Sens vs. Admirals 4/14/04 Articles: Goalie gives Admirals control of series
April 15, 2004

Posted by: Bob Howard
Credit: Scott Lauber of Press Connects.com

Goalie gives Admirals control of series

BY SCOTT LAUBER

Press & Sun-Bulletin

BINGHAMTON -- After last Saturday's morning skate, several Binghamton Senators loitered on the ice and teased defenseman Andy Hedlund by mimicking his failure to lift two shots over the stacked pads of Norfolk Admirals goalie Michael Leighton in a loss one night earlier.

Leighton's mastery of Hedlund -- and the rest of the Senators -- is a laughing matter no longer.

A hot goalie can steal any playoff series, especially a truncated best-of-three affair, and with his play in Game 1 Wednesday night, Leighton is officially hot. He stopped 31 shots and put the Senators' season on life support with a 3-0 shutout before a crowed of 2,863 at the Broome County Veterans Memorial Arena.

"Leighton played well, but at the same time, we made him look good by not burying our chances," said center Serge Payer. "We had opportunities to score, and we didn't cash in."

Including his 44-save whitewash last week, Leighton has stopped 75 consecutive Senators shots. And when he next faces them in Game 2 Friday night, he needs only to win -- not to be perfect -- to end the Senators' season before they have a chance to grow their playoff beards.

The Admirals scored one goal in each period against Ray Emery, a two-time AHL all-star who was purported to be the standout goalie in this series. Quintin Laing scored with 1:23 remaining in the first period and 27 seconds left in the game to bookend Brandin Cote's second-period marker and drop the Senators to 0-4-1 in their last five home games.

"In that last game against us, (Leighton) had a great game," center Charlie Stephens said. "He didn't play at that same level (in Game 1). We hurt ourselves. We didn't put some shots away."

Stephens was at the forefront of that failure. He fired a shot wide-right on a mini-breakaway with 3:30 left in the second period, and instead of tying the game 1-1, watched as Cote converted a two-on-one 11 seconds later with a low shot to Emery's glove side for a two-goal lead.

"I had a hole, and I just missed it," Stephens said. "That was a momentum-killer right there."

The Senators played well in spurts, but coach John Paddock described their overall performance as "average at best" and "lukewarm." They allowed 35 or more shots in 10 of their last 15 regular-season games, and after vowing before Game 1 to make life easier on Emery, they yielded 35 shots, including 20 in the first period.

Josh Langfeld, sent down from Ottawa on a conditioning stint, rejoined Chris Kelly and Denis Hamel on the Senators' top line and was admittedly rusty. He flipped two shots on goal, but like everyone else, could not solve Leighton.

Picked by Admirals coach Trent Yawney to start over fellow prospect Craig Anderson, Leighton made it clear the Senators would not have an easier time scoring than they did last week. Less than six minutes into the game, he stopped Hamel from point-blank range on a power play and got his glove on Julien Vauclair's bid at 10:25.

The Senators had some of their best chances midway through the third period during a 73-second two-man advantage. Paddock put winger Jody Hull on the point to help fuel the power play, but Leighton made a pad save on Vauclair and stopped rookie Grant Potulny's one-timer from the slot.

"That's where your goaltender has to become your best penalty killer, and he was," Yawney said. "And the other guys did a lot of nice things out there to keep the puck outside of our zone."

Said Paddock, "We've got to find a way for a few to go in. We've got to bury the chances we get. Our players have to do a better job. We've got guys that have got to step up in different areas."

At this point, the Senators' season depends on it.

And on the brink of elimination, they will have this to chew on. The Admirals have won six of the nine meetings between the teams this season, and the Senators have not won at home since a 3-1 victory over the Bridgeport Sound Tigers on March 20.

"We're due for a good bounce, especially against this club," Payer said. "But there are certain things we've got to do a lot better."

Added Langfeld, "We've got to play better than that. But it's a three-game series for a reason."