night for the NHL. Its two biggest stars – rivals who don’t care for each other – had their biggest playoff head-to-head performances. Ovechkin claimed the winning hand, breaking a tie with a pair of goals less than 3 minutes apart in the third period Monday night in the Washington Capitals’ 4-3 victory over the Pittsburgh Penguins.

“Sick game. Sick three goals by me and Crosby,” said Ovechkin, who celebrated by bouncing his body high off the glass after both of his third-period goals. “It’s unbelievable to see how fans react, how fans go crazy. The atmosphere right now, it’s unbelievable in town. You see all the red, and – probably I’m afraid to go home right now.”

The Eastern Conference semifinal series moves to Pittsburgh for Wednesday’s Game 3 with the Capitals leading 2-0. From 1991-2001, Washington lost five series in which it blew a lead against Pittsburgh, including 2-0 advantages in 1992 and 1996.

But that’s ancient history for Alex the Great and Sid the Kid, who quickly realized what a special game they had just played.

“It’s nice to score,” Crosby said. “But it’s better to win. I’m sure it’s entertaining for people to watch, if I were to look at it from a fan’s point of view. As a player, you don’t like when the guy on the other team gets a hat trick. That’s usually not a good sign.”

Ovechkin nailed a one-timer from the left circle that beat Marc-Andre Fleury on a power play with 7:07 left, then skated between the circles before unleashing a slap shot that sailed past Fleury’s glove with 4:38 remaining for his third goal of the game and seventh of the postseason.

After the first wave of hats came a second wave, prompting Crosby to speak to the referee about the long delay.

“People kept throwing hats,” Crosby said. “And I was just asking if he could make an announcement to ask them to stop.”

Crosby gave the Penguins leads of 1-0 and 2-1. His third goal came on a power play in the final minute after Fleury was pulled for an extra attacker, giving Crosby an NHL-leading eight in the playoffs.

“When you build up hype of superstars playing against each other, and then the superstars play like superstars, it’s a neat thing,” Washington coach Bruce Boudreau said.

<h4>Final-stage exuberance </h4>
Fly V Australia's Philip Zajicek celebrates as he wins the final stage of the Tour of the Gila on Sunday in Pinos Altos, N.M. Mellow Johnny's Levi Leipheimer won the tour, with teammate Lance Armstrong taking second and Zajicek third.

PINOS ALTOS, N.M. – The last big test for Lance Armstrong before the Giro d’Italia was more than 105 miles of steep roads and windy descents in the mountains of southwestern New Mexico.

It was the hardest stage of the Tour of the Gila, but Armstrong and his teammates Levi Leipheimer and Chris Horner passed the test.

The Astana riders, who entered the five-day event as independents, used the tour as a tune up for the upcoming race in Italy.

Armstrong said he feels good enough to be a contender for some stage wins in Italy but that Leipheimer has the best chance for an overall win.

“The first priority is to protect him and make sure that he fulfills his potential there,” the seven-time Tour de France winner said. “It would be an amazing thing for an American to win the tour of Italy again. I’d be pleased to be there and help.”

Leipheimer won the Tour of the Gila on Sunday after finishing first in two of the early stages and coming in third behind Armstrong in the last stage, dubbed the Gila Monster.

Armstrong moved up in the overall classification from fourth to second after Sunday’s stage.

Nadal wins on clay again

ROME – Rafael Nadal is looking unstoppable on clay for a fifth consecutive year.

The top-ranked Spaniard won his record fourth Rome Masters on Sunday, beating defending champion Novak Djokovic 7-6 (2), 6-2 for his third clay-court title in three weeks, adding to his victories at the Monte Carlo Masters and Barcelona Open.

Having dropped only one set over the three-week stretch, it’s tough to imagine someone taking three sets from Nadal at the French Open, which begins in three weeks.

The Spaniard will be aiming for a record fifth consecutive title at Roland Garros, which would break a tie with Bjorn Borg, who won six French Opens overall.

“Every tournament is completely different,” said Nadal, who will play in the Madrid Masters before heading to Paris. “In Roland Garros we will see. Important thing is (to) play well. If I am playing well, I’m going to have a lot of chances to have good results in both tournaments. But you never know what can happen. Tennis is always like this.”

Djokovic is the only player to take a set from Nadal on clay this year, in the Monte Carlo final two weeks ago.

Pima sports roundup

The Pima Community College men’s golf team captured the Region I title Sunday in Phoenix, beating runner-up Scottsdale by 13 strokes.

Eric Briggs (Sahuarita High) finished first among individuals with a 294 total. Teammate Tom Callahan (Sierra Vista Buena) was second with a 296.

The Aztecs will compete in the National Junior College Athletic Association National Tournament the Huntsville, Ala., from May 17-22.

• The Pima softball team lost to Yavapai 11-4 in the Region I Tournament title game Saturday in Prescott. The Aztecs won 2-1 earlier Saturday to force a second contest.

Pima finishes the season 52-17; Yavapai advances to the NJCAA National Tournament.

• The Pima women’s tennis team is tied for fourth after one day of the NJCAA National Tournament at Randolph Tennis Center.

Kelly Ponzio, Ali Brackey, Lori Cinnamond and Eunice Sanchez all won in singles play Sunday for the Aztecs.

Billups meets idol

DENVER – Nuggets point guard Chauncey Billups was introduced Sunday before Denver’s win over Dallas by one of his childhood heroes, Hall of Famer John Elway.

Elway, who led the Denver Broncos to back-to-back Super Bowl championships before retiring a decade ago, donned a Billups’ No. 7 jersey when he walked to halfcourt and introduced the floor leader born and raised in Denver.

“There’s only ever going to be one No. 7 in this town, and that’s John Elway,” Billups said after the game. “That was awesome. I’ll remember that forever, just because of my admiration for John. “There will only be one No. 7 in this town.”

Derby brought surprises

NBC’s three-hour coverage of a two-minute race Saturday mostly went according to script.

But there were surprises. The biggest: NBC race caller Tom Durkin, who has called more than 60,000 races, seemed to be caught flatfooted by 50-1 long shot Mine That Bird’s stretch run.

Durkin didn’t call the eventual winner’s inside charge – which, on replays, showed the value of NBC’s overhead cameras – and made only his second mention of the horse when Mine That Bird had a three-length lead. He always mentions each horse early in the race.

NBC’s early coverage was fluffy and generally served a promotional role for NBC corporate cousins, like the TV chefs from NBC-owned Bravo kissing each other after their cooking contest. Nancy O’Dell, from NBC-owned “Access Hollywood,” found red-carpet interviews with New York Giants quarterback Eli Manning a chance to mention the Giants – on NBC! – playing the first game at the Dallas Cowboys’ new stadium.

QUOTABLE

'We're supposed to win at home. This is our field.'

CHAD BILLINGSLEY,

Dodgers pitcher, after Los Angeles improved to 10-0 at home this season with a win over San Diego on Sunday

———

SPORTS SOUND-OFF

UA does well in landing recruit

Re: UA hoops gets oral commitment from Kevin Parrom

• This was a great grab, especially so late.

Need 1-2 more . . . maybe Lance Stephenson and either a hard-nosed 4, or a backup point. The hot new point is in the 2010 class.

It’s so nice to reload. 3829

• Time will indeed tell. In the meantime, the main guard is the “old guard” . . . Nic the Quick. BLKOJO

Welcome to Cat country, Look forward to watching you lead this team. JUST A FAN

RE: Lawmakers push for college football playoff

• It comes as no great surprise a Texan is bleating over this.

Throw in fan pressure from USC, Florida, Florida State, LSU and other powerhouses, and what you WILL end up with are 10-15 programs who land the very best recruits every year. Before long those schools will achieve complete dominance over berths in the so-called “playoffs.”

Is that what you really want? Just look at the Pac-10 . . . USC football basically owns the conference, and has for years now.

In similar manner the so-called playoffs will become an annual feed-fest for the few, and for the sports media who are also pushing as hard as they can.

Be careful what you wish for, people. This playoff hoo-hah may become your very worst nightmare. JOSE S.

———

ON THIS DATE

1935: Omaha, ridden by Willis Saunders, wins the Kentucky Derby by 1 1/2 lengths over Roman Soldier. Omaha goes on to win the Triple Crown.

1940: Gallahadion, a 35-1 long shot ridden by Carroll Bierman, wins the Kentucky Derby by 1 1/2 lengths over favorite Bimelech.

1946: Assault, ridden by Warren Mehrtens, wins the Kentucky Derby by eight lengths over Spy Song. Assault goes on to win the Triple Crown.

1957: Iron Liege, ridden by Bill Hartack, wins the Kentucky Derby by a nose when jockey Willie Shoemaker, on top of Gallant Man, takes the lead but misjudges the finish line. Shoemaker stands up in the saddle before the finish, which allows Iron Liege to win.

1968: Dancer’s Image, ridden by Bob Ussery, wins the Kentucky Derby by 1 1/2 lengths over Forward Pass. Three days later, Dancer’s Image is disqualified when traces of a painkiller are found in tests; Forward Pass, ridden by Ismael Valenzuela, is declared the winner.

1969: The Montreal Canadiens win the Stanley Cup with a four-game sweep as they beat the St. Louis Blues 2-1.

1993: Dale Hunter of the Washington Capitals receives a record 21-game suspension without pay from the NHL for a blindside check on the New York Islanders’ Pierre Turgeon in a playoff game April 28.

1994: Charles Barkley scores 56 points, including a playoff record 38 in the first half, to lead the Phoenix Suns to a 140-133 victory over the Golden State Warriors.

1999: The New Jersey Devils become the first top-seeded team to lose in the first round of the playoffs in consecutive years when they lose 4-2 to the Pittsburgh Penguins in Game 7.

2002: War Emblem, a 20-1 shot, scores a wire-to-wire, four-length victory over Proud Citizen in the Kentucky Derby.

2003: Detroit becomes the seventh team in NBA history to advance after falling behind 3-1 in a series, beating Orlando 108-93.

2006: Kobe Bryant scores 50 points for Los Angeles, but the Lakers lose to Phoenix 126-118 in overtime, forcing a Game 7 in their first-round series.

DETROIT – The third overtime was only about a minute old when Anaheim’s Todd Marchant flicked a wrist shot through traffic toward the net.

Detroit goalie Chris Osgood never saw it coming.

Marchant delivered a rare goal and the Ducks won the first multiple-overtime game of this postseason 4-3 on Sunday to even the Western Conference semifinal with the Red Wings at a game apiece.

“Not many goals get decided off of my stick, that’s for sure,” he said.

Marchant, who has been in the NHL since the 1993-94 season, had just five goals during the regular season and 12 previously in the playoffs.

The 35-year-old forward had plenty of energy on the game-winning play and help from teammate Scott Niedermayer, who screened Osgood.

“I don’t know even where it went,” Osgood said.

Marchant carried the puck up the middle of ice, made a move to slip into open space in the left circle and let a shot fly. The goal came at 1:15 of the third OT.

The eighth-seeded Ducks headed home happy and ready to host Game 3 on Tuesday night.

The Red Wings will look back at Game 2 with regret, particularly when they wasted a rare power play in OT – midway through the first one – and outshot Anaheim 29-15 over the first two extra periods.

“There were chances to win the game,” Detroit coach Mike Babcock said. “And we didn’t do it.”

Jonas Hiller had a lot to do with that.

Playing in his first NHL postseason and second year in the league, he made a career-high 59 saves.

“I’ve never gone to double overtime before,” the native of Switzerland said. “We have shootouts at home.

Hurricanes 3, Bruins 0: At Boston, Cam Ward’s second playoff shutout in four games and a rare misplay by Zdeno Chara gave Carolina a split of their first two games against the Bruins on Sunday night.

Ward turned aside 36 shots, and Chara’s bad pass led to Matt Cullen’s short-handed goal as the Hurricanes won 3-0 and headed home for Games 3 and 4 Wednesday and Friday nights.

Joe Corvo also scored, and Eric Staal added an empty-net goal with 28 seconds left.

Ward, the MVP of the 2006 playoffs won by Carolina, preserved his shutout with 6:37 left when Michael Ryder pounced on a loose puck in front of the net.

Ward flashed his left pad out to stop the shot then made a save after Dennis Wideman got the rebound.

The win was Carolina’s first of the season against Boston, which went 4-0 in the regular season, then won Friday night’s opener 4-1.

The Bruins are 3-0 in playoff series against the Hurricanes, including a 1999 win that was their last series victory before this year.

Calvin Borel celebrates after riding Mine That Bird to victory in the 135th Kentucky Derby on Saturday at Churchill Downs in Louisville, Ky.

LOUISVILLE, Ky. – Mine That Bird stood regally, his ears pricked, his gaze fixed on the rows of clicking cameras.

Then the 50-1 upset winner of the Kentucky Derby put his head down and began munching on grass, leaving his human handlers still in shock about his stunning 6 3/4-length victory a day earlier.

“It’s hard to believe we come in here and actually won this thing,” bareback rider-turned-trainer Bennie Woolley Jr. said Sunday. “Right now it’s a little overwhelming.”

As proof, Mine That Bird wore a cream blanket with embroidered red roses proclaiming him as the Derby winner.

Whether he moves on to run in the 1 3/16-mile Preakness on May 16 will be decided in the next couple days, Woolley said.

“The Preakness tends to be a little more speed-biased and I don’t know that that’s going to fit our horse all that well,” he said.

If Mine That Bird skips the middle jewel of the Triple Crown, he’ll be pointed toward the Belmont Stakes in June. Woolley believes the grueling 1 1/2-mile “Test of the Champion” would suit the gelding, whose father Birdstone won the 2004 Belmont.

The Derby winner hasn’t bypassed the Preakness since 1996, when Grindstone was injured between the two races and retired. The Derby winner has followed up by winning the Preakness seven times in the last 12 years.

Mark Allen wants to see the horse he and Leonard Blach purchased for $400,000 before last year’s Breeders’ Cup run in Baltimore.

“If this horse is doing good, you bet we’ll run, but he’s going to have to tell us,” he said. “The horse will tell us. We don’t owe nobody nothing.”

BALTIMORE — Mine That Bird is headed to the Preakness.

The trainer of the gelding who won the Kentucky Derby at 50-1 odds said his horse will run in the May 16 Preakness at Pimlico, the second leg of the Triple Crown.

“I’ve never been to Baltimore, but it looks like I won’t be able to say that in a few days,” trainer Bennie Woolley Jr. said Monday.

Woolley said the horse will remain at Churchill Downs in Louisville at least until May 12 before shipping to Baltimore. He jogged a mile at Churchill on Monday morning and will have light jogs each of the next two days.

Woolley said there are no plans for the horse to have a full workout before the Preakness.

Mine That Bird, ridden by Calvin Borel, won the Derby by 6 3/4 lengths over Pioneerof the Nile — the largest margin of victory since Assault in 1946.

On Sunday, a day after the big upset, Woolley said there’s “no obligation” to go to the Preakness and added: “You’ve got to do what’s best for the horse and the horse has got to come first.”

And the horse has given every indication he came out of the race in good order.

“The Triple Crown is good for racing, and without the Derby winner, there is no chance to have one,” he said.

The last Derby winner to skip the Preakness was an injured Grindstone in 1996. The last healthy Derby winner to miss it was Spend A Buck in 1985.

Other Derby horses expected to take on Mine That Bird are fourth-place finisher Papa Clem and possibly Pioneerof the Nile, third-place Musket Man, Join in the Dance (seventh) and General Quarters (10th).

Potential newcomers include Delta Jackpot winner Big Drama, Withers winner Mr. Fantasy, Take the Points and Miner’s Escape.

The Preakness is limited to 14 starters.

The big question, of course, is whether Mine That Bird can win the Preakness and set up a Triple Crown attempt in the Belmont Stakes on June 6. The last Triple Crown winner was Affirmed in 1978.

Borel said he’ll be more than happy to take a shot.

“He’s plenty of horse,” he said.

Pioneerof the Nile’s trainer Bob Baffert had some advice for Woolley and owners Mark Allen and Leonard Blach on Sunday: if Mine That Bird is OK, go for it.

“This is a dream of a lifetime,” Baffert said. “I hope he comes out of it well and they go and maybe he’s for real. We’re going to find out.”

Last year, Big Brown won the Derby and the Preakness, but finished last in the Belmont after being pulled up on the turn for home.

DETROIT – Nicklas Lidstrom usually plays a subtle style of hockey appreciated most by coaches, players and die-hard fans.

The Detroit Red Wings defenseman’s latest performance, though, was so spectacular it impressed an opponent.

“Special player,” Anaheim coach Randy Carlyle said.

Lidstrom scored his second goal of the game with 49.1 seconds left and had an assist, lifting the Red Wings to a 3-2 win over the Ducks on Friday night in Game 1 of the Western Conference semifinal series.

“I just get so amazed how he performs out there in a big game like this, in the last minute like that,” teammate Jonathan Ericsson said. “He’s so calm out there. I guess the experience speaks for itself. I get goose bumps.”

Lidstrom is a finalist for the Norris Trophy. If he is honored as the NHL’s best defenseman for the seventh time, he’ll tie Doug Harvey’s total and pull within one of Bobby Orr’s record collection.

Despite turning 39 earlier this week, Lidstrom simply hasn’t lost a step.

He started the winning play behind his net, skated up the ice, shot and scored off the rebound.

“It came off my pad and he was there all alone,” Anaheim goalie Jonas Hiller said. “He was patient enough to wait until I moved.”

Lidstrom scored a go-ahead goal for the defending Stanley Cup champions in the second period.

He assisted on Johan Franzen’s goal that tied the game in the first following Detroit’s only deficit of the playoffs, drawing praise from his coach.

“He’s a talented player,” Detroit’s Mike Babcock said. “We’re lucky to have him.”

Chris Osgood had 22 saves to improve to 5-0 in this year’s playoffs.

Hiller stopped 34 shots for the Ducks, who got goals from Corey Perry and Teemu Selanne.

Game 2 is Sunday in Detroit.

Bruins 4, Hurricanes 1: At Boston, Marc Savard scored twice and Tim Thomas stopped 26 shots to lead Boston past Carolina in the opener of the Eastern Conference semifinals.

Michael Ryder scored for the fourth game in a row, and David Krejci also scored for the top-seeded Bruins, who swept the Hurricanes during the regular season and on Friday night made it five straight.

Game 2 is Sunday in Boston.

<h4>Peppers a no-show </h4>

Five-year-old John Michael Salamone wears his Julius Peppers jersey as he watches the Carolina Panthers during their minicamp on Friday in Charlotte, N.C. Peppers is not participating in the camp.

WASHINGTON – Tackling an issue sure to rouse sports fans, lawmakers pressed college football officials Friday to switch the Bowl Championship Series to a playoff, with one Texas Republican calling the current system as unworkable as communism and joking it should be labeled “BS,” not “BCS.”

John Swofford, the coordinator of the BCS, rejected the idea of switching to a playoff, telling a House panel that it would threaten the existence of celebrated bowl games.

Sponsorships and TV revenue that now go to bowl games would instead be spent on playoff games, “meaning that it will be very difficult for any bowl, including the current BCS bowls, which are among the oldest and most established in the game’s history, to survive,” Swofford said.

Rep. Joe Barton of Texas, who has introduced legislation that would prevent the NCAA from calling a game a national championship unless it’s the outcome of a playoff, bluntly warned Swofford: “If we don’t see some action in the next two months, on a voluntary switch to a playoff system, then you will see this bill move.”

After the hearing of the House Energy and Commerce Committee’s, trade and consumer protection subcommittee, Swofford told reporters: “Any time Congress speaks, you take it seriously.”

Yet it is unclear whether lawmakers will try to legislate how college football picks its No. 1 before the first kickoff of the fall season. Congress is grappling with a crowded agenda of budgets, overhaul of health care and climate change, and though President Obama favors a playoff, he hasn’t made it a legislative priority.

Britton must back up words

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – Ex-Arizona Wildcat Eben Britton’s bold, draft-day comments followed him to Jacksonville.

Britton, the 6-foot-6, 310-pound Arizona standout who said he planned to become one of the greatest offensive tackles in NFL history, got razzed by teammates for his words during the team’s first day of minicamp.

“They’ve been messing with me a little bit, but it’s all in good fun,” Britton said Friday. “I just have to go out there and make sure I earn their respect on the field.”

Britton certainly will get the chance. The Jaguars lined him up at tackle and guard to start minicamp, trying to give him every opportunity to win a starting job on an aging line that was ravaged by injuries last season.

Jacksonville lost center Brad Meester, backup tackle Richard Collier and their top three guards – Vince Manuwai, Maurice Williams and Chris Naeole – for parts of last season. Coach Jack Del Rio said age had a lot to do with those injuries and vowed to upgrade the line in the offseason.

The Jags signed three-time Pro Bowl left tackle Tra Thomas, veteran Jordan Black and then drafted Virginia star Eugene Monroe and Britton with their first two picks on April 25. All those moves made the group one of the most competitive heading into minicamp and summer workouts.

Britton welcomed the challenge and didn’t back down from his recent remarks.

“I don’t regret saying any of it,” Britton said. “But at the same time, there’s been some repercussions.”

Britton said he was ripped on some Internet sites for suggesting he could be one of the best in league history. A few people even told him he disrespected players such as Jonathan Ogden, Anthony Muñoz, Orlando Pace and Walter Jones by implying he could be as good.

But Britton said that was never his intention.

“Those kinds of guys were my idols growing up and I would never disrespect any of those players,” said Britton, who recorded 289 knockdowns and was penalized just four times in 2,461 career snaps at Arizona.

“I hold those guys in the highest regard. What kid doesn’t want to come in and work hard and be recognized in even the same sentence with guys like that? That’s more what I was trying to get at. I would like to be considered as one of those guys (someday).”

The Associated Press

Pacquiao favored in title bout

LAS VEGAS – The last time Manny Pacquiao displayed his many talents he stopped Oscar De La Hoya in a fight no one thought he could win.

The beating he administered that night not only sent De La Hoya into retirement, but cemented Pacquiao’s status as boxing’s newest star.

Pacquiao returns to the ring Saturday night much the same fighter he was five months ago, taking on Ricky Hatton in a lucrative 140-pound fight matching two guys who love to brawl. The big difference now, though, is that everybody expects him to win.

One big fight can create a lot of expectations, and the biggest task for Pacquiao may be managing those expectations in the ring.

His trainer isn’t worried. Pacquiao, says Freddie Roach, is more focused than ever.

“The win over Oscar just gave him more confidence,” Roach said. “So many people said he couldn’t do it, but he did. Oscar could still beat a lot of guys, but he didn’t win a second of that fight.”

Once again, Pacquiao will be facing a fighter who is bigger than him as he fights for only the third time above 130 pounds. Pacquiao weighed in at 138 pounds Friday while Hatton was at the class limit of 140 pounds.

But oddsmakers who saw him dismantle an even bigger De La Hoya make him a 2-1 favorite to beat the once-beaten Hatton and win a title in his sixth weight class since turning pro.

Coming off a rugged training camp that Pacquiao believes was his best ever, he’s not about to argue the point.

“I believe that I am improving and everybody knows and can see that by my last few performances,” Pacquiao said.

The Associated Press

Rosen makes cut

Former St. Gregory College Prep star Matt Rosen shot a 6-under-par 66 Friday to finish in a tie for 14th place in the final round of a Gateway Tour event.

Rosen ended with a 9-under 207 for three rounds. Tucsonans Jacob Rogers and Brian Kontak each ended with a 3-under 213 to tie for 37th.

Citizen Staff Report

Cooper to coach USC

LOS ANGELES – Michael Cooper will leave the Los Angeles Sparks to coach Southern California’s women’s basketball team. Athletic director Mike Garrett announced Cooper’s hiring Friday.

Cooper will leave the Sparks, who begin play on June 6, after their WNBA season ends in late September or early October.

The Associated Press

The Bounce: Congressmen push for college football playoff

QUOTABLE

'Everybody is getting their money's worth.'

PAUL PIERCE,

Boston forward, on the Celtics-Bulls series. Game 7 is Saturday in Boston.

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SPORTS SOUND-OFF

Fans like idea of Parrom joining UA hoops

Re: Recruit Kevin Parrom visiting UA

• Hopefully Parrom decides to come to Arizona. I wish Wise would come back, but it just doesn’t make any sense to come back next year to play on another tournament bubble team. ZONA2SANDIEGO

• I’m confident Kevin will be our next Wildcat and we’ll be grateful for his commitment. PA

Re: Chuck Cecil inducted into College Football Hall of Fame

• I am 66 years old, an ex-coach, and have seen over 1,000 football games. I was fortunate to be in Arizona Stadium for the 106-yard return. The single greatest football moment of my life. Thanks Chuck, and congratulations. Well deserved. OLDBOB

Re: UA coach Mike Stoops to get $1 million a year

• Well rewarded. Stoops took over a program that was in the toilet from Mackovic. He’ll lead the program in the right direction both football- and academic-wise. 3202

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ON THIS DATE

1917: Fred Toney of the Cincinnati Reds and James “Hippo” Vaughn of the Chicago Cubs pitch a double no-hitter for nine innings, but the Reds win 1-0 with two hits in the 10th.

1939: Lou Gehrig of the New York Yankees does not play against the Detroit Tigers at Briggs Stadium, ending his streak of 2,130 consecutive games played.

1967: The Toronto Maple Leafs beat the Montreal Canadiens 3-1 to win the Stanley Cup in six games.

1995: Hideo Nomo of the Los Angeles Dodgers becomes the first Japanese native to play in the majors in three decades. Nomo pitches five scoreless innings of one-hit ball, but the Dodgers blow a 3-0 lead and lose to San Francisco 4-3.

2001: James Hylton, a 28-year-old construction worker from Keizer, Ore., bowls the fifth perfect 900 series in the 106-year history of the sport.

2002: Mike Cameron hits four homers and comes close to a record-setting fifth in leading the Seattle Mariners to a 15-4 victory over the Chicago White Sox.

The Associated Press

UA grad Pletcher batting 0 for 21

Exercise rider Patti Barry takes Kentucky Derby hopeful Dunkirk for a workout at Churchill Downs in Louisville, Ky. Trainer Todd Pletcher (left) watches his horses as they train for the derby.

LOUISVILLE, Ky. – D. Wayne Lukas remembers the lean years in the early 1980s when he’d come to Churchill Downs with a hot Kentucky Derby contender and leave watching somebody else’s horse draped in the traditional blanket of roses given to the winner.

It took the Hall of Fame trainer 13 starts over eight Derbys before he broke through with Winning Colors.

The wait seemed like forever, which is why Lukas knows better than most the frustration of protégé Todd Pletcher, a University of Arizona graduate who enters Saturday’s Run for the Roses sporting a dubious 0-for-21 mark, the most Derby starts by a trainer without a win.

While he sympathizes with Pletcher’s troubles, Lukas also can’t help but take a friendly shot at his former assistant turned Eclipse Award winner.

“It gets a little bit bad when you get 0-for-(21),” Lukas said with a laugh. “But Todd, there’s certainly one with his name on it out there somewhere.”

Pletcher has three chances to snap his streak when he sends Dunkirk, Advice and Join in the Dance to the post late Saturday afternoon at Churchill Downs.

It’s hardly Pletcher’s most accomplished group.

Dunkirk, a co-second choice at 4-1 from post No. 15, is talented but still largely untested.

Advice is the only Pletcher runner with a graded stakes win, but that came two weeks ago at Keeneland and the short turnaround is a problem for oddsmakers, who listed him at 30-1.

Join in the Dance only made the field after a series of horses dropped out of the Derby picture and Pletcher admits things would have to go beyond perfect for the 50-1 long shot to stun the field. There’s a better chance of Join in the Dance finishing last, something a Pletcher horse has done in each of the last three Derbys.

“Sometimes it goes like that,” said Pletcher, who earned his bachelor of animal science from UA in 1989.

“It looks like you’re holding a really hot hand in January and you have nothing in May and sometimes it’s the other way around. It doesn’t look like you have anything in January and it all comes together.”

Pletcher usually keeps 30 2-year-olds in training with an eye toward the next year’s Derby. Pletcher’s 2008 crop of youngsters, however, didn’t exactly look promising. Pletcher admits in January he thought Dunkirk was his only shot.

The gray colt came to the trainer’s barn with plenty of fanfare after being scooped up for $3.7 million as a yearling during a 2007 sale at Keeneland.

It didn’t exactly look like money well spent after shin problems kept Dunkirk off the track as a 2-year-old.

Pletcher never panicked, knowing his horse just needed time to get through some growing pains. After a couple of impressive races against lesser competition, Dunkirk ran a strong second to Quality Road in the Florida Derby on March 28.

The race validated Pletcher’s patience, but it still took a number of defections, including Quality Road, to get Dunkirk in the Derby.

“In Dunkirk’s situation we were flying underneath the radar from a public standpoint but within the organization we felt like we had something special we could come here with,” he said. “Obviously we’re up against a lot of history and you have to respect that, but I feel like for a horse that’s lightly raced that he’s had a lot thrown at him.”

Pletcher points to jockey Garrett Gomez’s hesitation to pick between Pioneerof the Nile (trained by UA grad Bob Baffert) and Dunkirk as evidence of his colt’s potential.

On paper Pioneerof the Nile, winner of four straight graded stakes, seemed the easy choice. Gomez, however, debated for weeks before opting to go with Baffert’s horse. Edgar Prado will ride Dunkirk in the Derby.

“It speaks to Dunkirk’s ability that it was a tough decision for Garrett,” Pletcher said.

There hasn’t been quite as much hand-wringing over Pletcher’s other two mounts, both of whom were barely on the Derby radar until recently. Are they good enough to compete on Saturday? Pletcher knows it doesn’t really matter to owners with a case of Derby fever.

“It’s difficult to tell people, ‘Your horse is doing well, he’s got enough graded earnings (but) you shouldn’t run in this race,’ ” he said. “It’s the one race everybody wants to be involved in so it’s more difficult to tell someone ‘No’ in this situation.”

Standing outside his barn at Churchill Downs this week, Pletcher seemed relaxed and realistic about his chances.

“It’s very tough to get here and to get here with a chance,” he said. “Any time you have 20 horses instead of one, you obviously have a better chance at least of getting here but there’s going to be one winner.”

Exercise rider Joe Deggan takes Kentucky Derby favorite I Want Revenge off the track following his workout at Churchill Downs.

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DERBY FIELD, ODDS

Post, horse Jockey Odds

1. West Side Bernie Elliott 30-1

2. Musket Man Coa 20-1

3. Mr. Hot Stuff Velazquez 30-1

4. Advice Douglas 30-1

5. Hold Me Back Desormeaux 15-1

6. Friesan Fire Saez 6-1

7. Papa Clem Bejarano 20-1

8. Mine That Bird Borel 50-1

9. Join in the Dance DeCarlo 50-1

10. Regal Ransom Garcia 30-1

11. Chocolate Candy Smith 20-1

12. General Quarters Leparoux 20-1

13. I Want Revenge Talamo 3-1

14. Atomic Rain Bravo 50-1

15. Dunkirk Prado 4-1

16. Pioneerof the Nile* Gomez 4-1

17. Summer Bird Rosier 50-1

18. Nowhere to Hide Bridgmohan 50-1

19. Desert Party Dominguez 15-1

20. Flying Private Albarado 50-1

PORTLAND, Ore. – In the world of college Ultimate Frisbee, it’s ultimately not cool to go without pants.

So said a student board that governs club sports at the University of Oregon when it ended a highly ranked team’s season after five players shed their pants and underwear April 11 during sectional play at Oregon State University in Corvallis.

The squad already had been on probation since November for serving alcohol to minors and making way too much noise at a party to end last season, resulting in fines and citations. Now the team, known as EGO (Eugene Gentlemen’s Organization) is crying foul.

“We put on the longest shirts we had,” pleaded player Kevin Minderhout. “We have some jerseys that are pretty long.”

Minderhout said the team feels “the decision to end the team season was pretty heavy.”

Ultimate Frisbee, which is akin to flag football and is popular as a club sport at numerous universities and high schools, has rules but no referees. Players are responsible for their own foul calls and are to resolve their own disputes.

Oregon was No. 3 in the nation.

During the April 11 incident, one team went without shirts and five on the other side went without pants and underwear.

Someone complained. The club sports executive committee, a review board of five students, held a hearing Monday. Team members didn’t do themselves any favors by saying there was nothing wrong with playing without pants.

Sandie Hammerly, executive director of the sport’s governing body in the United States, the Ultimate Players Association in Boulder, Colo., said she and the association’s championship director, Will Deaver, support the punishment.

“You have to wear clothing – it’s in the rules,” Hammerly said.

Cyclist Lance Armstrong placed third during stage 3 of the Tour of the Gila, a 16-mile individual time trial, on Friday near Tyrone, N.M. The race is Armstrong's first since breaking his collarbone in a race in Spain.

SILVER CITY, N.M. – Lance Armstrong draws a crowd anywhere he goes, and Tour of the Gila organizers couldn’t be happier about it.

Returning from a broken collarbone, Armstrong has provided a major publicity boost for the New Mexico race, now in its 23rd year. Armstrong, meanwhile, has enjoyed the event’s laid-back, low-key feel.

“It’s good for the first race back,” he said. “To not have to handle the logistics and things like that, it makes it easier. The early stages make for long days. You get back home just past noon. Then you almost sit around and wonder what to do.”

Armstrong placed third Friday in the Gila’s third stage, a time trial that started and finished in the mining village of Tyrone. He covered the hilly 16-mile course in 34 minutes, 22 seconds.”I felt good,” Armstrong said. “Classical old-style, old-school American time trial. Out and back. Hot dog turn in the middle. Pretty cool.”

Armstrong’s teammate, Levi Leipheimer, won in 31:32.59 and remained the Tour of the Gila’s overall leader.

The Astana team riders are using the Gila race to prepare for next week’s Giro d’Italia.Looking ahead to Saturday’s criterium, it will be the first time since a 2005 event in Ojai, Calif., that Armstrong will participate in the speedy – and dangerous – race where cyclists zip around a 1-mile downtown course.

Armstrong said the criterium “makes me the most nervous with the injury” because such races are characterized by aggressive riders.

“Fortunately, we’re in the lead,” he said. “You can ride up front and people will give you a little space hopefully. It’s also got some hills in it, which should thin it out.”

Federer, Nadal win

ROME – Roger Federer and Novak Djokovic posted straight-set wins Friday to set up a semifinal meeting in the Rome Masters, and three-time champion Rafael Nadal advanced in the other half of the draw.

Nadal cruised past eighth-seeded Fernando Verdasco 6-3, 6-3, improving to 8-0 against his fellow Spaniard. He will play 12th-seeded Fernando Gonzalez, who struggled past Argentine qualifier Juan Monaco 2-6, 6-3, 6-4.

Federer overcame net-charging German qualifier Mischa Zverev, advancing 7-6 (3), 6-2. Djokovic stayed on course to defend his title in this clay-court warmup for the French Open with a 6-3, 6-4 victory over fifth-seeded Juan Martin del Potro.

The fast clay at the Foro Italico suits both Federer and Djokovic.

“I think both of us like it, so it’s going to be interesting,” Djokovic said. “I feel quite confident playing here. Each match I play, I feel more comfortable moving on the court and just playing my style of the game.”

LOUISVILLE, Ky. – Dolphus Morrison is a racing purist: The Kentucky Derby is for the boys; the Kentucky Oaks is for the girls.

You won’t hear any of the Derby owners complaining.

Morrison’s spectacular filly Rachel Alexandra crushed the field by a record 20 lengths in the $500,000 Oaks on Friday at Churchill Downs, perhaps stamping herself as the best 3-year-old horse in the world, boy or girl.

“If she stays sound, she’ll be the next Secretariat,” jockey Calvin Borel said.

She certainly put on a performance that harkened back to the legendary Triple Crown winner.

Rachel Alexandra eased past Gabby’s Golden Gal on the far turn then poured it on as she entered the stretch, extending the lead as 100,000 spectators roared with every stride of her eye-popping victory in the filly version of the Kentucky Derby.

Borel blew a kiss and tapped her on the neck as they crossed the finish line for her fifth straight win, all by convincing margins.

“I’ve never been on a horse that good, to tell you the truth,” said Borel, who won the 2007 Kentucky Derby aboard Street Sense.

Stone Legacy was a distant second, with Flying Spur third.

Phelps to pay visit

LOUISVILLE, Ky. – Michael Phelps, who knows how to make a splash, will be at soggy Churchill Downs on Saturday for the Kentucky Derby.

Phelps, who won a record eight gold medals in swimming at the 2008 Beijing Olympics, will be stopping by to visit trainer Bob Baffert, a University of Arizona graduate who has one of the favorites in Pioneerof the Nile.

With forecasters calling for a very wet day in Louisville, Phelps should feel right at home. And he might have some pointers for the jockey.

“If it’s raining and sloppy, I’m going to have him talk to Garrett Gomez about it,” Baffert said.

Phelps and swimming coach Bob Bowman, who is also a thoroughbred horseman from Maryland, are flying in Saturday morning.

Baffert is hoping another Olympic buddy, skier Bode Miller, will make the race if he can escape from a “Superstars” competition in the Bahamas.

“He called me up and said he wanted to be here if I won it,” said Baffert, who named his 4 1/2-year-old son Bode.

“We want “old” Bode to give him his first skiing lessons,” Baffert said.

Derby name game

The art of naming Derby contenders is occasionally predictable. Mine That Bird, for example, came from the stallion Birdstone and the mare Mining My Own.

But more often, there are stories – sometimes convoluted ones – behind why an owner decides on a name.

Co-owner Rick Porter says his horse, Friesan Fire, was named by the Simon family, which bred him. Often the family would visit the Friesian Islands near Germany. One evening they discussed opening a bar and calling it Friesan Fire, Porter said, although he couldn’t explain why the horse’s name is spelled differently.

“West Side Story” is a hit again on Broadway, and West Side Bernie punched his Derby ticket in New York with an impressive second-place performance at the Wood Memorial. What’s more, the composer of the musical is Leonard Bernstein, just like the horse’s sire, hence the name.

Ahmed Zayat says he named Pioneerof the Nile because he hails from Egypt and has been a pioneer of sorts in several business ventures.

Perhaps the most ironic name in the field is Chocolate Candy. While the colt is named for a high-calorie sweet, its owner, Jenny Craig, is famous for her weight-loss programs.

Chicago Blackhawks goaltender Nikolai Khabibulin watches the puck during the third period of Thursday's NHL playoff game against Vancouver in Vancouver. The Canucks won 5-3.

VANCOUVER, British Columbia – The blood was still oozing out of five stitches above Kyle Wellwood’s left eye and a fat lower lip, and yet the Canucks forward couldn’t stop smiling.

Wellwood had two assists, drew five power plays, lost one tooth and chipped another, but his biggest play in Vancouver’s 5-3 series-opening victory over the Chicago Blackhawks on Thursday night didn’t show up on the score sheet.

Wellwood, a center, made the pass that started a 4-on-1 rush, and defenseman Sami Salo finished it by banging in a rebound with 1:13 remaining, putting the Canucks back ahead after they blew a three-goal lead in the third period.

Ryan Johnson scored into an empty net with 15.5 seconds left to secure the Game 1 win.

“It’s definitely not fun to have these marks on your face, but in the playoffs it feels all right,” Wellwood said. “These aren’t something you worry about too much; they get you attention more than anything.”

After rallying with two goals by Patrick Kane and a tying marker from David Bolland with 5:29 left, the Blackhawks coughed up the puck on a 4-on-2 rush of their own.

Wellwood jumped on it and fed ahead to Mason Raymond, who sent a cross-ice pass to Steve Bernier for a one-timer that was stopped by a sliding goalie Nikolai Khabibulin, leaving Salo alone to hammer in the rebound. Wellwood was especially happy to see the puck go in after turning the puck over for Chicago’s 4-on-2.

“When I got it back I just threw it to Mase and me and Sami somehow were ahead of all their guys, too, so we just started heading toward the net and Sami put it in,” said Wellwood, who was hit near the eye by Andrew Ladd’s stick in the first period and in the mouth by Kane’s in the second.

Pavol Demitra scored on a power play, and Henrik Sedin and Ryan Kesler added even-strength goals for Vancouver, 16-1-1 at home since February. Game 2 of the Western Conference semifinal series is Saturday night in Vancouver.

After Chicago rallied twice from three-goal deficits in its six-game victory over Calgary, Kane got the Blackhawks’ rally started 1:01 into the third, pouncing on a loose puck in the slot and roofing a quick shot over goalie Roberto Luongo’s shoulder. Kane cut it one on a power-play rebound of Brent Seabrook’s point shot, and Bolland tied it on another rebound off a long Duncan Keith shot.

“We had a great third period to start off. One mistake and it ends up in the back of your net,” said Kane. “It’s not going to be as easy as Calgary. They’re a faster-paced team and we’ve got to keep up with them.”